Fitness experts reveal how many calories you’ll burn with at-home workouts – and how it compares to your in-person classes

The Covid era marked a surge in popularity of many activities: from baking bread to working from home or even bed.

But nothing was as successful as the home training. According to a 2023 poll, nearly 40 percent of Americans prefer to exercise at home rather than going to the gym or a fitness class.

But you might be wondering whether doing your favorite Zoom workout — or DIY weight loss routine — will yield the same results as your weekly Zumba, Pilates, or HIIT class.

Now experts have settled the debate: It’s just as effective – and you’ll probably burn about the same amount of calories if you work hard.

“Without a doubt, home workouts, when done correctly, can be just as effective (as classes),” says Kate Rowe-Ham, a British-based personal trainer owner of Own Your Menopause, a subscription-based online fitness program.

Research shows that if you make sure you push yourself to the limit at home, you can burn as many calories at home as during a class.

Take Zumba. According to sports scientists, one individual 45-minute lesson burns an average of 360 calories Western Colorado University.

Home versions, such as this by personal trainer Mira Pham who you can find on YouTube, advertises burning up to 600 calories for a 60-minute class.

But that’s only if you push yourself to the limit, and not everyone is good at being accountable during home workouts, says Jennie Brown, barre instructor and owner of Meet You at the Barre.

“The discipline of exercising at home suits some people better than others,” Ms Brown said. Some people struggle to be motivated to exercise at home in general, and therefore struggle to maintain a routine, researchers report University of Northumbria found.

But if you’re strict with yourself, you’ll find that all kinds of workouts can translate well to your living room.

Pilates is another example; you’ll burn about 220 calories as a 150-pound person by taking a one-hour reformer Pilates class, according to Maryland-based instructor Margaret Ogle.

By comparison, if a 150-pound person does Pilates at home for an hour, Ms. Ogle said he can burn almost the same amount, with an average of 200 calories.

Exercising at the gym is effective, but may not be the best option for everyone.

And for strength trainers, the average person can burn 216 calories by lifting weights at the gym for thirty minutes. Harvard Health Publishers. But you can burn 306 calories by doing calisthenics, strength training with bodyweight movements like planks and push-ups at home.

To maximize the goal you’re trying to achieve, you should first learn the basics and techniques from a professional, Aleksandra Warburton, a Pilates instructor, told Stylist.

So, for example, if you want to get a ballerina slim shape, you can attend a barre class first to learn the basics before taking those classes home.

Learning how to do your target exercises correctly can help you achieve your goals faster and, more importantly, avoid injuring yourself, Ms Warburton said.

Attending a class can also teach you that equipment may be necessary to achieve your individual fitness goals.

TikTok user omarcalisthenics shared his at-home gym workout in an August 2023 video.

After you’ve discovered your technique, you need to get organized. First, you need to create a plan that will help you progress slowly, says Ben Simpkins, a British-based physical therapist at London Fitness Mamas.

Mr. Simpkins recommends that home exercisers for strength training can use whatever weights they have on hand to perform as many reps as possible — the key isn’t one super-heavy weight, but the intensity with which you attack your workout, Simpkins said.

“To make progress, you can start training your muscles more by doing higher reps or working at a slower pace to keep the muscles under load for longer,” he said.

This gets to the heart of all exercise: that the results you get depend entirely on how much you are willing to push yourself, Ms. Brown said.

So if you can be hard on yourself, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get the results you want from home workouts, Ms. Brown said.

At the end of the day, whether you’re at the gym or at home, Ms. Brown said, “the amount of effort you put into your workout will always be the amount of effort you get out of it.”