4.5 mph is not walking, it's running for a petite female.

Amandastan
Amandastan Posts: 30
edited October 28 in Fitness and Exercise
It may be walking for a over 6 foot male but for a petite woman it is light running. I am 5'5 and take more steps than a taller person to keep up so wouldn't that mean I could run at a slower MPH than a man?
It makes no sense to me that I have to run at 4.5 MPH but MFP claims I am walking. It's unfair really. I feel i am running and according to my heart rate I am. MFP really needs to take height and length t of legs and torso into consideration. Also list more exercises. speed intervals on a treadmill is not even listed neigher is planking. They list cleaning house as exercise but not being in a mosh pit which is much more moving than cleaning.
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Replies

  • Laultimacocacola
    Laultimacocacola Posts: 39
    aHAHAHHAHAHH Exactly what I was thinking today while I was RUNNING not walking as MFP claims lol
    I'm 5'1, so.....I am def running with my short legs
  • JenCatwalk
    JenCatwalk Posts: 285 Member
    I'm 5"4' and 4 mph is running to me. I feel your pain. Lol.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Right there with ya. 5'4.5" and to me

    2.5 mph is a normal walk
    3 mph is a fast walk
    3.5 mph is a very fast walk
    4 mph is a jog
    4.5 mph is running
  • Fitness_4_Jess
    Fitness_4_Jess Posts: 55 Member
    Right there with ya. 5'4.5" and to me

    2.5 mph is a normal walk
    3 mph is a fast walk
    3.5 mph is a very fast walk
    4 mph is a jog
    4.5 mph is running


    This is how it is for me as well. I think MFP doesn't have too many petite women on their staff. ;)
  • corsayre8
    corsayre8 Posts: 551 Member
    Hell, I'm 5'10" and that is my fast pace for out on the trails. Granted on the track I can do 5.5 to 6 MPH, but most of my running is in the hills on rocky terrain. I find it demoralizing when I see these threads and the ensuing post that anything under a 12 minute mile isn't running/jogging. Running is a gait, not a speed, and I may be slow, but I'm working my *kitten* off!
  • MerBear1985
    MerBear1985 Posts: 131
    I found the same thing...so I usually just use my HRM and make up my own. This way I get to call it what I want and I know how many calories I've burned and I can use the word RUN!!! I am 5'5" and my legs is short!
  • tachyon_master
    tachyon_master Posts: 226 Member
    Speak for yourself! I'm only 5'2" and anything less than 5mph is walking for me. I run at 10mph.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,570 Member
    Create your own exercise that says 4 mph RUNNING!
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Hey, maybe you are right! I hadn't really thought about it.

    But, a person can also speed walk as fast as some people run. It's just a different way of moving. A little less impact and you get to look really silly, wiggling your hips back and forth, super fast, in a graceful figure eight motion, with your arms moving, all done with determination.

    On the bright side, when my husband and I go for a hike, I get more of a workout keeping up.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH? I am 5 ft, and 4.5 is a light jog for me and my short little legs! Lol.

    I still log it as "walking, 4.5 mph", though. I figure underestimating on calories burned can't really be a bad thing.
  • jayliospecky
    jayliospecky Posts: 25,022 Member
    I know what you mean but I just decided to make my own entry for running. I am slower than a lot of runners I know, but I am definitely running.

    There are some short, fast runners, though, too.
  • tammyc226
    tammyc226 Posts: 158 Member
    If you don't have a hrm but have a smartphone then download the free app runtastic. You put all your stats in and it will calculate average speed, distance and the calories burned, you can even get it to sync to mfp if you so choose. Voila, problem solved :smile:
  • fluffykitsune
    fluffykitsune Posts: 236 Member
    4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.

    For someone who can walk 4.5 mph, that generally means their heart rate doesn't get very high and as such less calories are burned.

    For someone who runs at 4.5 mph, their heart rate should be higher than the person who was walking and as such should burn slightly more calories.
  • canelly
    canelly Posts: 731 Member
    Create your own exercise that says 4 mph RUNNING!

    Yup I'm with you!!
  • nagniho
    nagniho Posts: 132 Member
    So true, I am barely 5 feet tall:
    4mph - fast walk
    4.2mph - pretty fast walk
    4.5mph- slow jog
    5.0mph- fast jog
    6mph - run
    6.5 to 7mph - sprint
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.

