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    why is hiking such a huge calorie burn?

    Posts: 53 Member
    edited January 31 in Fitness and Exercise
    Just did a 6.22 mile hike in the scorching texas heat. it was no problem and very enjoyable.

    my mapmyrun tracker says i burned 1902 calories (2 hours, 47 min hike)

    myfitnesspal called it a 1607 calorie burn.

    how is this possible? when i run a 5K at a 9 min pace, i'm only burning about 750 calories, and running is way harder for me. is something off here?

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    Replies

    • Posts: 53 Member
      nothing?
    • Posts: 2
      Only thing i can figure is because real hiking is an all-body activity. rough terrain makes you work your core to keep your balance and stabilize yourself, so you're not just working your legs. Just a guess tho
    • Posts: 382 Member
      Changes in elevation.
    • Posts: 349 Member
      I would like to know too.
    • Posts: 495 Member
      Because you're carrying weight and climbing? On my last hike, the altitude gain was equal to 300 flights of stairs with a 20-lb pack... I like this tool for calculating calorie burn. Remember to subtract your BMR from their number, though. http://hikingdude.com/hiking-food-supply.php
    • Posts: 1,444 Member
      I wonder if it's partially because your core is more engaged to keep balance on an uneven surface. Also, I don't know about you, but when I hike, I'm jumping over streams. climbing over logs and a fair amount of crawling on my hands and feet on steep rocky inclines. I'm a LOT more sore after five miles of hiking as opposed to a five mile stroll in the park!
    • Posts: 449 Member
      terrain
    • Posts: 1,625 Member
      Just did a 6.22 mile hike in the scorching texas heat. it was no problem and very enjoyable.

      my mapmyrun tracker says i burned 1902 calories (2 hours, 47 min hike)

      myfitnesspal called it a 1607 calorie burn.

      how is this possible? when i run a 5K at a 9 min pace, i'm only burning about 750 calories, and running is way harder for me. is something off here?

      I think you answered the question yourself - 6.22 mile hike = 2hrs, 47min = 1600 -1900 cals
      3 mile run = 27min = 750 cals

      Duration / momentum
    • Posts: 83
      Its because your are hiking for a longer amount of time than you are running. If you went running for the same amount of time you would burn more running than hiking.
    • Posts: 59
      Thats so funny i was thinking the exact same thing. I went camping this weekend and was feeling a little bummed out with not being able to get my normal work out in but we did ALOT of hiking/rock climbing and when i put it all into mfp i was shocked at how many calories it had said i burned. I enjoyed the hike immensely and thinking i want to do more of that instead to switch it up a bit.
    • Posts: 8 Member
      When it comes to calculating calories burned, I use a website called shapesense... When hiking with elevation changes, I just leave it at flat even though I know I had burned more... Using a treadmill, I can use the leverage (percent incline) along with the weight, distance (miles or kilometers), duration.. It then gives me a good estimate..

      So at 195 (yes, I am 201 but I always put it 5-7 pounds lower), 6.04 miles at 1h 49min 43sec = 700 calories burned... There were times where I was going uphill or downhill by as much as 100 feet.

      Keep in mind though, that mine is all pavement in my hilly home city of Omaha, Nebraska.

      Just my $.02
    • Posts: 2,925 Member
      show previous quotes

      I think you answered the question yourself - 6.22 mile hike = 2hrs, 47min = 1600 -1900 cals
      3 mile run = 27min = 750 cals

      Duration / momentum
      This..calorie burn is related more to the duration of the activity, not how hard the activity is.
    • Posts: 243 Member
      all the answers seem reasonable, but understand that those #'s seem way overstated in terms of calorie burn.

      A 9 minute 5k burns 750 calories? I guess it depends on what you weigh and your fitness level but people are kidding themselves if they use these #/s
      show previous quotes

      I think you answered the question yourself - 6.22 mile hike = 2hrs, 47min = 1600 -1900 cals
      3 mile run = 27min = 750 cals

      Duration / momentum
    • Posts: 8,281 Member
      First of all, you are making assumptions based on website trackers which may or may not be accurate.
    • Posts: 53 Member
      all the answers seem reasonable, but understand that those #'s seem way overstated in terms of calorie burn.

      A 9 minute 5k burns 750 calories? I guess it depends on what you weigh and your fitness level but people are kidding themselves if they use these #/s
      show previous quotes
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