Exercises That Burn More Calories Than Running

Running allows you to get a stress-reducing, endurance-boosting workout with just a pair of shoes and an open road.
It also burns calories, of course. At a 10-minute per mile pace, you'll fry about 10 calories a minute.

That's a solid number, and if you run faster, you can burn even more.
But if running isn't your favorite activity, there are plenty of other modes of exercise that can help you torch calories at a lightning fast rate.

In general, you burn more calories by doing high-intensity weight training than you do running.

Kettlebell Swing This explosive exercise works the big, powerful muscles around your glutes and quads, and sends your heart into overdrive.   In a study, participants burned 20.2 calories a minute and their average heart was 93% of its max for the course of a 20-minute workout.  The kettlebell swing works you so hard because it's not a movement you're used to. 

Indoor Rowing A 185-pound person can burn 377 calories during 30 minutes of vigorous rowing, or about 12.5 calorie per minute. And because you need to utilize the muscles in your arms, legs, and back for efficient strokes, it's a great total-body trainer. 

Burpee
A 180-pound person burns about 1.43 calories per burpee.  So if you can hammer out at least seven a minute you're in the double digits. But you should shoot to average at least 10 every 60 seconds, or a rate of 14.3 calories per minute. Why? Performing just 10 reps at a fast pace can rev your metabolism as much as a 30-second.

Jumping Rope
Moderate-intensity rope jumping—about 100 to 120 skips per minute—burns about 13 calories a minute.  This mode of exercise uses more muscle groups than jogging, and challenges your balance, and coordination—especially if you practice drills that require extra hand and foot skills.

Cross-Country Skiing
Zipping along on skis delivers a better heart-pounding workout compared to running at about the same pace, thanks to the fact that the sport requires you to push with your lower-body and pull with your upper.
In fact, a good cross-country ski session can burn more than 12 calories a minute.

Tabata Jump Squats
This four-minute miracle drill burns major calories both during a workout and after.  A study of participants who did eight rounds of all-out jump squats—20 seconds of hard work, separated by 10 seconds of rest—burned 13.4 calories per minute and doubled their post-exercise metabolic rate for at least 30 minutes.

Battling Ropes
Battling-rope exercises came in first in terms of total oxygen consumption and an average calorie burn of 10.3 calories per minute.  It's the easiest and most effective way to drop 20, 30, or even 50 pounds (and flatten your belly forever).