    Yep. I rather jog at 5 mph than "walk" at 5 mph and look ridiculous doing so. Yes, Speed walkers looks funny to me. I mean, real speed walkers. You know who im talking about. lol
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    So true, I am barely 5 feet tall:
    4mph - fast walk
    4.2mph - pretty fast walk
    4.5mph- slow jog
    5.0mph- fast jog
    6mph - run
    6.5 to 7mph - sprint

    shouldn't pretty fast walk go before fast walk?
    To me, 5 mph is jogging, Running starts at 6 mph and running pretty fast is at 7 mph.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
    Right there with ya. 5'4.5" and to me

    2.5 mph is a normal walk
    3 mph is a fast walk
    3.5 mph is a very fast walk
    4 mph is a jog
    4.5 mph is running

    I'm similar! 5'3 and to me

    3 is normal walk
    3.5 is moderate walk
    3.8 is fast walk
    4 is a jog
    4.2 is running
    4.5 is slightly faster running
    4.8 is as fast as I can go and I can probably take it for 30 seconds

    That last one sounded pretty dirty.
  • nagniho
    nagniho Posts: 132 Member
    So true, I am barely 5 feet tall:
    4mph - fast walk
    4.2mph - pretty fast walk
    4.5mph- slow jog
    5.0mph- fast jog
    6mph - run
    6.5 to 7mph - sprint



    shouldn't pretty fast walk go before fast walk?
    To me, 5 mph is jogging, Running starts at 6 mph and running pretty fast is at 7 mph.

    :-) Well fast and then Pretty "damn" fast.......er....

    edited to move comment below....
  • Bentleymama86
    Bentleymama86 Posts: 89 Member
    4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.

    Yep. I rather jog at 5 mph than "walk" at 5 mph and look ridiculous doing so. Yes, Speed walkers looks funny to me. I mean, real speed walkers. You know who im talking about. lol
    What you talking about me for? lol j/k but I know I look funny when I speed walk lmao eventually I will get to running ;)
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.

    Yep. I rather jog at 5 mph than "walk" at 5 mph and look ridiculous doing so. Yes, Speed walkers looks funny to me. I mean, real speed walkers. You know who im talking about. lol
    What you talking about me for? lol j/k but I know I look funny when I speed walk lmao eventually I will get to running ;)

    Oh, its just me Im sure, :)
    But I find it harder to speed walk than running. I bet you get a better workout speed walking too
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    It may be walking for a over 6 foot male but for a petite woman it is light running. I am 5'5 and take more steps than a taller person to keep up so wouldn't that mean I could run at a slower MPH than a man?
    It makes no sense to me that I have to run at 4.5 MPH but MFP claims I am walking. It's unfair really. I feel i am running and according to my heart rate I am. MFP really needs to take height and length t of legs and torso into consideration. Also list more exercises. speed intervals on a treadmill is not even listed neigher is planking. They list cleaning house as exercise but not being in a mosh pit which is much more moving than cleaning.

    Use this, jogging down to whatever speed.

    For logging and eating back calories using MFP, use the NET function. Gross would be what the MFP database reports, or a HRM, if you really want to compare.

    Create your own exercise if desired in MFP, but then again, use whatever you want, change the minutes, and then change the calories.

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.

    Pushing your weight free of gravity into the air, compared to just propelling forward.

    No, there is a decent difference, especially as weight increases or time/distance done.

    http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/WalkCalExp.html

    84 vs 65 cal / mile / 100 lbs.
  • laurynwithawhy
    laurynwithawhy Posts: 385 Member
    I'm 5'4, and 4.5 is a fairly fast walk for me. 5.5 is a light jog, 6 mph is a good jog that I can keep up for a few miles, definitely not a "run" though. Maybe try to elongate your stride? As far as calories burned walking vs running, you would need a heart rate monitor to be sure. Just because it "feels" harder, doesn't mean it is actually burning more calories. It also depends on the length of the exercise, it's usually easier to walk a mile than to run it, even though walking it takes longer.

    ETA: MPH or miles per hour, is just how many miles you can run in x amount of minutes. So 4.5 mph is a 13 minute mile. Some people would consider that a jogging pace, some would consider it a walking pace. Kind of on the border.
  • SrJoben
    SrJoben Posts: 484 Member
    I am one of those 6 foot tall males the OP writes about and I think calling 4.5 MPH walking is a bit of a stretch. It's a heck of a cadence if you want to do a true walk. Probably easier to start jogging at that speed.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    4.5 mph is still 4.5 mph whether you walk or run it you will be burning the same amount of calories.

    Pushing your weight free of gravity into the air, compared to just propelling forward.

    No, there is a decent difference, especially as weight increases or time/distance done.

    http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/WalkCalExp.html

    84 vs 65 cal / mile / 100 lbs.

    According to this article once you hit 12:30 minutes per mile (4.8 MPH) walking hits the point where it burns the same amount of calories as running. Faster than that you will burn more calories than running at a 10 minute mile.

    http://m.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/running-v-walking-how-many-calories-will-you-burn

    It also notes that almost no one other than competitive speed walkers go 12:30 m/m walking.
  • Bonny619
    Bonny619 Posts: 311 Member
    Totally understand this! 5'0 here.

    3.5 is a fast power walk

    4.0 is a jog

    4.5-5.5 is full on running.
  • anjialexander
    anjialexander Posts: 17
    Im 5'1" and I walk on the treadmill at 7km ( 4.5mile)
    Just saying ;-)
  • Bonny619
    Bonny619 Posts: 311 Member
    I would have the most intense shin splits possible!

    That's awesome that you other shorties can do it!
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