best way to run or jog to burn fat

frankos72
frankos72 Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
Assuming that distance and time are the same, which of the 2 following would burn the most calories or more importantly reduce fat.

1. A nice steady jog

2. Alternating between running and walking. I'd say run for 2 to 3 minutes, walk for 1 and repeat.



Thanks!

Replies

  • frankos72
    frankos72 Posts: 11
    Bump.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    #1 will burn more but not by a whole lot.
  • timboom1
    timboom1 Posts: 762 Member
    #1 if it is a one time thing. However, if you have a certain amount of time to spend I would do the second. I assume because you had the same time and distance in the question you would be doing the runs faster, increasing the amount of running vs. walking every couple of workouts will get you to more calories for the time in short order and many more calories in the long run.
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
    calories burned by either would be for the most part comparable. Neither burn fat though. fat is burned from diet. you burn fat when your calorie intake is less than your calories used. exercise burns calories.

    and if your goal is to reduce fat, cardio does nothing more than just eating less does. if your goal is exercise for optimal fat loss, you gotta hit resistance training. not cardio.
  • pweinzap
    pweinzap Posts: 8
    #1 will burn more but not by a whole lot.

    Scott is right. You'll also burn more fat during #1. This is due to the exponential relationship with the amount of "carbs" that are burned as a function of exercise intensity. #2 has you running faster for parts of the run and thus you'll burn a higher percentage of carbs and a lower percentage of fat during the run. This is the reason why going out too fast in a marathon is a bad idea (from a fuel standpoint).

    SwgD5.jpg


    As far as weight loss goes, it's a moot point. The calories all come out in the end regardless of what percentage of carbs/fat/protein you burn during the run.
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
    I'm going to disagree with the above posters, at least if in #2 you are running really fast. The reason it matters is that if you alternate fast running (think sprints), with recovery periods, you are doing what's called "interval training" Feel free to Google it, but I think you'll find that interval training can help boost your aerobic capacity, and more important for our discussion here, can actually increase your metabolism over anything you'd get from the steady state run.
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
    I'd go for a nice log run.

    The other day I wondered about burning calories while running. On my 10 mile run I burned 810 ish and on my 5 miler I only burned 320 some. My pace for my 10 miler was about 30 seconds slower than my shorter run.
  • Mustangsally33
    Mustangsally33 Posts: 63
    bump
  • AliciaBeth78
    AliciaBeth78 Posts: 437 Member
    I have to disagree.... HIIT burns way more calories than staying at a nice steady pace. The fat percentage comes from the calories so therefore you are also burning more fat.
  • Nikki_42
    Nikki_42 Posts: 298 Member
    calories burned by either would be for the most part comparable. Neither burn fat though. fat is burned from diet. you burn fat when your calorie intake is less than your calories used. exercise burns calories.

    and if your goal is to reduce fat, cardio does nothing more than just eating less does. if your goal is exercise for optimal fat loss, you gotta hit resistance training. not cardio.

    That seems confusing. If you exercise, you burn calories, if you burn calories, you lose weight. If you eat less, you lose weight.

    Cardio would help tone up a little more than just eating less. (not better than some other options, but still better than just eating less)
  • TaintedVampyre
    TaintedVampyre Posts: 1,428 Member
    I did really well on the running/ walking alternate, extending the running time every week and minimizing the walk time.
    If you're listening to music during your activity try the sequence of run one song/walk two songs and extend it to run 1/5 songs etc..

    Here's a link of the routine I used to lose a lot of weight one summer:

    http://bit.ly/w4Oi
  • lkpta
    lkpta Posts: 6
    cardio is not the same as "just eating less". cardio helps rev up your metabolism for HOURS after the actual exercise, so you burn while you exercise and you also get the after effects of the faster metabolism. and if you make exercise a regular part of your life, eventually your metabolism will stay higher than it was originally. very true that resistance training will help burn even more calories though. muscle requires more calories to sustain itself, so if you have more muscle mass, your resting metabolism will be higher.
  • hwibowo
    hwibowo Posts: 18 Member
    Assuming that distance and time are the same, which of the 2 following would burn the most calories or more importantly reduce fat.

    1. A nice steady jog

    2. Alternating between running and walking. I'd say run for 2 to 3 minutes, walk for 1 and repeat.



    Thanks!

    It really depends on the intensity (heart rate) you put to either method. If you can sustain steady jog with 70-85% of your max heart rate and you are not aiming to increase your pace (min/mile), go for it. If not, do #2 but make sure you increase your heart rate to 85-95% when you run. However, #2 will be harder on your joints, back, etc. since you are pushing yourself more than steady jog.

    In my case, I run steady (w/o stopping) for 6 miles with 85% of my max HR, I burn around 1800cals. But if I do interval training to increase my pace for 3 miles w/ 90% max HR, I burn around 1300cals. Both depend on temperature and humidity. So my interval training would burn more calories. However, I cannot sustain brutal pounding on my joints and back.

