Today, running is one of the most popular methods of combating excess weight. It really helps burn excess fat, tightens the skin and promotes health at the same time. But in reality, not everyone achieves the desired results. The point here is not that running is ineffective, but rather that a person does not know how to run properly to lose weight. Let's try to figure it out.
The benefits of running for weight loss and more
Running to burn fat is a simple and effective way to get rid of excess weight. It is not for nothing that this sport is very popular around the world. He has a numberAdvantages, the following is included:
- Running is accessible, it does not require financial investments or special equipment, so anyone can do it.
- This is a safe sport, and if you follow the basic rules, it will only bring benefits.
- Regular exercise really helps you lose weight because it provides a powerful cardio workout. On average, an hour of running burns 500-700 calories.
- Running brings a person comprehensive benefits, and this applies not only to the figure, but also to health. It helps manage stress, strengthens the nervous system, trains the heart and blood vessels and improves their function.
- Jogging normalizes the functioning of the digestive system and speeds up metabolism.
- Running perfectly strengthens muscles and keeps them in shape.
- This type of activity stimulates the removal of harmful wastes, toxins and excess fluid from the body.
Even though running helps everyone lose weight, you need to take this into considerationContraindications, and they are as follows:
- severe dysfunction of the heart and blood vessels (heart defects, heart failure, blood pressure problems);
- phlebeurysm;
- bronchial asthma;
- Endocrine system disorders;
- serious vision problems;
- inflammatory processes in the body;
- infectious diseases;
- Musculoskeletal problems.
People who are very overweight should consult a specialist before jogging as they can harm themselves. In this case, brisk walking or jogging may be more appropriate.
To lose weight through running, it is recommended to study different options and choose the best one. It is also very important to know how to run correctly to burn fat and study all the rules and recommendations.
Why running is good for losing weight
So does running help you lose weight? Let's find out.
Problems with excess weight are usually typical for people with a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, a good half of the population now has their own car. Thanks to cars, we not only stop running, but also actually walk. As a result, fat accumulates in the body and muscles atrophy due to their uselessness.
To avoid obesity and unpleasant consequences for your appearance and health, you need to pull yourself together and go running. This is the simplest type of physical activity that is accessible to everyone. And let it be just a brisk walk at first. Once your body has adjusted, start running.
Let's take a closer look at how running burns fat.
Running makes your heart beat faster, which is why it is called cardio. When the heart rate is accelerated, more blood flows through the heart per unit of time than when it is at rest. The lungs also start to work harder and your blood is actively enriched with oxygen. Oxygen saturation occurs in all cells of the body, from the tips of the toes to the brain. Metabolic processes begin to occur faster.
Running requires energy. To ensure its constant supply, the body uses up its internal reserves. First, the glycogen stored in the liver is used up, then the fat depots in our body are used. Therefore, running and being overweight are incompatible concepts. If you exercise actively and burn more calories than you consume from food, your excess weight will disappear. Running and losing weight are interrelated things.
- When jogging (7-9 kilometers per hour), fat burning begins after 20-30 minutes of continuous running.
- With interval training, the process of fat loss begins much earlier; You don't have to run for an hour to start losing fat. However, interval running is quite demanding and this type of cardio is not suitable for everyone.
When discussing whether running helps you lose weight, it is important to clarify the type and duration of running. If we mean classic jogging at a relaxed pace, the training duration should be at least thirty minutes.
How to run to burn fat: basic rules
We already know that the answer to the question of whether running helps you lose weight will be positive. However, in order for jogging to really achieve results, some nuances must be taken into account. Let's take a closer look at them.
Running time
Please note that the duration of your run depends on the intensity of your training. You also need to take into account physical fitness and choose the optimal load. It is recommended to start with runs that are not too long and gradually increase their duration and running distance.
Running is recommendedat least 40 minutes, because only after this time has passed does the body begin to consume not calories, but directly the hated fats. Many experts recommend interval running - it increases endurance and is ideal for losing weight.
Preparing and finishing your workout
Proper running to burn fat shouldn't just start and end like that. Certain rules must be followed.Before training, consider the following:
- It is recommended to eat at least two hours before exercise to burn fat.
- It makes sense to take a contrast shower beforehand, which strengthens the muscles and blood vessels and eases the strain on the body;
- Before the main part of the lesson, do a short warm-up - this will help prevent injuries and muscle pain as the body is prepared for stress.
