Is running very effective for losing weight?

Losing weight is not really "my" weight because of my tendency to lose weight and I always try to take shape or lose extra pounds.

However, a large number of people come through the desire to lose weight. Someone is enough for a month, others run a marathon, and yet others run for the rest of their lives, trying to lose weight. This is great because current fitness improves metabolism and cardiovascular function.

It interested me:

  • How effective is running for weight loss?
  • Which current workouts burn the most calories?
  • What are the physiological processes behind this?
  • What does the research say about this?

And since I’ve been running for several years now and have noticed some weight changes and my appearance, I’ll share my experience.

Running as a way to lose weight is stuck in many myths. The truth of the matter is that not everyone will lose weight from running. Or lose weight, but not just from running. The question of weight loss is more complex than it seems at first glance.

Needless to say, the benefits of running?

In addition to the obvious benefits (involving large muscle groups, improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system, metabolism; there is a separate article on the benefits of running), it is worth mentioning at least one study. More than 55 thousand people took part in it for 15 years.

What conclusion did the authors of the study reach?

  • regular running reduces the risk of death from any cause by 30%
  • the risk of death from cardiovascular disease is reduced by 45%
  • life expectancy increases by an average of 3 years

And because running does not require extra equipment, expensive equipment and high costs it is one of the most popular sports in the world. If you can afford a cheap pair of running shoes, you are in business.

Weight loss factors

No matter what sport you play, there are factors that directly affect how fast and intense you lose weight.

Amongst:

  • Age. . . The older a person is, the less work is recommended and, therefore, the less the outcome. In addition, the muscles shrink and become weaker with age;
  • Body composition. . . If you have more muscle mass than fat, you will burn more calories while running;
  • Training intensity. . . Literally everything matters: activity, frequency, speed, distance, etc. ;
  • Floor.Men burn calories faster than women. The University of Copenhagen, together with eight other institutions, conducted a study in which 2, 500 people with diabetes and obesity received a strict eight-week calorie-controlled diet. Staying in the same conditions, men lost more extra pounds than women;
  • General daily activity. . . Even a 10-minute charge is effective if you are inactive;
  • The weight. . . The more weight, the more calories burned first.

The main unusable formula for losing weight is to burn more calories than you eat.

How much can you reset in one run?

how many calories you can burn in one run

First, it’s worth clarifying: is it about running on a tread mill or, for example, on a street or stadium?

There may not seem to be any differences, but there aren't. Functionally, the load changes little, but the mechanics are completely different. When running on asphalt, you need to push hard away from the surface, and the track, due to the constantly moving belt, pulls your foot back and consumes less physical effort.

In addition, the treadmill greatly shortens progress and prevents movement.

Why not trust the lost calories shown on the machine display? The speed and duration of the exercise is taken into account, as well as the average runner data, which often have little to do with reality. In addition, the machine tends to overestimate the numbers in order to encourage them to continue practicing.

For an hour on a tread mill, working at a speed of 10-12 km / h, you can lose 550-750 calories. It all depends on the incline, current speed, heart rate, body temperature, etc.

1 kilogram of fat = about 7, 500-8250 calories

There are many metrics to consider when running outdoors. For example, a report from Harvard University showed that 30-minute exercise gives different results to people of different intensities and weights:

  • A man weighing 70 kg. able to burn 370 calories in half an hour while running at a speed of 6: 12 / km. And a man weighing 56 kg. at the same time and at the same rate, it loses 300 calories.
  • A man weighing 70 kg. able to burn 539 calories in half an hour running at a speed of 4: 20 / km. And a man weighing 56 kg. at the same time and at the same rate, it loses 435 calories.

When you run slow, calories are primarily consumed from fat. At an intense pace, muscle and liver glycogen stores become a source of calories. By the way, after training they are still "burning" (EPOC effect, under - below).

