Is walking still beneficial to a "runner"
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tyj247
Posts: 18
I feel this might be a silly question but here goes:
So I started doing walk/run intervals a few months ago, but recently I've been doing more just straight running (right now I can go about 2.5/3 miles at about 5mph). My question is, as I become a more skilled and proficient runner, is walking as exercise still going to be beneficial to me? I ask this because I think about weight lifting, where if you can lift 50lb dumb bells fairly easily, lifting 10lb dumb bells seems a waste of your time. Is the same true for cardio? Once you've reached a certain level, is doing something much less strenuous than your norm doing anything for you fitness-wise?
*side note: I actually do like walking but sometimes I feel guilty if I decide to go for a walk instead of run
So I started doing walk/run intervals a few months ago, but recently I've been doing more just straight running (right now I can go about 2.5/3 miles at about 5mph). My question is, as I become a more skilled and proficient runner, is walking as exercise still going to be beneficial to me? I ask this because I think about weight lifting, where if you can lift 50lb dumb bells fairly easily, lifting 10lb dumb bells seems a waste of your time. Is the same true for cardio? Once you've reached a certain level, is doing something much less strenuous than your norm doing anything for you fitness-wise?
*side note: I actually do like walking but sometimes I feel guilty if I decide to go for a walk instead of run
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Replies
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If it gets your heart rate up, it's good for you.
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No question, you won't burn as many calories walking as you will running. But will it be beneficial? Absolutely! All activity is beneficial. You may, however, want to think about planning your workouts.
As a fellow runner, I can say from experience, that I sometimes love to get out and go for a long walk - an hour or longer, usually catching up with a girlfriend. Is this my primary cardio activity? No. But most of our bodies can't run every day and still feel good. I usually run every second day. And on the in-between days, I walk, bike, row, etc to shake it up. If you want to burn the same number of calories walking as you do running, you need to extend the time.
You will find that, as you get fitter and become a better runner, your walking picks up. And you can make changes to your walk to burn extra calories and tone - you can work your arms harder (even add small hand weights if you're up for it), squeeze your butt when you walk, find hilly trails, etc. It's all good!
Don't feel guilty about loving your walks. It's active recovery - which is great for your body! Also, I don't sweat nearly as much walking as I do running. So I can squeeze in a few extra walks on my coffee and lunch breaks, walk to meetings instead of driving, etc, without showing up to work looking like a drowned rat!0 -
Once you've reached a certain level, is doing something much less strenuous than your norm doing anything for you fitness-wise?
Yes! If you look at practically any book on running (and other forms of training) one of the things you'll notice is that your workouts are varied in both intensity and duration and, at least with endurance sports, you will intentionally have the occasional low intensity/low volume week.
By all means, if you feel like walking then walk.0 -
I think this is a great question. I've been struggling with a similar question. When I jog it is generally during lunch break and only ~20 min. MFP figures that to burn about 220 cal. My rate of percieved exhaustion [RPE] is pretty high compared with my other exercises on gym equipment etc. Often the listed burn is higher for exercises I find "easier" to do. How do you factor RPE into calorie burn? Is it better to work out at a higher RPE or is there no overall benefit to huffing and puffing over low and slow?0
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I don't run two days in a row. So I run one, walk one, rest one. I still burn calories while walking (I'm not entirely a runner so I'm sure I burn more than someone who truly runs) and I don't want to over-stress my body with running!0
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If someone is healthy and is trained and has the endurance to run, I don't see how choosing to walk would provide any benefit. If you generally like walking and it makes you feel good mentally go for it. Or if you are burned out from running and looking for a very low intensity workout, that's fine to walk as well. Sometimes it isn't feasible to run because you aren't dressed appropriately and so on. But other than that, if you have the choice between running or walking, I think running is a much better use of your time. Walking beats sitting though.0
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If someone is healthy and is trained and has the endurance to run, I don't see how choosing to walk would provide any benefit. If you generally like walking and it makes you feel good mentally go for it. Or if you are burned out from running and looking for a very low intensity workout, that's fine to walk as well. Sometimes it isn't feasible to run because you aren't dressed appropriately and so on. But other than that, if you have the choice between running or walking, I think running is a much better use of your time. Walking beats sitting though.
Activity is good in any form. Running everyday can be hard on the body. The body also gets used to a workout, so changing it up sometimes is good. Walking is not just for the unfit people. You don't have to workout at full tilt all the time.0 -
If someone is healthy and is trained and has the endurance to run, I don't see how choosing to walk would provide any benefit. If you generally like walking and it makes you feel good mentally go for it. Or if you are burned out from running and looking for a very low intensity workout, that's fine to walk as well. Sometimes it isn't feasible to run because you aren't dressed appropriately and so on. But other than that, if you have the choice between running or walking, I think running is a much better use of your time. Walking beats sitting though.
Activity is good in any form. Running everyday can be hard on the body. The body also gets used to a workout, so changing it up sometimes is good. Walking is not just for the unfit people. You don't have to workout at full tilt all the time.