Between training sessions you need to control your diet. Of course, it is not recommended to eat sweets, fatty foods and other foods that harm your figure. Limit salt intake as it tends to retain fluid in the body, thereby increasing body volume. It's also important to drink enough water, and you can do that while exercising.
After a run, the following recommendations are helpful:
- Stop slowly, not abruptly. Transitioning from running to walking and slowly slowing down. This restores breathing and heart rate and forces the body to burn even more calories.
- After your run, take a warm shower to calm your muscles and nervous system.
- Avoid hypothermia. When running, the body heats up and a slight breeze or draft can have a negative impact on your health.
Selection of the intensity of the training
An important point in running to burn fat is the intensity of running, which determines the speed of weight loss and the final results. It is important to remember that it is important not only to lose weight, but also not to harm your health.
The more intense the training, the faster energy is used up. Calm and relaxed running is harmful to your health, but it is more suitable for keeping fit than for losing weight. And training that is too intense can lead to exhaustion of the body and, as a result, the breakdown of not only fat, but also muscle, and the cardiovascular system can suffer from excessive stress.
For this reasonThe loads must be increased gradually and continuously.If you are new to running, start with minimal and increase over time. You can determine the intensity of your training yourself by monitoring your heart rate. Typically, a good fat burning effect results in a pulse of more than 130 beats per minute. However, if this value is above 150, the load may be too high. At the right intensity, your heart rate should return to normal levels no later than half an hour after the end of your run.
clothes and shoes
The right equipment also plays an important role in mileage. Shoes and running suits for losing weight should be as comfortable as possible and not restrict freedom of movement.
Clothing should be chosen from natural, breathable materials.CanUse a special weight loss suit, which ensures concentration on one problem area. For example, you can buy breeches and shorts that will speed up the weight loss process.
You should choose shoes that are comfortable, light and fit perfectly. This helps reduce stress on joints and minimizes the risk of injury.
Often its use is recommended for those who want to reduce abdominal volumeBelt for running and losing weight or cling film. In principle, this makes sense, but don't expect a miracle and you will lose weight in three training sessions. These items help speed up the process of removing excess fluid, which also has a positive effect on weight loss. There are also belts with a massage effect.
Regularity of training
How often and for how long should you run to burn fat? Regularity is the most important key to success. The best option is to run 3-5 times a week. To speed up the achievement of results, you can alternate running with other types of activity, such as strength training or swimming. Men are recommended to combine running with strength training for weight loss.
Don't expect quick results. ExplicitChanges for the better will be noticeable after 6-8 weeksregular training.
If you know how to walk correctly to lose weight, you can improve your appearance without harming your health. In addition, it is recommended to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Be sure to pay attention to this when runningControl your physical condition.Pain and dizziness are unacceptable. Breathing should remain even.
- You can run both on a treadmill and outdoors.The first option is good because it is available in any weather. The second allows you to enjoy the beauty of nature and breathe fresh air, although it is not always available due to weather conditions. It is recommended to run not on asphalt, but on the ground - this has a positive effect on endurance and allows for correct load distribution.
- Pay attention to the correct running technique.
- attitudeduring the raceshould be smooth.Breathe evenly. Changes of pace should occur smoothly.
If you want to burn fat in a specific area by running,You can consider the following technical recommendations:
- To lose weight in the legs, it is recommended to use a high hip lifting technique, include running with an additional step in your workout, and alternate running and jumping (with or without a jump rope).
- To lose weight in the abdominal area, exercise your abdominal muscles additionally and always monitor their tone.
If you follow all the rules and there are no contraindications, you can start running without any worries and you will soon notice significant changes for the better. Also think about proper nutrition and other types of exercise - in combination you get an effective program that will help you achieve an ideal figure. In addition, running will help you improve your health and forget about stress and depression.
How to build strength, endurance and burn fat through running
Running is often underestimated or viewed one-sidedly. For example, if you want to lose weight, go running. If you want to train your heart, run too. Some people see this as a chance to set a personal record and prove to themselves that they can run 10km non-stop. For some, running is a way to relax the brain after an intellectually or nervously stressful day at work. It also happens the other way around - a great exercise in the morning to gain strength and energy and complete the planned work schedule in record time.
A universal but insidious discipline
On the one hand, everything is like that. On the other hand, mileage is often overestimated or not taken into account at all.
Running therefore increases the effectiveness of strength training - it increases the working weights and the training intensity. It is an important tool for getting rid of excess fat. This is the case if everything is done correctly, which we will discuss below. There are also reverse cases.
