The One Exercise That Burns More Fat Than Running

Updated on 7/7/2016 at 4:15 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Ericka McConnell

We get it: for most people, running is about as fun as watching paint dry. But it's been a necessary punishment you put your body through in order to keep off unwanted pounds — until today! What if we told you there was one exercise that burns more fat than running? You'd be interested, right? What's that? You want to know this more than next season's Game of Thrones spoilers? No need to beg. The nonrunning answer to fat loss is burpees!

Why are burpees more effective at burning fat than running? Simply put, burpees accomplish almost everything running does, but with the added benefit of targeting all the muscles in your body at the same time. According to Albert Liu, PhD, founder of CleanEnergyPatch, "You will get all the cardiovascular benefits of running from doing burpees, but you will also get the added benefits of targeting some of your larger muscle groups and harnessing your entire body rather than simply your legs." What does that mean for you? Burpees will get your heart pumping, your sweat going, your entire body mobile, and the large muscles on your body firing.

Even if you're familiar with burpees, chances are you've done them wrong. "The burpee is one of the most beneficial moves you can do, but it's also one of the hardest for most people to do properly," said Terry Asher, CPT and owner of GymJunkies. Here's your guide to getting it done right:

Step 1: Lower into a squat while lowering your hands to the floor.
Step 2: Kick your legs back so you land in a plank position.
Step 3: Do one push-up and then go back into the plank position.
Step 4: Jump your feet forward and land into a squat position.
Step 5: Jump straight up with as much explosive power as you have so you go as high as possible.

Sound like a lot of work? Trust us, it's worth it. No other exercise hits your whole body as effectively while also getting your heart going. According to Dan Smith, CPT and owner of EOSFitness, "Only the burpee combines a squat, plank, push-up, explosive jumps, and the speed to push yourself as hard as any cardio." So what are you waiting for? Get those burpees into your workout and run a little less but still blast fat faster than ever!