Compared to other sports, the average indicators are:

Activity Calorie burns in 30 minutes
Swim (freestyle) at an active pace 370
Running at 8 km / h (6: 12 / km) 300
Beach volleyball 297
Cycling at 20 km / h 295
Roller skating 260
Aerobics 240
Basketball 220
Playing badminton 167

How many days a week do you need to run to lose weight?

If you are just starting out on your current path, then you should not set yourself the goal of running every day or running for an hour each way.

Your training plan should be gradual. Start by alternating between brisk walking and slow jogging. It is a normal speed at which you can speak. It will be difficult at first, so you can move to a stage if necessary.

Start from the fact that there should be at least 3 workouts in 7 days. The body should have plenty of time to dump and recover from excess.

Once you get the hang of it, you can do different types of current workouts to pump your body more versatile and burn calories in a more efficient way. Remember, however, that basic training will keep your body running smoothly and reduce the chances of injury.

High-intensity running workouts

One meta-study found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) burns 30% more fat on average than other forms of exercise.

Therefore, HIIT training is a more effective way to reduce body fat. High-intensity work events include interval running and fartlek.

Intense exercise creates too much oxygen consumption after exercise, the so-called oxygen depletion effect.EPOC (Post-Exercise Excessive Oxygen Consumption). . . This promotes the oxidation of fats in a shorter period of time and stimulates the so-called "after-burning effect". In addition, the body produces more adrenaline and growth hormone (according to one study, up to 450%) within 24 hours after the end of HIIT.

In addition to weight loss, this type of cardio has several other benefits:

  • improved durability
  • blood sugar control
  • strengthen muscles
  • strengthening the immune system
  • relieve stress and anxiety, etc.

However, with all the advantages, interval training has some contraindications, since there is an active load on the cardiovascular system.(CCC). Before you start this type of running, you need to make sure that you do not have any violations from the CCC.

What time of day is best to train to lose weight?

what time of day to pass for weight loss

According to a recent study, people who exercise in the morning perform better than those who exercise in the evening. During the experiment, scientists divided 48 women into two groups: the first engaged in morning aerobic exercise for six weeks, the other preferred to do exercises in the evening. During the specified period, they recorded each meal. As a result, it was concluded that morning exercise helped reduce the amount of high-calorie food intake during the day, allowing them to lose more weight.

Other studies show that exercising on an empty stomach before breakfast burns more fat than exercising after eating.However, if you are running on an empty stomach, it is worth taking a shorter and easier route as your body may not be ready for it.

There is a lot of controversy about the most effective time. It is believed that our body performance increases when the body reaches its maximum temperature for the day. For most people, this is between 4: 00 pm and 5: 00 pm, although some experts extend this time to 7: 00 pm.

Current workout plan for beginners only monthly

run workout for beginners

Before you can show results, especially if you have been inactive before, you need to prepare your body and speed up your metabolism.

Note thatonly a personal trainer can choose the best training system for you, since when choosing a plan, your goals and body condition will be taken into account.

The plan is designed to immerse you in your workouts as smoothly as possible; this is achieved by walking and running:





Week 1
Monday - Walk for 20 minutes
Tuesday - relax or do cardio for 20 minutes (swimming, cycling)
Wednesday - walk at a brisk pace of 20 minutes
Thursday - rest
Friday - vivid stretch exchange (4 minutes) and run (1 minute) 4 times
Saturday - rest
Sunday - Walk at a brisk pace for 20 minutes






2 weeks
Monday - alternate 5 times fast step (4 minutes) and run (1 minute)
Tuesday - rest
Wednesday - alternate lively progress (3 minutes) and intense jogging (1 minute) 6 times
Thursday - rest
Friday - repeat 7 times going fast (3 minutes) and running (1 minute)
Saturday - a brisk 20 minute walk or bike ride up to 30 minutes
Sunday - rest






3 weeks
Monday - repeat 7 times going fast (3 minutes) and running (1 minute)
Tuesday - rest
Wednesday - alternate 9 hour brisk step (1 minute) and jogging (2 minutes)
Thursday - rest or bike for 30 minutes
Friday - repeat 7 times going fast (3 minutes) and running (1 minute)
Saturday - active walk for 25 minutes
Sunday - rest





