Which At-Home Exercise System Burns Calories Fastest?

Between the dawn of a new year and an ongoing pandemic, at-home gym systems are all the rage right now, with consumers ordering pricey Mirrors and Pelotons — some of which are on backorder for weeks — left and right. But which one can help you burn calories the quickest? Nutrition app Lifesum recently compared the most popular at-home exercise equipment to see how long it would take — and how much it would cost — to burn about 200 calories a day, or 6,000 a month, a pace recommended by nutritionists for losing 10 pounds in six months. If you're in the market for a pricey piece of workout equipment, read on, but remember, says registered dietitian and nutritionist Christina Jax: "You can't out-run a bad diet. If you're going to spend 12 hours on a bike or 20 hours a month doing yoga, you need to also eat properly or you won't achieve the results you want. Proper nutrition is critical to achieving healthy weight."

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 20.14 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $20

While CorePower Yoga has more than 200 studios nationwide, it also offers an at-home option (currently on sale for $20 a month with promo code ATHOME19) that offers both live classes and more than 300 on-demand classes. This is the cheapest at-home workout in Lifesum's comparison, but also the most time-consuming: To average out to 200 calories a day, you would need to do an hour-long class about five days a week. Classes include options for yoga, sculpting, cardio, meditation, and more. 

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 13.46 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $94

The Tempo Studio is a free-standing home gym that comes with a weight set and AI guidance that helps improve your form and counts your reps. The gym itself costs $2,495 (financing available) and, once you've got it set up, you can take a range of classes — $39 per month — that focus on strength, cardio, HIIT, and more. Note that a year-long commitment is required once your Tempo Studio is activated.

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 13.14 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $90

If hitting things is your preferred form of exercise, the Fightcamp system comes with a free-standing bag, workout mat, premium gloves, quick wraps, and punch trackers — all for a one-time payment of $1,219. Like other systems, financing is available, and additional accessories can be ordered for a higher cost. A monthly membership will set you back $39 per month, which gives you access to a huge variety of on-demand boxing- and kickboxing-focused workouts.

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 12.54 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $94

Few pieces of exercise equipment give an all-body workout like a rowing machine, and the Hydrow system takes this at-home piece of equipment to the next level with a 22-inch touchscreen, patented drag mechanism, and more. The rower costs $1,995 and you'll have to shell out more for extras like a mat, heart rate monitor, headphones, and other accessories. A one-year membership is $456 ($38 a month) and gives you access to workouts that include live and on-demand classes, as well as yoga, pilates, and strength-training workouts.

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 11.02 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $149

The Tonal at-home gym uses digital weights on a wall-mounted system that operates via magnets and electricity. Its 24-inch touchscreen display lets you choose guided workouts that range from strength training and pilates to barre, yoga, kickboxing, and more. Like the Tempo, it also employs AI sensors to provide real-time guidance on form and technique, and the system is designed to gauge how strong you are and increase weight loads as you get stronger. The system itself costs $2,995 plus an extra $495 if you want to use its "smart accessories," and a monthly membership is $49 with a 12-month commitment required.

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 10.9 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $88

The Peloton is an at-home bike that offers live and on-demand spin classes via its attached touchscreen, as well as workouts that range from strength training, meditation, and yoga to boot camps, running, and more. The company now offers two bikes — the regular and Bike+ — and the base cost on these is $1,895 and $2,495, respectively (as with other systems, additional accessories cost more). Membership is $39 a month, and no minimum commitment is required.

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 10.26 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $164

The Mirror system can stand on the floor or be wall-mounted, and this at-home workout system offers lots of versatility if you can get used to staring at yourself. Classes range from boot camps, kickboxing, cardio, and strength training to pilates, tai chi, yoga, boxing, barre, and more. Both live and on-demand classes are available. The equipment itself starts at $1,495 (accessories extra, of course) and the monthly membership fee is $39 with a one-year commitment.

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 8.78 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $82

Although NordicTrack sells plenty of different treadmill models, Lifesum assumed the monthly cost of financing a model in the $3,000 range, like the Commercial X22i. This piece of equipment comes with a free one-year iFit Family Membership (a $468 value), which offers "interactive personal training" at home and also automatically adjusts speed, incline, and resistance. Workouts include running, of course, but also bodyweight, yoga, cross-training, and more.

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Total time to burn 6,000 calories: 7.4 hours
Total cost per month to burn 6,000 calories: $160

Lifesum referenced this study for caloric data on these at-home workouts, the only ones in its report not associated with a piece of equipment or a membership. They emerged as the quickest route to losing 6,000 calories per month — but also among the most expensive, second only to the Mirror. Lifesum assumed a cost of $20 per class, with nearly eight sessions needed to reach the 6,000 calorie mark. At-home HIIT or Tabata classes are offered by exercise sites and apps like Obé, Glo, Barry's, and others, but you can also find free classes online on sites like YouTube.

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