    I would suggest to get a heart rate monitor to achieve max potential training/exercise result. It's not that expensive.

    Hope that helps.
  • ummommyme
    ummommyme Posts: 362 Member
    I have to disagree.... HIIT burns way more calories than staying at a nice steady pace. The fat percentage comes from the calories so therefore you are also burning more fat.
    Neither of her choices are considered HIIT. The second choice is interval training though.
  • lee3978
    lee3978 Posts: 274
    But with HIIT you are burning calories way longer after you've completed your work out.
  • strongwilled
    strongwilled Posts: 35
    both run and jog will burn same calories but run burn calories more quicker than jog.... jog will eventually burn in long distance to reach the run calories yea run is the best way if you want to burn quicker in short time:indifferent:
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Assuming that distance and time are the same, which of the 2 following would burn the most calories or more importantly reduce fat.

    1. A nice steady jog

    2. Alternating between running and walking. I'd say run for 2 to 3 minutes, walk for 1 and repeat.



    Thanks!

    It's a false comparison. Both workouts can contribute to increasing overall fitness and endurance, which allows you to work longer and harder, which burns more calories, which contributes to a caloric deficit, which helps with weight loss.

    You should not choose--include both in your routine.
  • AliciaBeth78
    AliciaBeth78 Posts: 437 Member
    I have to disagree.... HIIT burns way more calories than staying at a nice steady pace. The fat percentage comes from the calories so therefore you are also burning more fat.
    Neither of her choices are considered HIIT. The second choice is interval training though.

    Are you joking? High Intensity Intervals... getting the heart rate up to a high intensity level (running), slowing down to lower intensity level (walking or slow jogging) repeat?
  • mandapanda_
    mandapanda_ Posts: 2
    Interval training (#2) is extremely effective when you're trying to loose weight. One time I lost 7 pounds from doing that on the elliptical machine at the gym, and I'm hoping I can pull myself together from being lazy and do it again.

    Btw I'm new. Hi everyone. :'D
  • dizzy_dreamer
    dizzy_dreamer Posts: 1
    When you exercise, it doesn't matter what KIND of calories you burn but the OVERALL amount of calories you burn.

    Some people think that low-intensity workouts are better because you burn more fat calories. And one would think if you're burning more fat calories you would lose more fat. However, this is untrue.

    With higher intensity workouts one actually burns more fat calories in total. Though the percentage of fat calories you burn is lower.

    Here's an example:

    Sally walks for one hour. She burns 250 calories. Out of those 250 calories, 140 calories are from fat.

    Rosie does interval jogging and walking and burns 500 calories. Though, 225 calories are from fat.
  • ummommyme
    ummommyme Posts: 362 Member
    I have to disagree.... HIIT burns way more calories than staying at a nice steady pace. The fat percentage comes from the calories so therefore you are also burning more fat.
    Neither of her choices are considered HIIT. The second choice is interval training though.

    Are you joking? High Intensity Intervals... getting the heart rate up to a high intensity level (running), slowing down to lower intensity level (walking or slow jogging) repeat?
    No, im not kidding. There is HIT and HIIT first of all. HIT is for weight training i believe. But for something to be considered HIIT you should be doing as hard as you can for lets say 30 sec. and rest for 30. If you are actually doing HIIT then your stamina should not last very long. So those are intervals but extremely intense intervals. The jogging she is speaking of consists of intervals but not HIIT intervals.
  • AliciaBeth78
    AliciaBeth78 Posts: 437 Member
    I have to disagree.... HIIT burns way more calories than staying at a nice steady pace. The fat percentage comes from the calories so therefore you are also burning more fat.
    Neither of her choices are considered HIIT. The second choice is interval training though.

    Are you joking? High Intensity Intervals... getting the heart rate up to a high intensity level (running), slowing down to lower intensity level (walking or slow jogging) repeat?
    No, im not kidding. There is HIT and HIIT first of all. HIT is for weight training i believe. But for something to be considered HIIT you should be doing as hard as you can for lets say 30 sec. and rest for 30. If you are actually doing HIIT then your stamina should not last very long. So those are intervals but extremely intense intervals. The jogging she is speaking of consists of intervals but not HIIT intervals.

    Honey.... HIT is high intensity training. In other words keeping your heart rate up for an extended period of time!
  • lee3978
    lee3978 Posts: 274
    For some people jogging may be intense!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    But with HIIT you are burning calories way longer after you've completed your work out.

    But not necessarily more calories.
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
    Walking fast will burn more calories than a slow jog. Just do what you can and have fun with it!
  • lee3978
    lee3978 Posts: 274
    But with HIIT you are burning calories way longer after you've completed your work out.

    But not necessarily more calories.