4 weeks
Monday - alternate 6 times vigorous progression for 1 minute and jogging for 4 minutes
Tuesday - rest or swim / bike (30 minutes)
Wednesday - Alternate 5 minutes of vigorous stretch, jog for 20 minutes and complete with another 5 minutes of vigorous stretch
Thursday - rest
Friday - continuous run for 25 minutes
Saturday - cycling or walking at a brisk 30 minute pace
Sunday - rest

A versatile workout plan for beginners. There are hundreds of similar plans on the Internet

As you progress to the second month of your training plan, gradually increase your jogging time, keeping your walking intervals as low as possible. When you have a normal 30 minutes of running, you can add 4 days to a full running load.

It is important to monitor your heart rate.

The fat burning heart rate zone is estimated to be 50-70% of the maximum heart rate. It is calculated depending on the age of the person.Very mediumthis is about 115-130 beats 30 years old or 110-125 beats 40 years old. You can measure the exact heart rate zones by using special functional diagnostics. This will help you train more effectively.

When you run into the fat burning zone, your body learns to burn fat as efficiently as possible. However, you should not expect more weight loss as a result of running in this particular zone: due to the low intensity, fewer calories are burned than when running in the high-intensity zone.

What helps maintain the result?

Why a heart rate monitor is important when running

To track your progress and think about your heart rate during training, you can't do without assistive devices:

  • Fitness bracelets.Paired with your phone, they help you keep track of your steps, kilometers and your speed and time. In most fitness bracelets, the heart rate monitor only works accurately in quiet zones and low stress zones. I can’t say this is true for all fitness bracelets, some of them do a good job with this task.
  • Sports watch.Since most sports watches have a built-in GPS sensor, you also don’t need to run with your phone. Sportswear brand (and Apple Watch) watches typically have a relatively accurate heart rate monitor, but are still not as accurate as chest straps. The accuracy of the heart rate monitor depends on the model and the technology used to implement it, so it is best to look at the reviews of a particular device in advance.
  • Chest heart rate monitors.The most accurate heart rate measurements.

Why am I running but not losing weight?

There can be many reasons for this:

  1. Wrong motivation.You can often hear from people running around that they are working out of a burger they ate or cutting circles in the stadium to earn a chocolate bar in the evening. This weight loss option is utopian; food should not be a goal or a reward. Learn how to correlate calories consumed and eaten and eat well. If you run for an hour a day, but eat 500 more calories a day, you should not rely on losing weight.
  2. Weight control.A safe and reasonable rate of weight loss is up to 1 kilogram per week. If you run regularly and do strength training at the same time, keep in mind that the muscles are building at the same time as losing weight. In this case, it is more advisable to look not at the arrows of the scales, but to measure your body regularly (waist, hips, leg girth, arms, etc. ). This method of tracking progress would be more revealing.
  3. Getting used to loads. . . In the first few weeks, you could see the result, but then it became less clear. Why? Because the body was initially stressed and proteins and carbohydrates were actively used to replenish energy reserves and building materials for muscle recovery. Over time, the body adapted to the stress and stopped seeing it as irritating. In this case, it is enough to exchange between different types of training: running over rough terrain, finding other routes, combining speed, adding loads of strength, etc.
  4. Tough diet.It would seem that the less you eat, the more you lose weight. Actually, things are a little different. Severe malnutrition puts the body under stress, begins to accumulate reserves where possible, as well as retain water to repair damaged muscle fibers and deliver glycogen to the working muscles. As a result, this often leads to emotional breakdowns and overeating.

5 myths about running

Stretch before you run

Sure, we’ve all heard that you need to stretch and warm up your muscles before you run. You will be surprised, but scientists have no consensus on this score. Rather, they agree that the benefit can only be derived from dynamic stretching (lungs, bending, swinging legs and arms, etc. ).

What’s wrong with the static shape of the stretch?

