Slow jogging vs. brisk walking

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Peaceandwater
Peaceandwater Posts: 23 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I jog very slowly. I don't have a gadget that tells me exactly but my experience with treadmills tells me it's probably 4.5 mph. I jog slowly because I'm not much of a runner and also I live in the mountains (it's ALL uphill baby). However, on MFP the slowest running speed is 5 mph and they considered 4.5 mph to be brisk walking. Now I could walk at 4.5 or jog at 4.5 (they are physically different movements) but does it make a difference calorie-wise or fitness-wise? If I am jogging that slow, should I just be brisk-walking?
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  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Running slow burns more calories than walking under 5 mph. Most people don't come close to walking that fast.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning?page=single
  • workshardplaysharder
    workshardplaysharder Posts: 44
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    Honestly 4.5 is a brisk walk.

    If you're not much of a runner why do it at all? Why not just walk briskly?
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
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    I used to run slower than I could walk, however over time my speed at running built up and I'm now faster (most of the time), calorie wise, probably not a huge difference between a really brisk walk and a jog, so it depends on you, do you want to run for a reason or are you happy to continue with your brisk walk??
    If you want to 'run' as a goal challenge then keep it slow, build up the distance and the speed will improve itself over time, I live in a very hilly area as well, but for every uphill I have, there's also a downhill on the way home!!
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
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    Go buy a Garmin device. Problem solved.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    Get a heart rate monitor if you care about how many calories you burn.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 701 Member
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    Running slow burns more calories than walking under 5 mph. Most people don't come close to walking that fast.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning?page=single

    Great article!

    I was contemplating the same thing the other day, walking vs running. I do a mix, running where I can and walking where I can't, because it's hilly where I run and running up a steep hill is really hard! I'm almost able to do it though. I also run very slowly. I was thinking along the same lines, you burn more while running because you move yourself differently (up and down as well as forward while running, rather than just forward while walking).

    Honestly I would say stick with the running rather than brisk walking. But then it depends on your goals. I want to be able to run faster, farther, longer... It's a fitness challenge for me. For basic health, I'm not sure it matters. Whatever helps you feel your best!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Running slow burns more calories than walking under 5 mph. Most people don't come close to walking that fast.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning?page=single

    wow really...I do frequently if my husband isn't with me...mind you I was told I might as well just start running but eh.

    To the OP why are you running if you don't like it? why not just walk fast...
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I have read/heard somewhere that it is the distance you cover that burns the calories rather than the speed i.e. running one mile burns the same calories as walking one mile, you'll just do it quicker running.

    Calorie consumption per mile is higher in running, by about 20 cals per mile so not huge. Broadly more of the system is activated in running than walking.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I jog very slowly. I don't have a gadget that tells me exactly but my experience with treadmills tells me it's probably 4.5 mph. I jog slowly because I'm not much of a runner and also I live in the mountains (it's ALL uphill baby).

    If you're outside then I'd suggest getting runkeeper or endomondo on a smartphone, similarly hill training is speedwork in disguise, I find it makes a huge difference to my road running after having been on the hill.

    RK and Endomondo will also give you a calorie consumption estimate that accounts for the elevation gains, I generally burn about 20-25% higher calorie levels on a hill session than a routine road session.
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
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    Yeah the wild card here is the hills. That will increase the burn exponentially. Frankly, I tend to view serious hills as strength training.

    I speed walk and run, and really, they are not the same. Both are great workouts on hills (what goes up comes down, though lol). Running is much harder.
  • apgabriel915
    apgabriel915 Posts: 53 Member
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    I'm a very slow runner as well and average 4-4.5 mph as I'm building. There is no way I could walk that fast like a previous posted suggested and always laugh when I see that on MFP. I definitely feel like I'm working more even at such a slow pace versus when I'm walking. I do have a Garmin watch that gives me a general amount of calories burned but I second thinking about a heart rate monitor and checking that way.
  • Jollybeard
    Jollybeard Posts: 38 Member
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    A heart monitor is just about the only thing that is going to give you something close to a definitive answer here. With a difference of 0.5 mph, I doubt your body knows much of a difference between brisk walking and running. But I'll tell you this, if you are chugging 4.0 - 4.5 mph up mountainous hills, then even a brisk walk is going to be more of an aerobic workout than most of us get putting down 6.5 - 7.0 mph on flat terrain.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    They are physically different, because when you jog or run, you are actually springing up off the ground and the energy required is higher. I have worn a heart rate monitor to confirm this.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
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    I jog very slowly. I don't have a gadget that tells me exactly but my experience with treadmills tells me it's probably 4.5 mph. I jog slowly because I'm not much of a runner and also I live in the mountains (it's ALL uphill baby). However, on MFP the slowest running speed is 5 mph and they considered 4.5 mph to be brisk walking. Now I could walk at 4.5 or jog at 4.5 (they are physically different movements) but does it make a difference calorie-wise or fitness-wise? If I am jogging that slow, should I just be brisk-walking?

    It doesn't make *that* much a difference energy-wise if you cover the same difference. However, running slowly - even more slowly than you would walk - is the critical first step in becoming a distance runner. Keep going and you'll see. Eventually you'll be hitting those 10 minute miles with ease and that's way faster than you can walk.

    When you cover twice as much ground in the same amount of time as walking, that's twice as many calories burned. You won't be caring about the calories at that point though ;)

    MFP is more of a run-snob than any of the near-elite level runners on here. We all complain about it.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    A heart monitor is just about the only thing that is going to give you something close to a definitive answer here.

    Unlikely really, using HR as a proxy for calorie consumption needs to be based on assumptions of steady state. My HR is all over the place on a trail run, from 130bpm up to 200 without any real issue.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
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    I have read/heard somewhere that it is the distance you cover that burns the calories rather than the speed i.e. running one mile burns the same calories as walking one mile, you'll just do it quicker running.

    Calorie consumption per mile is higher in running, by about 20 cals per mile so not huge. Broadly more of the system is activated in running than walking.


    No, net calories expended running are a little over double than that of walking (exception walking over 5 mph)

    The formulae are:

    walking .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    running .63 x weight 9in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    as per the Runners World article cited earlier....
  • FredSetToGetFit
    FredSetToGetFit Posts: 286 Member
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    I definitely feel like I had a better cardio workout when I run, so if your goal is heart health, jog, if your goal is simply calories, walk.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Do you have any idea of your heart rate, and if your heart rate goes higher during jogging vs walking? There are websites you can input your stats & heart rate and it will give you an estimate of calories burned per minute. Even without a heart rate # you can probably find websites to estimate based on the activity and have a # to log. Perhaps round down as a precaution.

    Personally I'm a slow runner also - can walk 4.3-4.4 (and its a good workout) but run 4.7-4.8. Can do a little faster but only for short bursts of time. Its a work in progress. If you go by MFP settings and enter it as the brisk walk, if anything you're rounding down your actual burn # which isn't a horrible thing.
  • mamaomefo
    mamaomefo Posts: 418 Member
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    Do whatever exercise you are happy enough with so you will continue to do it long term!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Honestly 4.5 is a brisk walk.

    If you're not much of a runner why do it at all? Why not just walk briskly?
    No way. I run slower than OP and could not physically walk 4.5. I run anyway because I want to and because it burns more calories and gets your heart rate higher and because doing it is how you improve at it.

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