If you are already conditioned as a runner, what physical benefit do you get by walking? Certainly not calories burned by walking. For instance it takes like 20 minutes of walking to burn the amount of calories in one apple. It would make more sense to just not eat the apple. But if you like walking, then that alone is a good reason to do it.0 -
If someone is healthy and is trained and has the endurance to run, I don't see how choosing to walk would provide any benefit. If you generally like walking and it makes you feel good mentally go for it. Or if you are burned out from running and looking for a very low intensity workout, that's fine to walk as well. Sometimes it isn't feasible to run because you aren't dressed appropriately and so on. But other than that, if you have the choice between running or walking, I think running is a much better use of your time. Walking beats sitting though.
Activity is good in any form. Running everyday can be hard on the body. The body also gets used to a workout, so changing it up sometimes is good. Walking is not just for the unfit people. You don't have to workout at full tilt all the time.
If you are already conditioned as a runner, what physical benefit do you get by walking? Certainly not calories burned by walking. For instance it takes like 20 minutes of walking to burn the amount of calories in one apple. It would make more sense to just not eat the apple. But if you like walking, then that alone is a good reason to do it.
What benefit do you get? You get the benefit of recovery. You get increased blood flow to the muscles used when running which helps to repair the micro-tears in the tissue. Also, if you walk fast enough, you get your heart rate into the fat burning range at the very least. It's really not that hard to get into that range.0 -
If someone is healthy and is trained and has the endurance to run, I don't see how choosing to walk would provide any benefit. If you generally like walking and it makes you feel good mentally go for it. Or if you are burned out from running and looking for a very low intensity workout, that's fine to walk as well. Sometimes it isn't feasible to run because you aren't dressed appropriately and so on. But other than that, if you have the choice between running or walking, I think running is a much better use of your time. Walking beats sitting though.
Activity is good in any form. Running everyday can be hard on the body. The body also gets used to a workout, so changing it up sometimes is good. Walking is not just for the unfit people. You don't have to workout at full tilt all the time.
If you are already conditioned as a runner, what physical benefit do you get by walking? Certainly not calories burned by walking. For instance it takes like 20 minutes of walking to burn the amount of calories in one apple. It would make more sense to just not eat the apple. But if you like walking, then that alone is a good reason to do it.
What benefit do you get? You get the benefit of recovery. You get increased blood flow to the muscles used when running which helps to repair the micro-tears in the tissue. Also, if you walk fast enough, you get your heart rate into the fat burning range at the very least. It's really not that hard to get into that range.
So you can't get these benefits by running slow?0 -
If someone is healthy and is trained and has the endurance to run, I don't see how choosing to walk would provide any benefit. If you generally like walking and it makes you feel good mentally go for it. Or if you are burned out from running and looking for a very low intensity workout, that's fine to walk as well. Sometimes it isn't feasible to run because you aren't dressed appropriately and so on. But other than that, if you have the choice between running or walking, I think running is a much better use of your time. Walking beats sitting though.
Activity is good in any form. Running everyday can be hard on the body. The body also gets used to a workout, so changing it up sometimes is good. Walking is not just for the unfit people. You don't have to workout at full tilt all the time.
If you are already conditioned as a runner, what physical benefit do you get by walking? Certainly not calories burned by walking. For instance it takes like 20 minutes of walking to burn the amount of calories in one apple. It would make more sense to just not eat the apple. But if you like walking, then that alone is a good reason to do it.
What benefit do you get? You get the benefit of recovery. You get increased blood flow to the muscles used when running which helps to repair the micro-tears in the tissue. Also, if you walk fast enough, you get your heart rate into the fat burning range at the very least. It's really not that hard to get into that range.
So you can't get these benefits by running slow?
I never said you couldn't. Depending upon an individuals level of fitness, they may not be ready to run on a recovery day.
Besides, you asked what was the benefit from walking, not whether that benefit could be gained from a different activity.0 -
Running is far more abusive to the body. Many people, if they run every day, will eventually end up injured. Now of course there are people out there so perfectly conditioned that is unlikely but that is far from the majority. Walking provides exercise, yes even perfectly fit people burn EXTRA calories by walking (though you apparently would prefer to just not eat). Just because walking burns fewer calories doesn't mean it's an irrelevant form of exercise.0
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If someone is healthy and is trained and has the endurance to run, I don't see how choosing to walk would provide any benefit. If you generally like walking and it makes you feel good mentally go for it. Or if you are burned out from running and looking for a very low intensity workout, that's fine to walk as well. Sometimes it isn't feasible to run because you aren't dressed appropriately and so on. But other than that, if you have the choice between running or walking, I think running is a much better use of your time. Walking beats sitting though.
Activity is good in any form. Running everyday can be hard on the body. The body also gets used to a workout, so changing it up sometimes is good. Walking is not just for the unfit people. You don't have to workout at full tilt all the time.
