What exercise can I do to burn the most calories without cardio?

l883
l883 Posts: 8 Member
edited April 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
I recently injured my leg and I'm not able to walk on it much which means I have to change my exercise routine, which of course involved a lot of standing up and walking and running which I won't be able to do for a while.
Does anybody know any workouts that are very effective but don't involve your legs much?

Replies

  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    edited April 2017
    Do you belong to a gym and/ or have a trainer? I've seen cardio machines that can be operated with the upper body only.
  • gmstevens37
    gmstevens37 Posts: 30 Member
    I have the same issue. Broke my leg 1.5 yrs ago. The plate in it still effs with me an I can't run. I have found Pilates is great. Little to no impact, and can easily be modified.
  • MarmiteToes
    MarmiteToes Posts: 20 Member
    I'm in the same boat since I developed plantar fasciitis. It sucks and I'm grumpy about the decreased calories I get to eat now. My usual workouts were walking, running, and at-home YouTube workouts involving a lot of jumping around. Now I'm doing pilates since it's all mat work, yoga, and strength training with dumbbells since I can still stand OK. Definitely not as good at burning calories as my usual workouts but at least it's something and it keeps me in the routine of exercising.

    If you have access to a gym then a recumbent bike might work or even an elliptical depending on your injury. Swimming's a good low-impact exercise too. Otherwise focus on what you can work out and focus on your upper body strength training.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Any form of MMA is a huge calorie burner and while you're standing/on your feet, you're not taking many steps and you don't have to kick if you don't want too.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Some people who can't use their legs use hand crank bicycles. I've considered getting one just for the upper body workout, even though I have full use of my legs.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    Some people who can't use their legs use hand crank bicycles. I've considered getting one just for the upper body workout, even though I have full use of my legs.
    If the injury is only temporarily preventing OP from doing ordinary cardio, there may be facilities that have hand cycles (aka Krankcycles or hand bikes) available, or other similar equipment. For the short term, or for trying out different exercises, that could be a cost-effective way of doing it.

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