Ro's Recz

While I normally write about things I recommend, I want to have more variation. I will continue to do recommendations of things I come across, but I also want to post my findings of questions that I have (on any topic). These are not questions unique to myself; however, I have taken the time to research the topics and find out the answers. When I find an article that has been written about the subject, I will simply summarize the findings and direct you to the article (for further investigation).

Since I enjoy playing sports and exercising, I was curious to learn which sports burn the most calories. While calories burned is not a perfect reflection of the best sport for your health, it does provide an indicator for how much of a workout you are getting.

According to an article by Business Insider, the sport that burns the most calories/hour is running, with running 8mph burning 1074 calories/hour. This is followed closely by soccer, taekwondo, vigorous swimming, tennis (singles), and basketball. This list makes sense, as most sports besides running involve some sort of a break in action. In case you were curious, golfing burns 391 calories/hour, but this is only if you walk and carry your own clubs. You can check out the full list at this link.

As for pro sports, an article by BroBible found that professional football players typically burn about 1760 calories per game, which comes out to about 550 calories/hour (which seems a little low honestly). Pro tennis players burn about 1650 calories over the course of a match (on average), or 600 calories/hour (which also seems a bit low). Finally, professional soccer players burn around 1350 calories in a match, for an average of 900 calories/hour.

While all sports are beneficial for your health, the amount of calories burned can vary anywhere from 400-1000 calories/hour. Of course, it also depends on the intensity of play, but this is on average. Ball sports like basketball, tennis, and soccer may be more fun forms of exercise and better to play with friends; however, if you are looking solely for sports that provide the most bang-for-your-buck for burning calories, continuous running or swimming may be your best option.