What Cardio Exercise Should an Obese Person Do to Burn a Lot of Fat?

Cardio exercises provide a long list of benefits, including the ability to help you burn calories at a high rate to lose fat. If you're obese and want to get in shape, developing a workout regimen that includes one or more cardio exercises can put you on the fast track to success. Pick exercises you enjoy to help you stay dedicated to getting in shape.

  1. Low-Impact Exercises

    • Taking a brisk jog or sprinting up a set of stairs are effective ways to burn calories at a high rate, but obese people should always avoid high-impact exercises that can cause severe joint pain. Instead, focus on low-impact exercises that reduce your risk of developing an injury during the workout. If you aren't sure about the impact of an exercise, evaluate the force with which your feet hit the ground and whether both feet are in the air at once. For example, while walking, you always have one foot on the ground; in running, you often have both feet in the air, which creates more of an impact.

    Outdoor Exercises

    • Walking might not seem as exciting as jogging, but for someone who's obese, it's an ideal activity. Not only is it not overly grueling to someone who isn't in shape, but it provides a lower impact than jogging. Cycling is also a suitable low-impact activity to consider. Because your feet remain on the pedals of your bike, the activity provides little joint impact. A 250-pound person will burn 247 calories during a 30-minute walk at 3 mph and 495 calories during a half-hour bike ride between 12 and 14 mph.

    Gym Exercises

    • Buying a gym membership gives you access to several exercise machines that you can use to burn calories, and many provide a low-impact workout. Using a stationary bike, elliptical trainer and rowing machine are ideal exercises that create minimal impact. During a 30-minute workout on each machine, a 250-pound person will burn 398, 645 and 398 calories, respectively. Another perk of working out with an exercise machine is the ability to track the length and speed of your workout.

    Water Exercises

    • Water-based exercises are ideal for those who are obese, as the water that surrounds your body dampens the impact of each movement. While an obese person might experience pain during a land-based aerobics class, a water aerobics class can be suitable. A 250-pound person will burn 225 calories in 30 minutes of water aerobics. Swimming provides virtually no impact and burns calories at an accelerated rate; the same person will burn 345 calories in a half-hour swim.