For example, a person decided to lose weight - whether it is a guy or a girl - and let's run away like crazy. After all, he had heard out of the corner of his ear that you can lose excess weight by running. The comrade pours out seven sweats, red as a lobster, his heart jumps out of his chest, his legs give way, he lacks air, but he keeps moving his weak legs - he has to run these 3-4 km.
I ran three times a week for a month, suffered a lot, got on the scales, but there was no result. The reflection in the mirror hasn't changed much either. This is the best case scenario. In the worst case, he began to look bad, his health was also not very good, his knees hurt, he became emaciated (there is less muscle, the fat has not gone anywhere) and the pitiful 2-3 kg lost from a hundredweight of total body weightnot at all pleasant.
The fact is that you need to run correctly and plan the training process wisely, not forgetting about nutrition and a number of other factors. Let's discuss everything in more detail.
Suitable for everyone
The running training system, which I will discuss below, is universal. It is suitable for both a completely untrained overweight person who has decided to put his body in order, and an advanced athlete who has been training with weights for years but neglects running for various reasons.
For example, your knees hurt, you have shortness of breath, your muscles "burn" (don't burn). I can confidently count myself as the latter and have dealt with the topic of running more than once, but only now have I found really effective methods, to apply it.
About ten years ago I did an experiment - I wanted to run 10 km in one go. I got results, but it was difficult and took more than three months. The hope of eating delicious treats and at the same time losing fat through long running did not come true. And I ran 10 km with difficulty, which is called "I can't". Then I got used to running more or less (I used to hate it at all), but these are flowers compared to the results of a sensible approach to training.
Where should I start?
There is no preparation or lengthy preparation required. We ate normally, and an hour and a half later we put on old sneakers, ran to the nearest stadium on rubber runners, and set the timer on the clock or smartphoneone hourand ran at an easy pace. Just a few points are important:
- Don't run on asphalt.A stadium with a rubber surface is fine, a treadmill in the gym is fine, dirt with grass is fine. Asphalt is not OK, but it does put excessive strain on joints and ligaments. High-quality sneakers, selected individually (you can read how to do this here), partially solve the problem of hard surfaces, but this is not a panacea and not everyone has such an opportunity. But you can walk on the surfaces described above in any, even the most anonymous Chinese sneakers (be prepared for calluses from such shoes).
- Work within your aerobic threshold.I have described the theory in detailThis article(Section "Aerobic training"), I will not repeat myself, but will briefly summarize. If you have a heart rate monitor (any kind - optical, attached to the chest), then work in the heart rate range of 120-150 beats / minute. The main thing is not to suffocate - there must be enough oxygen. If you don't have a heart rate monitor, be guided by your breathing. As soon as you start choking, it will be difficult - take a quick walk until your breathing is restored, and then run lightly again. And that's how you work for an hour. Even if you run most of the time.
- After 60 minutes, write down how much distance you have covered during this time. Next time, try running and walking more.Let it be 100 meters, 200, but more. If you do everything right, you don't have to try hard. The body itself adapts to any appropriate load with a reserve. In this case we focus on breathing and heart rate, do not overload the body and it responds by adapting and balancing. I rested for a day, came back to the stadium, walked/run for an hour - looked at my smartphone (if it can count steps), at the activity tracker or at the laps counted, and you can see you have covered more distancecovered, but at the same time time in which you didn't suffer or get out of breath while running. I speak from personal experience.
According to this system, an untrained person learns in 2-3 months to run for an hour without rest and at a good pace without being out of breath or exhausted. General well-being improves, endurance increases and weight decreases, unless the citizen begins to eat more and thus compensate for the increased energy consumption.
ButThe devil is in the details. Yes – this is a working system that I have personally tested on myself. You can take it and use it immediately without going into details.
If you want to achieve the most effective result, be it burning fat, improving strength results in the gym or all of the above, then read the next part of this series of articles where I will talk about how to run without knee pain. Why you should run for 60 minutes and how to burn fat and maintain muscle.
This is real – I checked it myself. Running is often underestimated or viewed one-sidedly. For example, if you want to lose weight, go running. If you want to train your heart, run too. Some people see this as a chance to set a personal record and prove to themselves that they can run 10km non-stop. For some, running is a way to relax the brain after mental or nervous stress.
Running to lose weight: how to burn more calories?
Running is one of the most effective and fastest ways to exercise for weight loss. An increased heart rate while running contributes to the consumption of large amounts of oxygen, increasing energy expenditure, which leads to fat burning. For quick and desired results, it is important to get the right load when running, train at the right time and in the right mode.
