Walking 4 mph vs. running 4 mph

i'm curious to see other replies here - I am a very slow runner. But I find that the movement of running is much more aerobic for me than the movement of walking. My gut says the calorie burning will be the same, but that the cardio building is much better.

When running at that pace (now up to 4.2 mph), I will work up a good sweat and a very pink face. Walking at that speed, no sweat, no pink face!

The bouncing up and down from running is going to burn more calories than the walking will, even though it's at the same speed.

I guess this would completely depend on the length of your stride. Typical stride length is roughly 2.5 feet but this varies due to different leg lengths. Your one full stride might be two of my strides. I would equate 4.0mph (for me) to a very brisk walk almost speed walk but that's just me. I'm only 5'8". What I do on the treadmill is boost it up to 4.5 - 4.8mph, there's no way i can walk this (comfortably and sustained) so I'm forced to jog. This jog speed (for me) is a comfortable pace and gets the heart rate up into the fat burning/cardio zone.

I walk 2 miles everyday at 4mi per hour....I sweat and get pink in the face, although it could be because I am walking a mile long bridge with an incline and I live in FL so its still very warm at 5:30 in the afternoon :blushing:

Running burns slightly more than walking. It's usually 100 calories per mile if you wish to ballpark it.

http://walking.about.com/od/calorie1/a/calorieswalkrun.htm

If I run 3 miles I know I've burned about 280-300 calories, give or take. It's probably 250-280 if you walk....still pretty good.

It's about the intensity...you are doing a more intense workout with running....heart rate is up...showing you are working out more intensely...thus running at 4 mph is better.

I have worn a heart rate monitor for both.

I burn more calories and build more muscle running at 4mph as compared to walking because there is more effort lifting your body up and down with your quads, as compared to walking which is more flat paced.

Get yourself a HRM. If you want to lose fat, then you want to keep your beats per minute (BPM) low (90-120). Walking will burn fat. A slow jog (120-150) will improve your heart. Doing both (called intervals) is the best. Intervals is good for your heart, burns fat, and builds muscle and stamina.

I concur with everyone here.

However, there are some benefits to walking instead of running. And different benefits to running instead of walking.

Walking will keep you in the fat burning zone. Which means that a higher percentage of the calories that you burn will be from fat that is stored on your body instead of calories that you've eaten throughout the day. Other benefits, walking does help to build up certain muscles which shape and tone your legs in what I would think of as a more "yoga body" sort of way = long and lean. Also... especially for me... I can walk for a much longer period of time than I can run for - regardless of the pace. I can walk 4.6mph longer than I can jog 4mph. So, I will do a much longer workout if I'm walking than if I'm running. So I might burn fewer calories within a certain time frame... but I'm likely going to burn more calories because I'll go a lot further.

Running is very cardiovascular. If you're looking to improve your breathing and blood circulation, this is the better exercise for you. It will usually keep you above the fat burning zone, so a smaller percentage of the calories burned will be from fat stored on your body. On the other hand, if you're burning a lot more calories, then you may still burn the same number of fat stored calories. If that makes sense. Running will build muscle in different ways. Long slow running will still build mostly long and lean muscles, but you'll notice a little more bulk in the calves. Sprinting (which 4mph isn't) will probably build more bulk all over. Also, running is a really good workout for your core as well.

Personally... I combine the two. I walk the majority of my workout, but I do some slower jogs (I try and make sure I'm at least going faster than my walking pace - but you should build up to that) and some faster runs. Most of the weight that I've lost, though, has been from walking. I've just gotten thin and fit enough for running.

good luck!