For weight loss: Is it better to run shorter distances fast or longer distances slower?

Answer 1

Longer slower mileage will help you burn fat without getting bulky muscles. Sprints build up muscle mass. (Compare the body builds of Olympic marathoners versus sprinters). Your body doesn't tap into its fat stores until after 30 minutes of sustained activity, and the longer distance will translate into more calories burned.

Answer 2

For strictly weight loss purposes, longer/slower is probably a little better. For athletic purposes, you need some of both. _____ LOL - LV, I've got to go with the alternate view. I can go 2-3 hours per day of sub-AT workouts 6 out of 7 days with no problem. A hard track session (intervals) almost always forces a rest day. At my age (54), more than a couple of interval sessions a week is counterproductive because of the recovery time. You can't convince me that a half hour or so of sprints uses more fuel than my long slow distance when you consider the forced downtime, regardless of any residual metabolic effect. Add to that, its been demonstrated that endurance athletes actually become more efficient at using fat as fuel.... I will agree with you that someone very pressed for time might be better served leaning towards the higher intensity, assuming they're heart healthy, and in good enough shape otherwise to handle it. But that wasn't the question.

Answer 3

Lots of good and bad answers given already.

Slow longer run is better than shorter faster run for weight loss. Like a couple of people mentioned, it takes at least 15-25 minutes before your body converts to fat metabolism. Running fast for 10 minutes will only allow you to burn off the Glucose/sugar reserve in your body - and does nothing to help weight loss. What you want to do is to sustain the activity so you ccan burn off the fat, which is the point of exercise.

Running slower also help build up white muscle fiber, while running fast build red muscle. The same analogy is with weight lifting. The weight lifter who does heavy weight are usually bulky and heavy. People like you and I who do not lift heavy object but do repetitive motions (ie lifting books or notebook computers) don't get as bulky and heavy.

Calory per mile depends on various factors - age, speed, incline, etc. You do burn more calories with faster speed than slower. Next time, try it on treadmill - do a 10 minute of 6 mph vs 15 minutes of 4 mph. You will get more calories burned in the first scenerio, even though you end up doing 1 mile in both cases. However, the problem is that you can not sustain high speed for a long time without training. Rather than quitting in 15 minutes, you should go for at least 30 minutes and possibly an hour non-stop.

It is also important to eat BEFORE running instead of after running. If you eat before you run, you will burn off those calories you just ate. On ther other hand, if you run on empty stomach, your body will starve and then store everything you eat afterward as FAT.

Answer 4

Weight loss depends on the number of calories you burn. It shouldn't make any difference if you run fast for a short distance or slowly for a long distance. You'll probably be able to burn more calories if you run slower, because you won't be so winded and so will be active for a much longer period of time.

Answer 5

You burn the same number of calories for a certain distance whether you walk it or run it. For example, it may take you 10 minutes to run that mile or 15 minutes to walk it. If you burn 100 calories per mile, you'll burn that whether you complete the mile in 10 or 15 minutes. Also, it is good to vary your speed - bring your heartrate higher and lower by incorporating some sprints. This makes your body work a little harder and then work to recover.

Answer 6

Long slow distance - for 2 reasons:

1. The body doesn't begin to burn fat as primary fuel until about 30 minutes of steady aerobic exercise.

2. The longer you exercise, the longer your body will burn calories at an accelerated rate AFTER you have stopped.

Good Luck

Answer 7

The average runner burns approximately 360 calories per mile regardless of how quickly that mile is run. Based on that, longer runs are the best way to burn calories and thus lose weight. If you can't run more than a couple of miles non stop don't let that deter you. Use a run/walk method and you'll still accomplish your goals of weight loss.

Answer 8

in my opinion i think that it would be better if one runs or nearly jogs long distances instead of fast and short distances. jogging long distance's also help you to get down, better for example; you would get down weight if you run a mile slower than running a 50 meter dash real fast

Answer 9

THIS IS CORRECT!!!
Short Sprints build muscle!!! It works your red muscle tissue, you might get a bit bulky
Long distances burn fat and you gain less muscle because it does not show, it trains the white muscle tissue
For weight loss, it is better to do long distances because it burns fat, which contributes a lot to your weight

Answer 10

I agree. Running longer burns more calories. Especially after that filling meal at the Olive Garden. All those bread-sticks and salad. Yummy! Time to burn those calories!