  • A 2013 study found that it can reduce productivity, not increase it.
  • Another study by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons found that stretching before running did not prevent injury.

And another recent study found that static stretching can damage muscle performance for up to 24 hours.

Static stretching refers to exercises such as folding or butterfly, when freezing in one place is required for 15-60 seconds when the peak of the muscles stretches.

But articular warming certainly won’t hurt you.

The more workouts the better

There is a common mistake among beginner runners - the desire to increase the current speed and volume of loads as fast as possible. In the early days, enthusiasm and motivation surpass, and running 2-3 km seems too small and embarrassing. Better only 10 and uphill. As a result, the body is exposed to stress, lacks recovery and sports performance drops before it appears.

This involves a long cessation of training, a general loss of strength and exhaustion. Swelling or muscle weakness can sometimes be noticed, which in most cases is a symptom of overtaking. As a result, this can lead to "emotional" overuse and sometimes injuries, which completely discourage the desire to run again.

Be patient and think long term, don’t drain your body. Even with the most intense operations, you still won’t lose weight in a fortnight. The process needs to be approached systematically and the burden needs to be broken down into stages.

Runners do not need strength training

There are many studies looking at the effects of strength training on current performance. One of them is dedicated to sprint. He says that force, power and speed are inextricably linked, since they are the result of the same functional systems.

Strength training greatly improves endurance and current performance. For example, the gluteus maximus is believed to be the most important contributor to maximum speed when running. Needless to say it has to be pumped without fail? Running alone cannot do this.

In addition, the stronger the muscles become, the more elastic and resilient the body will be as you run.

Dress warmly to lose more

A big misunderstanding for new runners who want to lose those extra pounds. Some girls wrap themselves in clothes with cling film in order to achieve the maximum result in their opinion.

Why is this method ineffective? Because sweating has nothing to do with weight loss. With the help of sweat, the body cools down, fluids and toxins are removed. Extra clothing interferes with cooling, which can lead to overheating and even loss of consciousness.

Running with weights will definitely help you lose weight

This is not the best method for beginners. Running in itself is a powerful burden for the body, if you have previously had an inactive lifestyle. And excess weight is already a weighting agent.

Experienced athletes typically use this method to develop strength-speed abilities. Heavy over long distances can increase the risk of injury to inexperienced runners.

Run and increase app

carbohydrate loading while running

As your body learns to adjust to the new regime and exercise, you burn fewer calories. Also, when losing weight, the body needs less energy to function. Thus, the underlying metabolism (the energy that the body burns at rest) actually begins to decrease.

It is believed that the appetite increases the running at a moderate pace, especially for beginners. The body wants to return to its former mass and produces more intense hormones that make you hungry. But some studies have found that running at high intensity has the opposite effect - removing ghrelin (the hormone of hunger) and reducing appetite.

From myself, I can say that I have never achieved as much as I was preparing for a marathon. My maximum monthly run was just over 200 kilometers and I ate so much that I couldn’t believe I could. There was no aim to lose weight, but the appetite was powerful.

Can you lose weight just by running?

Yes, but for this a number of conditions must be met: proper nutrition, exchange of loads, gradual increase. If you want to lose weight through regular, but short workouts (for example, 20 minutes a day) at the same pace, then this is unlikely to bring you closer to the goal you want. Much depends on the initial parameters.

You can achieve the result by running for a long time or hard. Ideally, for weight loss, you should do alternate interval training with slow and long jogging. This will prevent the body from adapting to the stress level. Why is it important? Because you can face a phenomenon that physiologists call a plateau state, when physical condition and weight are stabilized and it becomes very difficult to move them from the ground. We need to "surprise" the body and try unusual loads that make it irritating. New approaches also help avoid burns that can result from a similar routine.

You can achieve what you need faster by combining aerobic and anaerobic loads (cardio and strength). But don’t forget about the side (and really - the main) effect of running. Along with losing extra calories, you will give great benefits to the body as a whole.