Running is a very popular exercise, especially among those who are trying to lose weight. Running can burn a lot of calories, but it does not mean that it’s the best option for weight loss. It may be just another way to get fit and healthy, but it isn’t necessarily the best way to lose weight.

Running vs Workout For Weight Loss

The first thing you need to understand when comparing running and workouts for weight loss is that they are two different types of exercise. Running is more of an endurance exercise that helps you build up stamina and strength over time. Workouts on the other hand are designed to help you burn more calories in less time than running does.

These two types of exercises have different goals; running focuses on building endurance while workouts focus on burning calories quickly. It makes sense then that there will be some differences in how much energy each burns during exercise and how long it takes your body to recover after a workout or run session.

So which one should you choose? The answer depends on what you want out of your exercise routine and what type of body shape or size you’re hoping to achieve with your workout program. If you’re looking for something that will help

Running Vs Workout For Weight Loss

A Full Body Weight Workout Vs. Running for Fat Loss

When planning a fat loss routine, most people realize the importance of cardiovascular training, and often include running as a staple exercise. Running can certainly help to boost fat loss, but weight training, specifically full-body workouts can be just as beneficial too. Both full-body workouts and running should be included as part of your training plan if you want maximum results.

Calories Burned

Calories are the main factor in your fat loss results. To lose fat you must burn more calories than you consume. According to Harvard Medical School, 30 minutes of vigorous weightlifting burns between 180 and 266 calories depending on your weight. In comparison, 30 minutes of running at five miles per hour burns between 240 and 355 calories, while running at seven and a half miles an hour burns from 375 to 555 calories.

Metabolism

While you may burn more calories running for half an hour than lifting weights, weight training has a bigger impact on your metabolism. Your metabolic rate is the speed at which your body burns calories, and the higher it is, the quicker you lose fat. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength training revs your metabolism and increases weight loss. Dr. Len Kravitz of the University of New Mexico notes that high-intensity weight training places more stress on your muscles and nervous system, and takes more energy to recover from than steady state cardio work, leading to an increase in metabolic rate.

Muscles Worked

When it comes to burning fat, the more muscles you can work at once, and the harder you train them, the quicker your results. Running is a primarily lower body activity, and doesn’t result in much muscle growth or strength increases. Weight training, however, targets all your muscle groups. A full-body workout is superior to a bodybuilding-type split that focuses on individual muscle groups, says Chad Waterbury, author of “Huge in a Hurry,” as the metabolism boost is far higher.

Structure

Use both full-body workouts and running to get the best results. Train with weights twice per week. Waterbury advises choosing multi-joint free-weight exercises such as chinups, dips and deadlifts, each performed for 10 reps, resting only 15 seconds between exercises. Add in two runs per week as well. One of these should be a longer duration steady state run of around 30 to 45 minutes, and the other an interval run, where you alternate short bursts of high-speed running with longer periods of moderate intensity jogging.

How to Get a Beach Body in 3 Months

Everyone is after the latest quick fix to get them in top condition for that upcoming summer beach holiday. While you won’t make any drastic progress if you’ve left it until the last minute, three months is ample time to make a difference to your physique. With some diligent work, in that time you can go from overweight and average to trim and toned.

Step 1

Cut your calorie intake. Losing fat and getting lean is all about creating a calorie deficit — consuming fewer calories than you burn. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that active men consume 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day to maintain weight and active women consume 2,000 to 2,400. To lose fat, you will need to go slightly below this. Reduce your calories by 500 to 1,000 calories per day to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, advises MayoClinic.com. In three months, this should give you a noticeable weight loss.

Step 2

Add weight training to your routine. Perform a full-body training session three times per week on non-consecutive days for the first month and a half. Full-body workouts use more muscle groups and burn more calories than body-part splits, making them superior for fat loss, says strength coach Marc Perry of Built Lean. Perform five to six exercises per session, covering your whole body, such as squats, leg curls, chinups or pulldowns, shoulder presses and bench presses or pushups.

Step 3

Switch to an upper-body, lower-body split in the second half of your three months. This involves working your upper body on Monday and Thursday and lower body on Tuesday and Friday. By adding a fourth session each week, you’re increasing the frequency of muscle stimulation, calorie burn and metabolism boost, but still allowing for ample recovery.

Step 4

Increase your training intensity. The weights you lift should be challenging. The notion that high repetition sets with lighter weights is better for fat burning is false. Perform all your exercises for three to four sets of eight to 12 reps using a weight that’s challenging, but that you can lift with perfect form. Keep your rest periods to no longer than 60 seconds to increase calorie burn. Aim to progress consistently every week during your three-month plan.

Step 5

Perform cardio three days per week. Cardio aids with burning calories and shedding fat. In weeks one to six, perform two steady-state sessions and one interval session. Your steady state session could be 30 minutes at a moderate pace on the bike, treadmill or rower. For your interval sessions, pick a gym machine, warm up for five minutes, then work at maximum intensity for 30 seconds. Go at a leisurely pace for 90 seconds and repeat 10 times. From week seven, switch to two interval sessions and one steady state session.