If you are already conditioned as a runner, what physical benefit do you get by walking? Certainly not calories burned by walking. For instance it takes like 20 minutes of walking to burn the amount of calories in one apple. It would make more sense to just not eat the apple. But if you like walking, then that alone is a good reason to do it.
What benefit do you get? You get the benefit of recovery. You get increased blood flow to the muscles used when running which helps to repair the micro-tears in the tissue. Also, if you walk fast enough, you get your heart rate into the fat burning range at the very least. It's really not that hard to get into that range.
So you can't get these benefits by running slow?
I never said you couldn't. Depending upon an individuals level of fitness, they may not be ready to run on a recovery day.
Besides, you asked what was the benefit from walking, not whether that benefit could be gained from a different activity.
I still think if you are conditioned and healthy enough, running is always going to be a better use of your time as far as fitness goes.0 -
If someone is healthy and is trained and has the endurance to run, I don't see how choosing to walk would provide any benefit. If you generally like walking and it makes you feel good mentally go for it. Or if you are burned out from running and looking for a very low intensity workout, that's fine to walk as well. Sometimes it isn't feasible to run because you aren't dressed appropriately and so on. But other than that, if you have the choice between running or walking, I think running is a much better use of your time. Walking beats sitting though.
Activity is good in any form. Running everyday can be hard on the body. The body also gets used to a workout, so changing it up sometimes is good. Walking is not just for the unfit people. You don't have to workout at full tilt all the time.
If you are already conditioned as a runner, what physical benefit do you get by walking? Certainly not calories burned by walking. For instance it takes like 20 minutes of walking to burn the amount of calories in one apple. It would make more sense to just not eat the apple. But if you like walking, then that alone is a good reason to do it.
What benefit do you get? You get the benefit of recovery. You get increased blood flow to the muscles used when running which helps to repair the micro-tears in the tissue. Also, if you walk fast enough, you get your heart rate into the fat burning range at the very least. It's really not that hard to get into that range.
So you can't get these benefits by running slow?
I never said you couldn't. Depending upon an individuals level of fitness, they may not be ready to run on a recovery day.
Besides, you asked what was the benefit from walking, not whether that benefit could be gained from a different activity.
I still think if you are conditioned and healthy enough, running is always going to be a better use of your time as far as fitness goes.
And thank you for confirming my point.0 -
Running is far more abusive to the body. Many people, if they run every day, will eventually end up injured. Now of course there are people out there so perfectly conditioned that is unlikely but that is far from the majority. Walking provides exercise, yes even perfectly fit people burn EXTRA calories by walking (though you apparently would prefer to just not eat). Just because walking burns fewer calories doesn't mean it's an irrelevant form of exercise.
Well aren't you supposed to eat back all the calories you burn from exercising anyways?0 -
Running is far more abusive to the body. Many people, if they run every day, will eventually end up injured. Now of course there are people out there so perfectly conditioned that is unlikely but that is far from the majority. Walking provides exercise, yes even perfectly fit people burn EXTRA calories by walking (though you apparently would prefer to just not eat). Just because walking burns fewer calories doesn't mean it's an irrelevant form of exercise.
Well aren't you supposed to eat back all the calories you burn from exercising anyways?
So the only benefit to exercise is additional calories? Interesting. Who knew??!!0 -
Are people posting their responses based on opinion, personal experience, or scientific material? In a book I just finished "The Lure of Running" it seemed to imply too much walking isn't beneficial to running and you might as well jog.0
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Are people posting their responses based on opinion, personal experience, or scientific material? In a book I just finished "The Lure of Running" it seemed to imply too much walking isn't beneficial to running and you might as well jog.
All three.
Not beneficial how? It's not going to give you the adaptations that running would, but it certainly allows you to recover faster, especially for someone that isn't fit enough to run every day.0 -
Running is far more abusive to the body. Many people, if they run every day, will eventually end up injured. Now of course there are people out there so perfectly conditioned that is unlikely but that is far from the majority. Walking provides exercise, yes even perfectly fit people burn EXTRA calories by walking (though you apparently would prefer to just not eat). Just because walking burns fewer calories doesn't mean it's an irrelevant form of exercise.
Well aren't you supposed to eat back all the calories you burn from exercising anyways?
So the only benefit to exercise is additional calories? Interesting. Who knew??!!
No I'm not implying that at all, but I think exercise for the purpose of burning calories is a waste of time. That's what dieting is for. I think exercise is useful because it improves fitness and also insulin sensitivity which are good for overall health.
But when it comes to a conditioned runner, I really don't see how walking has anywhere near the benefits of running, unless you physically can't run for some reason.0 -
Are people posting their responses based on opinion, personal experience, or scientific material? In a book I just finished "The Lure of Running" it seemed to imply too much walking isn't beneficial to running and you might as well jog.
All three.
Not beneficial how? It's not going to give you the adaptations that running would, but it certainly allows you to recover faster, especially for someone that isn't fit enough to run every day.
So if I run 45 miles a week and feel good, is there any reason I should choose to walk over run on any given day?0
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