Bella Adams
Want to really work up a sweat? Then we have something for you: a workout that burns up to 1,000 calories – provided you go full throttle.
Your body, your machine. Every day you fill-up the tank and start again – ready for new challenges. How much you consume when you activate the engine depends entirely on the demands you place on your machine.
The higher the speed at which you run, the more fuel you use. And in the case of intensive workouts, the energy consumption continues for many hours – even long after you’ve settled back on the couch.
This is called the afterburn effect, scientifically also “Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption”, in short: EPOC.
To get into this afterburn zone, you only need one thing: an intensive training program – like our 1,000-calorie workout.
The 1,000 calories are roughly equivalent to a pork cutlet fried in fat with fries or two bars of chocolate – so the workout can make up for a well-deserved cheat day.
Developed exclusively for us by sports scientist Elmar Trunz-Carlisi from the Institute for Prevention and Aftercare (IPN) in Cologne and his colleague Alex Winkler – once FIT FOR FUN Fitness Model of the Year.
Test persons were able to prove that it works! Tester Sven Korn: “I run marathons, but such an interval workout is also a change for me – and quite exhausting.”
Intensive 1,000 Calorie Workout Check
Three different types of men, one experiment: We sent athletes with fitness trackers for a workout check.
Conclusion: With our running and bodyweight circuit, you can burn up to 900 calories during your workout – and the EPOC effect adds another 15 percent.
- Sven Korn: The Hamburg-based running coach is a marathon runner
- Kevin Heinrich: Crossfit is the real passion of the wiry content strategist from Munich.
- Albert Braun: For the strength athlete from Hamburg, interval training was an unusual challenge: “The intense 1,000-calorie workout really pushed me to my physical limits!”
Burn 1,000 calories: This is how it works
Blowing 1,000 calories naturally requires a high “RPM” program that forces the body to work at maximum capacity. We highly recommend intensive systems like circuit and interval training to all healthy, fit figure enthusiasts.
How it works: Each of the exercises is performed in what’s called Tabata mode – load 8 times for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds each time. Then run. Beginners should only do the first eight exercises at first – they won’t burn 1,000 calories yet, but they can slowly work their way up to it.
Alternatives for the running intervals
The total time of the workout is about 80 minutes for ten exercises (40-minute workout plus 40 minutes of running). If you can’t do any running on a given day, you may replace the run intervals with other cardio activities: Rope skipping and cycling are also great building blocks.
Just by rope skipping instead of running sessions, for example, an 80-pound man can burn almost 500 calories within our interval workout!
A circuit workout like this combined with intense cardio islands – is one of the most efficient ways to burn maximum calories in one workout. Our concept of circuit training gives a very short break between sets with only ten seconds to keep your heart rate up.
Your individual calorie consumption depends on physiological factors, of course: Age, gender, body size – and your percentage of muscle mass and fitness level. A well-trained athlete will always burn more calories than an untrained one, given similar physical conditions.
The Most Effective Exercises for Your 1,000-Calorie Workout
For a good after-burn effect, a heart rate range of 140 to 160 beats is recommended for the four-minute running intervals or cardio alternatives between exercises.
An efficient circuit should always include exercises that target multiple muscle groups – that’s why we’ve included burpees, support and crunch variations, and jumping elements. This way, you’ll be able to train all of your body’s major core muscles while improving your cardiovascular endurance and burning maximum calories.
Check: Which studio classes burn the most calories?
Four women from the editorial team also set out to burn calories – and tested offers from local fitness clubs with a calorie tracker.
Party on a Bike at Hicycle
The concept: full-body workout to cycling intervals at Hicycle.
“You pedal to fat beats while working out your torso and arms with weights or push-ups on the handlebars. The club atmosphere, the loud music, working out in a group, the coaches – all of this is motivating. The HIIT workout is quite challenging, and sweat pours out. I have to sit on the saddle sometimes, even though you actually cycle almost exclusively standing up. In 45 minutes, I burned exactly 500 calories, up to 700 should be possible.”
HIIT at Urban Heroes
Workout mix of running and strength units at Urban Heros.
“The 50-minute class consists of two interval sessions on the treadmill and two strength sessions on the floor. Since I’m not that fit in terms of endurance at the moment, I was a little queasy before the treadmill. However, I was able to keep up well, since you can choose from three tempo levels. I was especially motivated by the other participants – who want to cheat on the pace when everyone is going full throttle left and right in front of you? Conclusion: exhausting, but varied. In 50 minutes, I burned 800 calories.”
Warrior at Fitness First
Short, crisp, intense – but also fun at many Fitness First studios.
“Really tough what is demanded here in just 20 minutes! The Warrior workout consists of four circuits and these consist of three exercises each. Each circuit trains a different body region lasts four minutes and is to be run through according to the motto ‘As many reps as possible’. In the end, you have completed a full-body workout. And as if leg raises, kettlebell swings, rowing, and the like weren’t strenuous enough, there are 90 seconds of non-stop burpees for everyone at the end! Calories burned: 350.”
Fat burner live course at McFit
At the McFit discount store: Workouts with “real trainers”
“The 60-minute group fitness class sounded promising: the workout combines bodyweight exercises, elements on the aerobic step, and spot running parts. The program is supposed to be aimed at burning fat, in other words, revving up the metabolism. What I didn’t understand: was that we were supposed to take a hydration break every ten minutes. I really didn’t find it that strenuous. My tracker read out a calorie burn of about 300.”