How to run properly to lose weight
One of the important factors in the influence of running on weight loss is the high consumption of oxygen - the main fat burner. It's not for nothing that running is called aerobic exercise because it's done with available oxygen.
An important prerequisite for training to lose weight is a well-ventilated room or fresh street air and correct breathing while running.
It is important!Correct breathing while running should be accompanied by rapid and sharp inhalation, while exhalation should be gradual and even. You need to breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.
Another important factor in losing weight is your heart rate zone.Heart rate plays a crucial role in weight loss.
- Lower heart rate threshold, at which fat burning is maintained, is 120 beats per minute.
- Upper threshold, which maintains the burning of fat rather than muscle and does not put excessive strain on the heart muscle, is 160 beats per minute.
These are average values. But an individual heart rate zone can be calculated for everyone depending on their age.
We subtract your age from the maximum heart rate of 220 beats per minute. Let's take the age of 30 as an example.
- 220 – 30 = 190 beats per minute – we reach our maximum heart rate.
- We multiply our maximum by 0. 6 to calculate 60% of our own maximum.
190 * 0. 6 = 114 beats per minute – the lower limit of the pulse. We calculate the upper limit of the heart rate, 80% of the maximum.
190*0, 8=152 beats per minute.
Therefore, the permissible heart rate range at age 30 is 114 – 152 beats per minute.
How many calories are burned while running?
On average, in an hour of running you can lose up to 700-800 kcal. The indicators depend on the level of stress, age, weight and physical fitness.
How much should you run to lose weight?
The duration of the training also plays an important role.To achieve your goals, you should not exceed 60 minutes of running.If you exercise for more than an hour, not only will the entire body be overloaded, which, on the contrary, slows down weight loss, but it will also begin to burn muscle fibers.
But alsoExercising for less than 20 minutes makes no sense at all.
To run effectively, it is important to allow yourself less rest without lowering your heart rate, but it is not necessary to run at the same pace. Interval jogging, where you spend more time running and a little less time walking, is also suitable for burning fat.
You can run both outside and on a treadmill at the gym. Special simulators are suitable for adjusting the angle of inclination - to simulate driving uphill. This method is perfect for interval training; Instead of pausing while walking, climb uphill. Increasing the load allows you to burn more calories while putting more strain on your buttocks and thigh muscles.
When is the best time to lose weight?
For each person, the best time for training varies depending on their rhythm of life.
Research has shown that for most people, effective exercise occurs in the afternoon, especially in the evening.
One of the most popular ways to lose weight is running in the morning on an empty stomach. After sleeping, glycogen stores are depleted, so the body uses its own fats for energy. Such training should not last long, 30 minutes is enough, otherwise there is a risk of losing muscle mass in addition to fat.
Two such half-hour training sessions can take place a day - in the morning and in the evening.
3-4 training sessions per week are enough.Rest periods during aerobic training are no less important than during strength training. The body needs time to recover, without this further fat burning is not possible.
It doesn't matter what time of day you exercise. If your body is rested and full of energy after the night, a morning run will bring no less benefits than an evening run. Here it is important to feel your own body.
Running program for weight loss in tables
The training program is designed for multiple levels of difficulty, both for running outdoors and on the treadmill. It may take 2 to 4 weeks to get used to the program. As running becomes easier, move on to an advanced level.
Outdoor running for beginners
time interval
| Run | 2 minutes |
| Quick walk | 2 minutes |
The first training sessions are designed to last 30-40 minutes. Every week you need to increase the duration of the session and the duration of the run.
Outdoor running for everyone who is fit
time interval
| Run | 5 minutes |
| Go | 2 minutes |
Training should beMaximum 40 to 60 minutes.
Training in the gym on a treadmill for beginners
time interval
| Run | 2 minutes |
| Walking on an incline | 2 minutes |
Treadmill running for advanced users
time interval
| Run | 5-10 minutes |
| Walking on an incline | 2-3 minutes |
Don't start running with cold muscles. After training, it is recommended to stretch your muscles.
If necessary, the load can be increased by increasing the speed and reducing the rest time. So you can switch from interval training to continuous jogging for an hour.
Diploma
In fact, running is a quick and easy way to lose weight. An important prerequisite for training is correct breathing, the correct pulse and the correct load-rest ratio. Remember: To lose weight, it's important not just to run. Your calorie consumption must exceed your calorie intake. Accordingly, it is necessary to monitor your diet, not to overeat and limit the intake of simple carbohydrates.