Shred Fat by Running Less
Running Religiously to Lose Weight?
Have you ever wondered why that friend who took up running religiously to lose weight does not look very much lighter from when he or she started?
The first is to understand that most people operate under the assumption that the more they run the more weight they’ll lose. This is true only to a point. Humans are incredibly effective and efficient when it comes to the exercise running and burning calories. Typically you burn about 8.5 calories a minute when moving at a reasonable pace. Here is where the calorie burn problem starts, the more Km you log, the more efficient your body becomes at running and the fewer calories it burns.
Your Body Becomes Efficient at Running
Expect to drop some pounds in the beginning, but your progress will flat-line as soon as your body adjusts to your exercise regimen. In addition, running long distances regularly takes a physical toll (with injuries, like runner’s knee) and can seriously dampen your enthusiasm. All that pain and boredom can cause many people to burn out and give up.
The key is learning how to make your runs more efficient at burning fat is by running with more intensity. This makes your body stronger and you can get more benefits in less time. Depending on the programs offered, it is best to run three to five days a week but rarely for more than 20 minutes a pop. That’s not so bad, right?
Include Some Sort Bursts of Speed
Try to include some sort bursts of speed called high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT is intense exercise with recovery in between. The secret is when you run at a comfortable pace your body get energy easily from the oxygen you breath. From switching to higher gear, your muscles start working harder to process that 02, demanding extra energy from adenosine-triphosphate and phosphocreatine, chemicals that are found in your body to finish the job.
Magic Calorie Shred Bullet
Using quick killer bursts may be the closest thing you will find to that magic calorie shred bullet. You can look forward to less sweat and a kinder toll on your body. You will burn calories at a increased rate during recovery periods. You continue to burn in ‘Over Time’ with your metabolism.
According to a study at ACSM authored by Craig Broeder, Ph.d., people who ran hard for 2 minutes followed by 3 minutes of low intensity torched more calories in 24 hours. Following their sweat sessions those who did slow steady mileage also lost 4% body fat in weeks following, while others who continued in the traditional pace lost nothing.
Keep Your Body Guessing
To keep your body guessing, devote one day a week with a 5% incline to create a calorie crushing regimen. It’s a good idea to mix and match with different varieties of short, medium and long HIIT. Warm up and cool down with 5-10min of slow jogging or fast walking. The most effective shredding results is to switch up your work out – don’t just stick with the interval routine that feels the easiest.
Short Bursts
Start running with a flat track or treadmill and speed up to a hard but sustainable effort and expect to really blow like a train, keeping the pace for about 15 seconds. Switch back to a walk or jog to recover for 60 seconds. Repeat 6 times. New runners can build up to 10 intervals over 8 weeks and experienced runners can build up to 12.
Medium Bursts
Start running with a flat track or treadmill and speed-up to a hard, but sustainable effort, for 30 seconds. Switch back to a jog or walk for 60 seconds and repeat 4 times. New runners can build up to 10 times over 8 weeks and experienced runners can build up to 12.
Long Bursts
Start running with a hill or treadmill on incline and speed-up to a hard, but sustainable effort, for .5 km. Switch back to a jog or walk for 2 minutes and repeat 4 times building up to 8. Experienced runners can increase the distance to 1 km.
Burn 50% More Calories
Keep in mind that running a gentle hill minimum 5% incline recruits more muscles and will burn 50% more calories than running flat for the same amount of time.