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

The Covid era marked an increase in the popularity of many activities, from baking to working from home or even in bed.

But there’s nothing like training at home. According to a 2023 survey, nearly 40 percent of Americans prefer to exercise at home, compared to going to the gym or an exercise class.

But you might be wondering if doing your favorite Zoom workout (or DIY weights routine) delivers the same results as your weekly Zumba, Pilates, or HIIT class.

Now, experts have settled the debate: It’s just as effective, and you’re likely to burn about the same amount of calories, if you work hard.

‘Without a doubt, home workouts, if done correctly, can be just as effective [as classes],” said Kate Rowe-Ham, a UK-based personal trainer at Own Your Menopause, an online subscription-based fitness program.

Studies show that if you make sure to push yourself at home, you can burn the same amount of calories at home as you can burn in a class.

Take Zumba. A 45-minute in-person class burns an average of 360 calories, according to sports scientists at Western Colorado University.

At-home versions, like this one from personal trainer Mira Pham that you can find on YouTube, claim to burn up to 600 calories for a 60-minute class.

But that’s only if you’re pushing yourself, and not everyone is good at holding themselves accountable during home workouts, said Jennie Brown, barre instructor and owner of Meet You at the Barre.

“The discipline of working out at home suits some people better than others,” Brown said. Some people struggle to motivate themselves to exercise at home in general and struggle to stick to a routine as a result, researchers at Northumbria University found.

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

Pilates is another example; You burn about 220 calories as a 150-pound person doing a one-hour reformer Pilates class, according to Maryland instructor Marguerite Ogle.

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

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

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

So, for example, if you want to get into the shape of a graceful dancer, you can first take a pole class to learn the basics before taking these lessons at home.

Learning how to perform your target exercises correctly will help you reach your goals faster and, more importantly, avoid injury, Ms Warburton said.

Also, if you attend a class, you can learn that the equipment may be necessary to reach your individual fitness goals.

TikTok user omarcalisthenics shared his calisthenics workout at home video from August 2023.

After you’ve figured out your technique, you need to get organized. First, you need to set a plan that allows you to slowly improve, said Ben Simpkins, a UK physical therapist at London Fitness Mamas.

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

“To progress, you can start to work the muscles harder through higher repetitions or working at a slower pace to keep the muscles under load for longer,” he said.

That gets to the central tenant of all exercise: that the results you get depend entirely on how hard you’re willing to push yourself, Ms. Brown said.

So if you can be strict with 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 in the gym or at home, Ms Brown said “the amount of effort you put into your workout will always be what you get out of it”.