1 Good Exercise to Lose Upper Body Fat

Losing fat in one area on your body — like arm flab, back fat or a double-chin — requires the same process no matter its location. To lose fat anywhere, you have to lose fat all over by burning more calories than you consume. The idea that you can reduce fat in one isolated spot is a myth, which makes the highest calorie burners the best workouts for weight loss. Sprinting is an effective exercise to lose upper body fat because it burns more calories than other cardio exercises and releases tons of fat-burning hormones to help you burn more body fat.

Sprinting Workouts

The best way to do a fat-burning workout with running and sprinting is high-intensity interval training. Typical interval training involves going at a normal steady-state running pace for a few minutes, then doing a 30- to 90-second intensity burst by sprinting at 80 to 100 percent of your maximal intensity. Repeat at least three times for a complete workout. An interval workout that burns even more fat is Tabata. Sprint for 20 seconds, then jog at a light recovery pace for 10 seconds. Repeat for a total of eight sets. According to “Shape” magazine, this 4-minute interval workout burns off more body fat than an hour of steady-paced aerobic exercise.

Blast Calories

Running at a 9-minute mile pace burns about 410 calories for a 155-pound person. According to Harvard University, running burns more calories than doing other high calorie-burning cardio exercises, like swimming, tennis, cycling and the elliptical machine. The higher your intensity, the more calories you burn. That means high-intensity interval training burns more than steady-paced running. When you do high intensity intervals, you release more muscle-growth hormones than at a moderate intensity, which increases your metabolism and burns more calories for up to 24 hours after your workout.

Burn Fat

Steady-state running actually encourages muscle loss, while high-intensity interval training builds and preserves muscle so that you’re losing fat — not muscle. Sprinting works all the muscles in your body, but builds up your hamstrings and glutes the most, which are two of your body’s largest muscles. Working larger muscles burn more fat, and activating your fast-twitch muscle fibers for explosive power burns more fat, too. Exerting your muscles at such a high intensity during a sprinting workout also means you burn more fat for energy to repair your muscles for a day or more after your workout.

Tips for Success

It’s a good idea to do upper body strength-training exercises to build defined muscles that will enhance your physique as you shed the fat covering the muscles. For example, do lat pull-downs for your back, overhead triceps extensions and bicep curls for your arms, and dumbbell chest flyes for your pectorals. Do strength-training at least twice a week, but give yourself at least 48 hours to recover between strength training sessions. Do sprinting workouts or mix them with other cardio workouts for a total of at least 2.5 hours per week, spread throughout your week.

Good Routine for a Beginner for Toning and Cutting

Toning and cutting refer to losing body fat and gaining muscle definition and are both common goals for people starting out at the gym. Your training routine plays a huge role in how you as a beginner change your body. While there is no single best approach to a toning and cutting routine, several aspects are worth considering when you construct your plan.

Weight Training

Training with weights not only burns calories, it also boosts your metabolism and helps to build and preserve muscle mass, giving you a defined look. The idea that to tone you need light weights for high repetitions is a common misconception. Light training is not superior to heavy training for toning — your results are far more to do with the intensity you work at. Stick to sets of eight to 12 reps, using a weight that’s tough but manageable.

Training Schedule

Full-body weight workouts, where you train each major muscle group — your chest, back, legs, shoulders and arms — in every session work best for fat loss, as overall calorie burn is higher, claims exercise physiologist and trainer Chad Waterbury. Perform three total-body weight sessions per week, with at least one day of rest between each one. Perform one multijoint exercise for each muscle group, such as bench presses, deadlifts, squats, overhead presses, chinups and dips. On another three days of the week, perform cardiovascular work.

Cardio

Cardio helps with burning calories, shedding body fat and increasing fitness. The two types of cardio are interval training, which involves short bursts of high-intensity exercise interspersed with periods of rest, and steady-state training, where you work at a moderate intensity for a sustained period. Interval training is superior for fat loss and muscle preservation, claims sports nutritionist Dr Layne Norton in an interview with SimplyShredded.com; however, it is highly demanding, especially for beginners, so you need to alternate it with steady-state work. Switch between interval sessions consisting of 30 seconds of maximum effort followed by 90 seconds at a moderate pace repeated eight to 12 times, and moderate-intensity sessions of cardio lasting 30 to 45 minutes. Use any piece of cardio equipment in the gym, or choose an outdoor cardio activity such as running or swimming.

Considerations

Your diet is just as important as your training routine when toning and cutting. Reduce your calorie intake slightly and aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week at a weekly weigh-in. When starting out in the gym, ask a qualified trainer to take you through the correct form on your weights exercises and start gradually in both your resistance training and cardio sessions before you attempt to increase the intensity. Consult your health care provider before starting any training plan.