How many calories are spent when running is a question that is asked by those who want to lose weight and are thinking about choosing a method for losing weight.
We'll tell you where calories come from and how many are burned when running, how much time you need to run to lose weight, and how to increase the effectiveness of your running training.
What are calories and where do they come from?
A person's weight gain directly depends on the number of calories that enter his body. The balance of calories consumed and burned allows you to maintain normal weight and not gain extra pounds. When losing weight, the balance should shift towards the calories you burn: that is, you should take in less than you burn.
It seems that this is obvious and simple, but many people are mistaken in this too. To effectively lose weight, it is not enough to exercise a lot - if this causes you to consume even more calories, then no amount of exercise will help you quickly lose those extra pounds.
To create your diet, you need to know your daily calorie intake. Here is a convenient calculator for calculation
How can running help us? Running workouts are primarily cardio exercise. During them, the body can spend both fats and carbohydrates. Energy metabolism with the greatest use of fat will occur while running at a medium pace - this is the pace that is the best way to run for weight loss.
There is a myth that the faster and harder you run, the more calories you will burn. As your running intensity increases, your body will begin to use carbohydrates for fuel, and, at some point, will begin to use them exclusively. However, there is one caveat.
The “oxygen debt” effect that occurs after an intense workout allows you to burn calories for another 48 hours. The body tries to recover after exercise and spends more oxygen on it. During this period, you can additionally lose up to 500 kcal.
The total amount of calories burned during an intense workout will be significant. But these calories will not go away all at once, as when jogging, but with some time delay.
#2 Interval running for weight loss
Running at a fast pace is a great way to lose weight. Not only do you burn a significant amount of calories during the sprint itself, but your body continues to burn excess fat long after your workout. Elevating your running increases your heart rate and is much healthier for your joints and muscles than running on flat ground. Our 8-week weight loss workouts feature sprint intervals that require repeated 30-second lifts. These lifts require more effort, but not too much effort, so that you have enough strength to complete the final interval.
#3 Strength training
Strength training helps you burn extra calories while maintaining muscle mass. This is important because when you eat 300-500 fewer calories than your body burns each day, you risk losing muscle mass along with the extra fat. However, if you supplement the program with a couple of strength training sessions per week, you will only burn fat. Strength training can be done in the gym or in your own living room. Focus on your body weight, focusing on strength exercises such as lunges, squats, deadlifts, push-ups, abs and planks.
How many calories are burned in 15, 30 and 60 minutes of running?
For each person, the calories burned during running will be individual. It depends on your metabolism and many other factors. Approximate numbers will be as follows:
- In 15 minutes of running at a pace of 6 min/km, a person weighing 60 kg will spend about 150 kcal;
- In 30 minutes of running at a pace of 6 min/km, a person weighing 60 kg will burn 320 kcal;
- For 45 minutes of running at the same pace - 470 kcal;
- For 60 minutes of running at the same pace - about 650 kcal.
How much should you run to lose weight?
The body begins to use up fat reserves only after 20 minutes of running. Therefore, long running workouts will be especially effective for losing weight.
The duration of the workout depends on your goals and fitness level. For 1 km of jogging at an average pace, in 7 minutes a person loses about 250 kcal. Cool weather will also be a plus - the body will begin to spend calories on increased heat production.
When covering a distance of 2 km in 12 minutes, a person loses about 350 kcal. Remember that a person’s body mass index should not be higher than 35, otherwise the joints and heart muscle are subjected to heavy load.
If you decide to run 3 km, then your body mass index should be no more than 30. Having covered this distance in 15 minutes, a person loses about 500 kcal. It is better to do such jogging in the summer in hot weather - a large amount of liquid will be consumed, which interferes with fat burning.
Not everyone can do a running workout with a distance of 4-5 km. In order to run such a distance at a good pace, a high level of physical fitness is required. Beginners are not recommended to run such distances. If you manage to run this distance in 20-25 minutes, you can lose about 800 kcal.
Read more about how to start running - tips for beginner runners.
Does it help you lose weight, according to scientists?
Do you want to remove excess fat from your body? Let's forget about diets, diets, and supplements for a moment. Remember one important rule: to lose weight, you need to maintain a calorie deficit.
Diet is a word that many interpret as the need to limit oneself in something in the process of fighting excess weight. Few people perceive it as simply healthy eating. We will return to this issue a little later, because the final result will depend on what products you consume.
For now, let's focus on how running can help you lose weight and help you maintain a calorie deficit and potentially allow you to eat more food. You will be able to lose extra pounds without feeling hungry.
All you'll need to do is burn more calories than you consume, so you'll need to do some math first.
Nutritionists say that in order to lose half a kilogram per week, you need to maintain a deficit of 3,500 calories.
This means that the training program should be structured so that there is a deficit of 500 calories per day.
How to count:
- Your resting metabolic rate (basal metabolic rate (BMR)) is the number of calories needed to keep your body functioning and functioning automatically. Various processes in the body consume energy depending on age, weight and height.
Harris-Benedict BMR formula
- Then add to your BMR the calories you burn for daily activities. These include not only exercise or jogging, but also lifestyle. Everything matters: whether you stand or sit at work, walk up the stairs or ride the elevator.
Add these two numbers and compare the result with the number of calories you consume per day. Ultimately, you need to create an exercise program that causes you to burn more calories than you consume.
However, there are a number of factors that will determine your weight loss efforts.
Throughout your journey to your ideal weight, you need to consider the role of the above factors and adjust your program accordingly.
