What’s the Best Cardio for Weight Loss: Evidence and Science-Backed

The best cardio for weight loss can be done at home or the gym. Figure out what works for you based on your schedule, budget, and motivation.

Ready for some killer cardio? In this guide, you’re going to learn everything about cardio exercise — what it is, its advantages, how it helps with the keto lifestyle, and a list of cardio workouts. Dig in.

Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, is defined as any activity that requires more oxygen, is repetitive in nature, and engages your large muscle groups 1. These muscle groups include:

• Legs: Quadriceps, Calves, Hamstrings
• Abs: External and Internal Obliques, Rectus and Transversus Abdominis
• Chest: Pectoralis Major and Minor
• Arms: Biceps, Triceps
• Back: Trapezius, Latissimus Dorsi, Transversospinalis

As the name goes, cardio exercise boosts the ability of your cardiovascular and respiratory systems to effectively supply oxygen throughout your body. This is known as cardiopulmonary fitness (cardio – heart, pulmonary – lungs) 2.

Cardio exercises are done at a light or moderate intensity. Light and moderate intensity activities at a sustained effort facilitate aerobic metabolism. You can go on and on without experiencing fatigue. One of its major effects is weight loss.

The opposite of cardio exercise is anaerobic exercise. Such exercise does not require oxygen, is performed at a higher intensity, and builds muscle strength.

A study on 141 obese or overweight individuals aged 18-30 years revealed that burning 400-600 calories per session, 5 times a week, results in a significant fat loss. It didn’t matter if the participants were males or females. The cardio exercises they did were walking, jogging, and motor-driven treadmills 3.

You get energy through the foods you eat (energy in). You expend energy through physical activity (energy out). One of the ways to expend energy is a cardio workout.

It’s important to remember that to achieve weight loss, your energy intake should not equal energy expenditure. This means that you need to burn more calories than you consume 3.

Some people who do the best cardio to burn belly fat also follow a ketogenic diet. The reason is that keto helps them maintain a high level of physical activity and go long periods without craving carbohydrates for fuel.

Exercise is often overlooked as an intervention to control blood glucose.

Whether you have diabetes or are at risk for developing it, all types of exercise, including cardio exercise, are capable of lowering your blood glucose levels.

Type 2 diabetic patients benefit from at least 10 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise spread throughout the week. If you want additional health benefits, consider increasing your exercise to 30 minutes on most or all days of the week 5.

So how do cardio exercises improve your blood sugar health? When your skeletal muscles contract, such as when you move your limbs and the rest of your body, blood flow increases. This boost in blood flow allows glucose to enter your cells without the help of external or supplemental insulin 6.

Do you have a sedentary lifestyle? You have it if you spend the majority of your days doing little to no physical activity. Certain activities are also considered sedentary such as reading, watching television, and using your mobile device 7.

The problem with living sedentarily is that it increases your odds of getting heart disease. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely responsible for the deaths of men and women in the United States. It’s also predicted that 25 million deaths worldwide will happen in 2020 due to CVD.

One of the best free ways to prevent CVD is by engaging in cardio exercises. Such exercises boost your cardiorespiratory fitness.

Since exercising for the long term is most beneficial to your health, find ways to make it more enjoyable. Leisure cardio workouts at home or anywhere include gardening, walking, and hiking 8.

Is stress responsible for weight gain? Yes, it is. While stress pushes you to work harder and be more resilient, too much of it (a.k.a. “chronic stress”) is detrimental to your weight.

Chronic stress is often social in nature. It may involve work stress, poor self-esteem, or relationship issues. Chronic stress affects your lifestyle and food choices.

According to a study, many people who feel stressed tend to crave comfort foods. These palatable foods are high in calories and sugar 9.

Cardio exercises reduce stress by releasing feel-good hormones known as endorphins. This is why after running, people report experiencing “euphoria” 10. We can say that to be able to lose weight, one needs to manage stress through exercise.

Ever felt sore the next day after going beast mode at the gym? We describe this as delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS for short. People who engage in a type of exercise for the first time are prone to DOMS.

While you can take an analgesic medication to reduce muscle pain and stiffness, exercise is the most effective way to diminish DOMS 11.

Engaging in a low-impact cardio exercise still increases your heart rate, which promotes blood flow to your affected muscles. This increase in blood flow removes lactic acid, a substance responsible for muscle soreness. Instead of completely resting for days when you experience DOMS, engage in active recovery 12.

