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Health

The science of exercise: Which activity burns the most calories?

Running, swimming, HIIT or walking – what is the best way to work out? The answer is complicated, and depends on the person, finds Grace Wade

By Grace Wade

30 October 2024

Two friends exercising outdoors in a park on a sunny day. They are jumping with jumping rope.

James Blake/Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust

When I first started my fitness journey, I wanted to maximise my workout. If I was going to be sore and sweaty, I figured I might as well make the most of it.

Building fitness requires pushing your body to do more activity than it is used to. A good barometer for how hard you are exerting yourself during exercise is therefore the number of calories you burn. So, what exercise uses the most calories? It depends.

Research has consistently shown that aerobic exercises…

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