Basic rules to help you lose weight while running
- Regular training is very important. The effect will be achieved only when the body is accustomed to constant stress. Choose a few days a week, preferably 3 or 4, determine your training time and follow the schedule;
- There is no need to try to take Everest right away - start with such distances that you can do and at which running does not cause inconvenience and discomfort;
- Start tracking your calories - there are plenty of apps to make this process easier;
- Don't limit yourself to running - the body will gradually adapt to running loads and the effect of them will decrease. You can connect other cardio workouts - exercise machines, jumping rope, swimming, cycling;
- The diet should contain a minimum of fats and carbohydrates, read more in the article Diet for weight loss;
- If you feel very tired or feel unwell after training, stop exercising for a while or reduce its intensity;
- Running in the morning will help you get a boost of energy for the rest of the day.
Running for weight loss: how much should you run, when, where and how?
Several years ago, scientists from the American College of Sports Medicine announced that for effective weight loss you need to run 3-4 times a week, no more than 40 minutes. However, it is worth taking into account physical data. It will be physically difficult for obese people to cope with such loads. Therefore, researchers recommend calculating the first distances for a maximum of 20 minutes 2 times a week, gradually increasing the complexity.
There is still no exact answer which is better: running in the morning or running in the evening. To lose weight, you need to choose the time of day according to your individual rhythm of life. If you find it unbearably difficult to wake up early in the morning, go jogging in the evening. If you calmly get up with the first rays of the sun, go out for a distance in the morning.
It is important to take into account that after a morning run you are charged with energy for the whole day, and an evening run perfectly relieves the stress accumulated during the work day.
One type of running activity that many people look at with a smile and a bit of condescension is running in place to lose weight. However, professional trainers recommend approaching these workouts no less seriously than jogging on the street, stairs or treadmill. After all, the effect on the body when running in place is no less strengthening and health-improving than when jogging in the park or at a sprint distance.
So, what should an effective running program for weight loss be, according to the application developers? Let's look at the main functions of a mobile trainer.
What is more effective - walking or running?
Intuitively, walking is less efficient than running. But it is much simpler and does not require a high level of physical fitness. Below are tables that contain information about the number of calories burned when walking and running for people of different weights. The training duration is taken to be 60 minutes.
Efficiency of burning calories when walking:
Weight, kg
| Speed, km/h | 60 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 100 |
| 3 | 145 | 157 | 169 | 182 | 195 | 208 | 222 | 235 | 250 |
| 4 | 182 | 196 | 210 | 225 | 239 | 255 | 271 | 288 | 305 |
| 5 | 210 | 227 | 244 | 262 | 281 | 300 | 320 | 340 | 361 |
| 6 | 262 | 21 | 300 | 320 | 340 | 361 | 384 | 407 | 430 |
| 7 | 342 | 370 | 399 | 430 | 462 | 495 | 529 | 561 | 597 |
Calorie burning efficiency when running:
Weight, kg
| Speed, km/h | 60 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 100 |
| 8 | 480 | 520 | 665 | 715 | 770 | 830 | 895 | 965 | 1040 |
| 10 | 600 | 650 | 755 | 815 | 880 | 950 | 1025 | 1105 | 1190 |
| 12 | 720 | 780 | 840 | 905 | 970 | 1040 | 1110 | 1185 | 1260 |
| 14 | 840 | 905 | 970 | 1040 | 1110 | 1185 | 1260 | 1340 | 1420 |
| 16 | 960 | 1030 | 1100 | 1170 | 1245 | 1320 | 1400 | 1480 | 1565 |
What conclusion can be drawn from these tabular data? The efficiency of running is on average 2-2.5 times higher than walking. However, heavy people find it difficult to walk long distances, so walking can be a good alternative for them.
What can you do to lose weight more effectively from running?
There are several nuances that will help increase the effectiveness of running training.
- For the greatest effect, the running pace should be intervals or jerky. This is the pace that will be most useful when losing weight. At the beginning of your run, take your normal speed and roll into running work. Then, at certain intervals, accelerate for a short period of distance. Repeat such accelerations throughout the entire distance, returning after them to the initially selected running pace;
- Hand movements will help enhance the effect - you can move them both to the rhythm of running and wave them above your head. Additional stress on the body will speed up the burning of calories;
- The running technique involves lifting your feet off the ground and raising your knees. The higher you raise them, the more stress the body experiences, therefore, it spends more calories;
- For best results, you can use hilly or mountainous terrain for running. If there are no hills nearby, you can run up the steps;
For example, for a person weighing 70 kg, the energy consumption while running up the stairs will be as follows:
- 5 minutes of running – 90 calories burned;
- 10 minutes of running – 180 calories burned;
- 15 minutes of running – 270 calories burned;
- 20 minutes of running – 360 calories burned;
- 30 minutes of running – 540 calories burned;
- 45 minutes of running – 810 calories burned;
- 1 hour of running – 1070 kilocalories burned.
Is it possible to lose weight by running?
In many active sports, running is one of the most important exercises, because during running a person uses various muscles of the body, not only the muscles of the legs.
In addition, this process is considered an excellent anaerobic workout, increasing the level of endurance and training the air-pulmonary system. It also normalizes the functioning of the endocrine and nervous systems, and also gives a boost to your circulatory system and heart.
It would seem that the listed advantages are already enough to start running.
However, if we are not talking about health benefits in principle, but specifically about the need to lose extra pounds, then it is important to remember one very important detail. Which one?
Running, of course, will help you get rid of excess weight, but if you do not stop eating unhealthy foods, all your efforts will be in vain.
Believe me, only if you follow the principles of a balanced, balanced diet will running work bring results. Otherwise, all the calories you burn will come back when you eat junk food.
