Hiking vs walking
Options
mhwitt74
Posts: 159 Member
Why does MFP count so many more calories when you choose hiking instead of walking? If you are walking hilly terrain would that not be the same? After all hiking is just walking right?
0
Replies
-
I hike and walk a lot. To some extent, I'm sure it can be dependent on the type of terrain you hike in. My hikes are in the mountains with lots of climbing, rock scrambling, and constantly changing footing. My walks aren't nearly as intense, despite walking in a hilly area. I also typically carry a small day pack when I hike, which does add a bit. Obviously, the only true way to get an accurate calorie count is to wear a HR monitor, but I know that a 5 mile hike is a lot harder on my body than a 5 mile walk. I do tend to adjust my calories for hikes down, though, because I find it hard to believe I burn as many as any of the tracking devices I use say I do!2
-
Walking is typically done on a flat surface like a sidewalk, track, or a street. Hiking is done over different terrains.3
-
Depending on the terrain hiking can be a lot more strenuous. If you are hiking on a fairly flat well paved out trail it's the same as taking a nice long walk, but when you're climbing over rocks, crossing streams, steadily making your way up a mountain side or ridge, carrying a backpack full of gear, what you are doing is A LOT different than just going for a walk. But even with the difference in workout I don't trust the calorie counter apps. I try to only eat back about 50% of whatever calories were calculated during my hike or walk.0
-
I've noticed the same thing. It doesn't necessarily differentiate similarly between running and trail running. . .
Neares I can figure is maybe they're also assuming a pack involved? Not much for me as I pack light: 8lbs or so on a day hike and 15+ on an overnight.0 -
Hiking tends to involve a bit more stepping over logs and irregular slopes than walking up a hill does. It may also require you to move stuff out of your way. And you may be carrying more stuff with you.0
-
There are different listings for hiking with packs over or under 10 lbs. I think the biggest difference is terrain. You can easily cover much more ground on a sidewalk (hilly or not) than a trail that challenges your footing at every step. I went on a hike the other day that covered just 3 miles in 2 hours.0
-
I hiked for 6 hours last weekend - 15 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain and then loss in the Shenandoah National Park. My legs were very sore the next morning so I know I had a great workout. I used the hiking category with weight less than 10 lbs. I must admit that the calorie burn assigned seemed a bit high (over 4000) so I backed off the number of hours to 5. If I had used the category I normally use for walking the dog, I would have supposedly burned only 1500 calories - so MFP certainly gives you a different burn for hiking versus walking.
I gained weight overall on the weekend - so I must have whooped it up a bit too much.1 -
Why does MFP count so many more calories when you choose hiking instead of walking? If you are walking hilly terrain would that not be the same? After all hiking is just walking right?
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you don't do a lot of hiking.
Imagine walking across a river balancing on a fallen tree, while carrying a pack. On the other side is a rocky, rooty trail leading up a mountain, such that every step requires you to lift your knee up to your chest. The next creek crossing might involve hopping from boulder to boulder. You might stand for lunch because it rained in the last few days, everything is wet, and you want to keep your butt dry. Be especially careful, falling here would be very bad. Crap, an old growth tree fell across the trail, gotta climb over it or scramble around without a trail.
Sure, hiking is "made out of" walking, but it's not the same.
6 -
Here's a little video of my dogs climbing up a portion of our "home" trail. This is a trail I'll often go to if I don't have tons of time but want to get into the woods. The video doesn't make the elevation gain obvious, but it's pretty steep through here. We also went down this section.
Hiking is NOT just walking.4 -
Why does MFP count so many more calories when you choose hiking instead of walking? If you are walking hilly terrain would that not be the same? After all hiking is just walking right?
I guess it depends on where you're at...I could go for a walk here and definitely hit some hills, but it's going to be nothing like hiking here...
One of my favorite trails...La Luz
Roughly 4,200' of elevation gain in about 7.2 miles...it starts off relatively easy but gets steeper with switchbacks as you climb and the effects of elevation can become a factor...you ultimately end up at about 10,678'
This 14.4 mile round trip hike is far more strenuous than if I were to walk on my city streets, sidewalks, and multi use paths for the same distance, even if there were hills involved...decent on this trail is actually harder on the body than the accent.2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Why does MFP count so many more calories when you choose hiking instead of walking? If you are walking hilly terrain would that not be the same? After all hiking is just walking right?
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you don't do a lot of hiking.
Imagine walking across a river balancing on a fallen tree, while carrying a pack. On the other side is a rocky, rooty trail leading up a mountain, such that every step requires you to lift your knee up to your chest. The next creek crossing might involve hopping from boulder to boulder. You might stand for lunch because it rained in the last few days, everything is wet, and you want to keep your butt dry. Be especially careful, falling here would be very bad. Crap, an old growth tree fell across the trail, gotta climb over it or scramble around without a trail.
Sure, hiking is "made out of" walking, but it's not the same.
I actually do hike a lot. My question is more about the way MFP differentiates between the two and as to the huge difference they put on calorie burn.0 -
I use the numbers from Map My Hike which take into account speed, distance and most importantly elevation. My every other day hike generally include a 1600-2000 feet elevation gain within 2-2.5 miles, not a walk. And sometimes there is a lot of snow so breaking trail adds to the burn. Just what those burns are would no doubt be up for debate and I never eat back the ridiculous amount of calories the app allows me. I also always carry a backpack, the weight of which varies according to how far I'm going, the weather conditions, and how much water I have to pack for my dog and myself.0
-
NorthCascades wrote: »Why does MFP count so many more calories when you choose hiking instead of walking? If you are walking hilly terrain would that not be the same? After all hiking is just walking right?
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you don't do a lot of hiking.
Imagine walking across a river balancing on a fallen tree, while carrying a pack. On the other side is a rocky, rooty trail leading up a mountain, such that every step requires you to lift your knee up to your chest. The next creek crossing might involve hopping from boulder to boulder. You might stand for lunch because it rained in the last few days, everything is wet, and you want to keep your butt dry. Be especially careful, falling here would be very bad. Crap, an old growth tree fell across the trail, gotta climb over it or scramble around without a trail.
Sure, hiking is "made out of" walking, but it's not the same.
Perfect analogy!0 -
I actually do hike a lot. My question is more about the way MFP differentiates between the two and as to the huge difference they put on calorie burn.
Oh, ok. Well, then, as you know, hiking requires a lot more energy because it's more work, and that means more calories. I guess it's like running vs walking in that regard, it's not just the neon shoes that distinguish them.
1 -
My hikes are in uneven ground and there is always a climbing aspect. Walks are flat and less hilly. Also, hiking often entails carrying water & a backpack.1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 400 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 990 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions