why is hiking such a huge calorie burn?

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mattkdawson
mattkdawson Posts: 53 Member
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?

Replies

  • mattkdawson
    mattkdawson Posts: 53 Member
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    nothing?
  • whataffreak
    whataffreak Posts: 2
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    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
  • MexicanOsmosis
    MexicanOsmosis Posts: 382 Member
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    Changes in elevation.
  • k9hrd
    k9hrd Posts: 351 Member
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    I would like to know too.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    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
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    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!
  • oldandhealthier
    oldandhealthier Posts: 449 Member
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    terrain
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
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    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
  • mmouse90
    mmouse90 Posts: 83
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    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.
  • cheriibomb
    cheriibomb Posts: 59
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    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.
  • ehenningsen
    ehenningsen Posts: 8 Member
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    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
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    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
    This..calorie burn is related more to the duration of the activity, not how hard the activity is.
  • ayalowich
    ayalowich Posts: 242 Member
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    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
    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
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    First of all, you are making assumptions based on website trackers which may or may not be accurate.
  • mattkdawson
    mattkdawson Posts: 53 Member
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    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


    That's what it says for me at least. I usually track my calories with mapmyrun because i believe it's more accurate than just a chart.. mapmyrun's calculation includes your speed and your elevation changes. (i've emailed them and confirmed this)
    30 year old male
    6'1"
    218 lbs

    that's partially why i'm bringing this up. i'm really skeptical of my calorie burns sometimes, and i agree that seems high

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