6 Workouts That Burn More Calories Than Jogging
One of the reasons you’ll hear trainers constantly tout the benefits of strength training is because it will increase muscle mass, keep your metabolism up, and improve a little thing called “after burn,” or the number of calories your body burns in the 24 to 48 hours after exercise. “Running might actually burn more calories in the moment, but strength training will burn more calories over the long term,” says Greg Johnson, C.S.C.S., of Varimax Fitness in Sacramento, California. One of the best ways to achieve this after-burn effect is to constantly mix up your workout throughout the week, he says. To boost fat loss, he recommends strength training three times a week, doing one day of sprints or a cardio class, and another day or two of a steady-state running. “This will tap into different energy processes of your body, which will change how your body reacts and recovers. That’s how you get the after burn,” says Johnson.