Hate running?
Here are 10 insanely effective cardio workouts that will let you burn more fat than running. Better yet, many of them allow you to spend less time than you would on a 2 to 3 mile run.
Because you can do most of these workouts at home, not only do you save on a gym membership, you’ll also be able to enjoy more quality time at home with the kids.
You can choose from the many great options below.
They’re perfect for anyone who doesn’t enjoy running frequently. They’re also a better choice if you have knee pain or aren’t a fan of the joint jarring effects of jogging or running.
1. Fitness Blenders’ Fat Burning Cardio Workout – 37 Minute Cardio Workout at Home
This workout is a combination of several different exercises.
You’ve got slow burpees, jumping jacks, torso twists, jogging in place, lateral hops and more.
The idea behind the variety of short exercises is to target more than one muscle group in a short amount of time.
Thanks to this, you’ll be able to get a good burn all around. Plus, you core also gets a good workout.
This circuit style workout lets you work on different muscle groups for 40 seconds at time. Then, you’ll move on to the next exercise.
So, you’ll be able to work your core, legs, arms, hips and botty all in one session.
2. Burst Training on a Treadmill
If you’re okay with running but don’t want to have to endure the long distances just to burn fat, here’s a faster solution.
Burst training.
Unlike going on a steady pace for long distances, this type of workout focuses on high bursts of speed for short intervals.
In this case you’ll be running at full speed on the treadmill for 10 seconds. Then, taking a quick 10 minute rest before going back on for another all out 10 seconds.
Doing this on intervals lets you get in a high intensity workout in a short amount of time. More importantly, it produces better results that if you would spend the same amount of time running at a steady pace.
Do be careful not to overdo it. And, make sure that you stay on the treadmill track.
3. Burn 600 Calories in a 60-Minute Workout With Jeanette Jenkins
This workout promises that you will burn 600 calories at the end of the 60 minutes.
Yes, it’s a bit longer that many of the other workouts on our list.
But, you’ll feel better about yourself once you’re done. That’s 600 calories off your body weight.
Of course, how much you actually burn will depend on your current fitness level. The shape you’re in and your weight will play a part.
For this reason, some people will burn more than 600 calories.
To give you an idea of what’s in store, the workout includes push-ups, jogging in place quickly, punches and side kicks.
4. Work Out: Dance to Burn Fat by Danielle Peazer
With this workout, as with any workout, you should first warm up. This lets your body get ready. In doing so, there will be more blood circulation and your muscles will feel looser.
This dance workout includes jumping, hip swinging, punching up in the air, ab twists.
It is simple looking and repetitive, but fun.
Most importantly, it lets you burn a lot of fat and you’ll be all done in nine minutes.
5. Blogilates’ Ultimate Fat Burn Workout
Unlike the previous workout, this one does not involve any jumping. Instead, you’ll be doing a few squats right off the bat. Oh, did I mention it lasts about a minute.
From there, there’s a bit more leg work. Lunges come after the squats. Together, these two exercises work the legs and hips. This lets you build sleek and sexy legs and a firm, round butt.
To target your leg muscles all around, side lunges are in order. These focus on a different area of the
legs, hips, and glutes, as do the lunge lifts.
All in all, this workout is fairly low impact and can be done in eight minutes.
6. PopSugar Fitness’ Killer Workout Torches Calories — About 500 in 45 Minutes
Have too much to eat or just splurged on your favorite dessert?
Here’s the perfect workout to burn off 500 of those calories so you’ll feel better about yourself.
Be ready to spend about 45 minutes here. Sorry, there are no shortcuts to getting rid of the extra calories
As with the 60-Minute workout above, some people will be able to burn more than 500 calories.
This workout starts out with arm stretches and later on includes knee-ups, squats and punches. Yes, you’ll be throwing hooks and uppercuts along with side kicks as you transition from boxing into kickboxing towards the later part of the routine.
There is a modified version for those who need a low impact workout.
7. Fitness Blender’s Quick Sweat Cardio Workout to Lose Weight & Burn Belly Fat Fast
No gym, no problem!
This workout routine does not require any equipment. And, it lasts for only eight minutes.
To burn off more calories than running, it involves doing eight exercises which last for 45 seconds each.
The first of these exercises is the delayed pendulum hop, which kind of a fun exercise.
It is then followed by an exercise where you’ll be throwing two hooks, two uppercuts and finally performing two jumping jacks.
This cardio workout also includes some fun ones like the lateral burpees.
8. Victoria’s Secret Model Workout: 10-Minute Fast-Blasting Circuit
Want to look like a Victoria’s Secret Angel?
Try this 10 minute model workout!
It’s perfect for anyone who’s short on time. Or, if you don’t like to have to go through grueling 30 minute or one hour workouts just to burn fat.
This VS Angel workout includes exercises like speed skaters and also plié squats.
For flexibility and grace, it involves a number of ballet moves like the arabesque and then, later on, the plié jump. These, in combination with more traditional exercises like squat lunges.
9. Rachella Nisson’s Dance Cardio Workout – 40 Minutes Dance cardio To Burn Fat – Total Body Workout
Since we’re on the topic of ballet, we can segue into dance.
If you have 40 minutes to spare and you love dancing, this is a really fun workout to do.
To get the upper body more involved, it also incorporates boxing into the sequence.
But overall, you’ll be moving around in your feet much like you would on the dance floor. Among the moves you’re sure to enjoy are well-known classics like toe taps, hip swings, bouncing, and kicks.
Later on in the workout, light dumbbells are also introduced. This works to tone your arms more. You’ll be doing biceps curls and other arm exercises to build sexy arms and shoulders.
A word of warning though, this is not the type of workout for those who are looking for something that’s low impact.
One thing we’re sure of is that you will never be bored doing this workout.
10. Christine Salus’ Metabolism boosting HIIT workout (20 min)
This final workout takes advantage of the HIIT principle. High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, focuses on short bursts of high energy movements.
Doing this is a great way to burn a lot of calories and fat in a short amount of time.
It’s been scientifically proven to burn more calories and shed more body fat than steady state exercises like running or jogging.
To give you an idea of what you’re in for, here are a few of the exercises included in the workout. They are planks, mountain climbers, push-ups, and burpees.
If you want to push the intensity up to burn more fat, dumbbells or kettlebells are used later on in the session. Anywhere from 5 to 20 pounds will work depending on the body part and your fitness level.
If you’re just getting back in shape, we recommend following the suggest number of sets for each of the exercises. This is so as not to go longer than intended.