The faster you can recover, the better you can sustain your fitness program for weight loss.

The World Health Organization advises adults to aged 18-64 to engage in a moderate aerobic exercise 150 minutes a week.

If you want to be healthier, increase it to 300 minutes a week. Another option is to still hit the 150 minutes per week mark but make your aerobic workout more intense 13.

There are many ways to achieve the recommended times for exercise. You can exercise in short bouts of 10 minutes throughout the day every day of the week, or spend 30 minutes each day,
for 5 days.

New to cardio exercise? Beginners should take it easy by starting small. Doing so allows you to build momentum until you can challenge yourself more. If you’re out of shape, don’t expect your physique to transform overnight. Consistency is key.

Yes, you can incorporate cardio into a keto lifestyle. If you follow a ketogenic diet because you know that it helps you meet your weight loss goal, exercising on keto hits that goal faster.

Let’s recall that the ketogenic diet trains your body to become adapted to using its fat stores for energy. To do that, it requires you to drastically limit carb-rich foods and increase healthy fatty foods.

A person who follows a standard diet gets his energy mainly from glucose. Glucose is the end result of carbohydrates after they’re broken down by your digestive system.

Study shows that a very low carbohydrate diet leads to greater fat oxidation during exercise 14. Furthermore, being fat adapted enhances exercise performance. A study was done on 20 male endurance athletes. After 12 weeks of sticking to the keto diet, their performance increased 15.

Here, we can see that exercise helps with keto and keto helps boost exercise.

Now that you know that cardio burns fat, you’re probably wondering which exercise brings optimal results. Below, we discuss the ten best cardio exercises to do at home and the gym.Home cardio exercise

Some people find home cardio workouts appealing. They can skip monthly gym fees, save time traveling, and avoid feeling intimidated by crowds. Here’s our list of the best cardio for weight loss at home.

This exercise also strengthens your bones. One study examined the effect of jump training on the bone structure of 80 rats. The result revealed that it increased bone mineral density 16.

Doing cardio at the gym has several perks. One is that being in a gym setting is motivating because you get to be around other people. Also, machines make your fitness routine more efficient. Check out the best cardio for weight loss at the gym below.

1. Elliptical

Also called a cross trainer, an elliptical trainer gives you a low-impact workout. Meaning, it won’t stress your joints and will reduce your chances of getting injured.

Because you’ll be moving your arms and legs, an elliptical will work the upper and lower muscle groups of your body. At the same time, elliptical exercises improve knee function 19.

2. Treadmill

Whether you want to prime your body for running workouts or simply want to burn fat, exercising on a treadmill is a great idea.

A study conducted on chronic stroke survivors proved that high-intensity aerobic treadmill exercise boosted cardiovascular function. After training on a treadmill 3 times a week for 3 months, the participants were able to increase their walking distance as well as their oxygen consumption rate 20.

3. StairMaster

The StairMaster exercise is excellent if you want to get a good lower body workout. It also works your core. If you don’t have stairs at home which you can use for exercise, your nearest gym might have this piece of equipment.
Unlike the regular staircase, a StairMaster can be adjusted to your fitness level. Adjust the speed and resistance to burn more calories in one session.

It’s also a low-impact exercise which means that it won’t cause stress on your joints.

4. Stationary bike

A stationary bike workout is often compared to a treadmill. When it comes to burning more calories, you would get more out of a treadmill because it moves your entire body. However, a stationary bike is easier on the joints for people with bad knees.

On top of weight loss, a stationary bike improves your muscular endurance and lowers your stress. According to a study on elderly women, this exercise also enhances gait and balance 21.

5. Rowing machine

What most people don’t know is that the rowing machine is one of the best cardio for weight loss. Rowing is basically a combination exercise as you have to work your upper and lower body simultaneously. It targets major muscle groups such as the shoulders, arms, legs, and core.

A study showed that indoor rowing significantly decreases fat mass, body weight, as well as one’s cardiovascular risk 22.

Cardio exercises raise your heart rate and promote blood flow to your muscles. It’s a powerful way to burn fat. What’s more, there are so many available exercises that don’t wear out your joints and move your whole body.

• Cardio exercises engage your large muscle groups.
• WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of cardio each week.
• Include cardio in your ketogenic lifestyle to increase weight loss and achieve other health benefits.
• Whether you workout at home or the gym, always maintain proper form.