Participating in outdoor sports is a great way to stay active and healthy, and can help burn significant calories. Different activities have varying calorie-burning potentials, depending on the intensity, duration, and body weight. Below, we explore some popular outdoor sports and how many calories they burn for an average recreational person.
1. Horse Riding
Horseback riding, often considered a more relaxed activity, can still provide a solid workout. The number of calories burned while riding depends on the type of riding (e.g., trotting, cantering, or walking) and the duration of the activity. On average, a person weighing around 155 pounds (70 kg) can burn about 250-300 calories per hour during a casual ride. More vigorous riding, such as trotting or jumping, can increase this figure significantly, with some estimates going as high as 500 calories per hour.
Horse racing, casual or competitive, can thus get very intense, both off and on track. Professional athletes and horses burn even more calories, which causes serious physical changes during every race. Hence, the folk who cheer from the bleachers and bet on horse races need to gather relevant info on the horse’s and jockey’s respective conditions before every new race. New tools and platforms have been emerging lately, such as this site, where fans and punters alike can find out all sorts of details about many horses and jockeys, from their recent results to physical shape to other relevant data. What’s more, such AI-enhanced platforms make data gathering, analyzing, and comparing much easier and more relevant for users.
2. Hiking
Hiking on flat terrain burns fewer calories than hiking uphill or on rough, uneven paths. For an average recreational hiker weighing around 155 pounds (70 kg), walking on a relatively flat trail may burn approximately 430 calories per hour, and the Steall Falls is ideally around that mark. However, if you’re trekking on a steep or more rugged trail, you could burn up to 500-600 calories per hour. The incline and effort required to maintain balance on uneven ground engage various muscle groups, including the core, legs, and glutes, increasing the overall energy expenditure.
3. Cycling
Cycling, whether on a leisurely ride through the park or a more challenging mountain biking trail, offers great cardiovascular benefits and calorie burn. A person weighing around 155 pounds (70 kg) will burn roughly 400-500 calories per hour at a moderate pace of 12-14 mph (19-23 km/h). If you’re cycling faster or going uphill, the number of calories burned can increase significantly. For those engaging in more intense cycling or mountain biking, like the new track in South Wales, it’s possible to burn 600-700 calories per hour or more, depending on the terrain and your effort level.
4. Tennis
Tennis can be a highly dynamic sport that incorporates both aerobic and anaerobic elements. For a recreational player, an hour of singles tennis can burn between 400 and 600 calories, depending on how vigorously the game is played. The frequent bursts of energy required to move across the court, as well as the fast-paced nature of the game, help elevate heart rate and calorie expenditure.
5. Swimming
Swimming is an excellent full-body workout that engages almost every muscle group. A person weighing around 155 pounds (70 kg) can burn about 400-500 calories per hour swimming at a moderate pace. The type of stroke used can influence the calorie burn, with more intense strokes like butterfly or freestyle burning more calories than a leisurely breaststroke or backstroke.
6. Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is another outdoor activity that can burn a significant amount of calories. The number of calories burned depends on the intensity of the climb and the type of terrain. An average person weighing around 155 pounds (70 kg) can burn approximately 500-700 calories per hour of climbing, depending on the difficulty of the route, so it’s best to start with crags for beginners until you build your body and experience. The physical exertion required to grip the rock, support your body weight, and manoeuvre upwards makes climbing a full-body workout, particularly for the arms, legs, and core muscles.