    Yes more calories and speeds up your metabolism.

    "THE AFTER BURN

    One of the greatest things about high intensity interval training is the after burn. And by after burn, I am talking about calories! The fancy name for after burn is excess post-oxygen consumption (EPOC).You not only burn a ton of calories during your workout, but you also burn more calories after, even while you are sleeping. High intensity interval training changes your body’s calorie burning capabilities. Have you ever heard someone say that you will burn more calories at rest even after you exercise? Well, this is what they were talking about. What happens is that your body tries to get back to the way it was before you began exercising. After HIIT, it takes your body a lot longer to recover than it would from regular exercise which helps burn more calories.THE AFTER BURN

    One of the greatest things about high intensity interval training is the after burn. And by after burn, I am talking about calories! The fancy name for after burn is excess post-oxygen consumption (EPOC).You not only burn a ton of calories during your workout, but you also burn more calories after, even while you are sleeping. High intensity interval training changes your body’s calorie burning capabilities. Have you ever heard someone say that you will burn more calories at rest even after you exercise? Well, this is what they were talking about. What happens is that your body tries to get back to the way it was before you began exercising. After HIIT, it takes your body a lot longer to recover than it would from regular exercise which helps burn more calories."
  • texastango
    texastango Posts: 309
    Long, hard, and fast, uphill, into the wind, and inefficiently. Think I'm kidding? Ultra Marathoners recently asked a friend of mine - a licensed dietician - how they could keep weight off and still consume all the nutrients they need. These people run 100 miles a week and they can't keep the weight off? Holy crap.

    See, they are so efficient that they don't get their heart rates up, don't burn as much calories as you or I if we did this, and they have a hard time taking in the right nutrition and keeping weight off. So be inefficient.....run hard....run up hill...into the wind.....etc. Get your heart rate up at least into the fat burning zone for you.
    8443442.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
  • TyFit08
    TyFit08 Posts: 799 Member
    I say why choose. Why not do both, separate days of course. But on the interval day, do sprints and give it all you got. Sometimes I do sprints for 60 sec and walk fast for 2 min. I do 5 to 8 reps and usually I am so beat after this. The intervals will also help your endurance on long run days.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    But with HIIT you are burning calories way longer after you've completed your work out.

    But not necessarily more calories.

    Yes more calories and speeds up your metabolism.

    "THE AFTER BURN

    One of the greatest things about high intensity interval training is the after burn. And by after burn, I am talking about calories! The fancy name for after burn is excess post-oxygen consumption (EPOC).You not only burn a ton of calories during your workout, but you also burn more calories after, even while you are sleeping. High intensity interval training changes your body’s calorie burning capabilities. Have you ever heard someone say that you will burn more calories at rest even after you exercise? Well, this is what they were talking about. What happens is that your body tries to get back to the way it was before you began exercising. After HIIT, it takes your body a lot longer to recover than it would from regular exercise which helps burn more calories.THE AFTER BURN

    One of the greatest things about high intensity interval training is the after burn. And by after burn, I am talking about calories! The fancy name for after burn is excess post-oxygen consumption (EPOC).You not only burn a ton of calories during your workout, but you also burn more calories after, even while you are sleeping. High intensity interval training changes your body’s calorie burning capabilities. Have you ever heard someone say that you will burn more calories at rest even after you exercise? Well, this is what they were talking about. What happens is that your body tries to get back to the way it was before you began exercising. After HIIT, it takes your body a lot longer to recover than it would from regular exercise which helps burn more calories."

    That sounds all well and good when someone is trying to write a breathlessly enthusiastic "fitness" article, but the reality is a lot more complex, hence my original comment. There is no reason for the average person to restrict themselves to one type of training, and HIIT is not automatically the best choice for every person under every circumstance.
  • ummommyme
    ummommyme Posts: 362 Member
    I have to disagree.... HIIT burns way more calories than staying at a nice steady pace. The fat percentage comes from the calories so therefore you are also burning more fat.
    Neither of her choices are considered HIIT. The second choice is interval training though.

    Are you joking? High Intensity Intervals... getting the heart rate up to a high intensity level (running), slowing down to lower intensity level (walking or slow jogging) repeat?
    No, im not kidding. There is HIT and HIIT first of all. HIT is for weight training i believe. But for something to be considered HIIT you should be doing as hard as you can for lets say 30 sec. and rest for 30. If you are actually doing HIIT then your stamina should not last very long. So those are intervals but extremely intense intervals. The jogging she is speaking of consists of intervals but not HIIT intervals.

    Honey.... HIT is high intensity training. In other words keeping your heart rate up for an extended period of time!
    Well you certainly don't have to believe me that's why we have the internet at our disposal;) She is not doing HIIT or HIT, just sayin. To the OP any exercise is good for you but just remember if it's easy it's time to change it up and have fun with it.

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