Sprinting burns 40% more fat than other forms of cardio, study finds

For successful weight loss, pick the cardio you enjoy doing. When compared to HIIT, sprinting leads to a 40% greater reduction in body fat

Alex Roberts

Sprinting burns 40% more fat than other forms of cardio, study finds

The most obvious training people do when they want to lose weight is some kind of cardio

But one form may trump all others when it comes to blitzing body fat. New research suggests sprinting burns more fat than other forms of HIIT or traditional, steady-state cardio.

It also takes up less of your free time, too.

When compared to HIIT, sprint interval training led to a 40% greater reduction in body fat. But the benefits of a good sprint session go beyond fat loss.

No one’s expecting Bolt-like results from sprinting, but it’ll certainly help you shed some fat

Sprinting takes up 60% less of your time when compared to standard HIIT and cardio, meaning you can spend an extra hour watching Netflix without it costing your gym progress.

Your preferred choice of cardio should be one you enjoy doing. If you resent running on a treadmill or using the rower, you’re less likely to include cardio in your routine – which could hinder your results. Include a variation you enjoy, and watch the weight loss roll in.

Here’s a little more on why sprinting won out:

Sprinting versus high-intensity interval training (HIIT)

Typical forms of HIIT include circuits using a variety of equipment (kettlebells, dumbbells, exercise bikes and more).

On average, people training with sprint intervals conducted 10% fewer workouts per week
Workouts for sprinters were 44% shorter in comparison to HIIT
During these workouts, the sprint group did almost 5% fewer sprints than the HIIT participants did their high-intensity intervals
These sprints were 85% shorter in duration than the high-intensity intervals of the HIIT group

The quicker your cardio, the more free time you have to binge watch that new series

Sprinting versus continuous cardio (running, jogging on the treadmill)

Sprinting led to a 92% greater reduction in body fat percentage than steady-state cardio
SIT significantly outperformed MICT in Body Fat Percentage (BF%) reduction while requiring 71.17% less time spent exercising.
SIT participants conducted 15.54% fewer workouts every week on average compared to MICT.
Workouts for SIT were 60.12% shorter in comparison to MICT.

If you find a cardio a dull, arduous slog (and let’s be honest, most of you do), include some sprint intervals would be a wise move. Not only will you be out of the gym quicker, but you’ll probably burn more fat too.