Though bodybuilders and runners usually take different approaches towards physical fitness, each gets something positive out of their efforts. “The most important exercise for each person is the exercise they’re willing to do,” says Austin “Ozzie” Gontang, a licensed psychotherapist at Pacific Pearl of La Jolla and the director of the San Diego Marathon Clinic.
At the same time, certain exercises really do yield more measurable results than others, and if burning calories is your primary objective, the experts say you’ll want to include these workouts as a regular part of your exercise routine.
Why do some exercises burn more calories than others?
The first thing to understand is that various exercises burn more calories than others. “The key to maximizing calorie burn is to choose exercises that engage multiple muscle groups and can be performed at a high intensity,” Gontang says. He explains that the number of calories burned from exercise is influenced by how many and which types of muscle are engaged and the intensity and duration of each activity. “High-intensity, full-body workouts generally lead to a higher calorie burn,” he says.
But it’s not as straightforward as the type of exercise alone affecting the number of calories burned. David Herzberg, a physical therapist and owner of Launch Physical Therapy and Sports Performance Center in Phoenix, explains that age and gender can also impact how many calories are burned during each activity and that overall…
