Running involve the expenditure of energy, and the amount of energy that are burned during running depends upon several specific factors. One of the factors that affects the energy burned during running is the weight of the individual’s body. The heavier the individual, the more energy there body must use to move their body forward; thus, an individual that weighs more will burn more calories during running than an individual that weigh less.
Because the individual that burns more calories during running places more stress upon their bodys joints, an individual with a higher body weight may experience more stress upon there joints than an individual with a lower body weight. The second factor that impact the number of calories that are burned during running is the speed at which the individual runs. At slow speeds, the body utilize fat as its fuel source.
What Affects How Many Calories You Burn When Running
At faster speeds, the body relies upon glycogen as its fuel source. Because more calories are burned at higher rates of speed than at lower rates of speed, an individual that increases their running speed will burn more calories during running than an individual that runs at a low intensity. Furthermore, high intensity of running create what is known as the afterburn effect.
The afterburn effect is the period after an individual has finished running when that individual’s metabolism is still elevated. After running, the body must repair the muscles that the individual heavily utilized during running, as well as restore the oxygen level in the body. Because high intensities of running require the body to perform these tasks more often than low intensities, high intensities of running create a more larger afterburn effect than low intensities.
Thus, an individual that runs at high intensities will burn more calories after there running session than an individual that only performs low intensities of running. The third factor that affects the energy expended during running is the type of surface upon which an individual runs. Running on a treadmill, for example, require less energy than running on solid ground.
This is due to the fact that treadmills have belts that move in the same direction as the individuals movement. Additionally, if an individual increases the incline at which they run on a treadmill, the body must utilize more energy to move the individual forward. Thus, inclines increase the number of calories that an individual burns during running.
Additionally, trails are not the same as roads. Roads are made of even substances that require even muscles to move the body forward. Trails, in contrast, are made of dirt and rocks of varying weights and sizes, forcing the muscles that stabilize an individual’s body to work harder.
Thus, an individual burns more energy when running on trails than on roads. Even though an individual may travel fewer miles on a trail than on a road, they will burn more energy during trail running. The fourth factor that should of been considered is the importance of fueling the body during running, especially during long distances.
If an individual perform long distances of running, their body will burn a significant amount of calories. If an individual burns too many calories, the body will enter an event known as hitting the wall. Hitting the wall is when the body runs out of glycogen and cannot continue to perform physical tasks without it.
To prevent hitting the wall during long running sessions, an individual should use energy gel and electrolytes. Energy gels and electrolytes help to maintain an individual’s energy levels during a session of running, avoiding a crash in energy after the individual has begun to run. Finally, the fifth factor to consider is the effect that running in a group has upon an individual’s performance.
Running in a group expose an individual to social accountability. Social accountability requires an individual to attend their running sessions. Additionally, running in a group encourages natural competition between the individuals.
Natural competition among individuals can force each individual to increase their running speed to beat their competitor. If an individual increases their speed, their heart rate will increase. An increase in heart rate increases the amount of energy that an individual burns while running.
Thus, understanding the relationship between an individual’s effort while running and the energy that is burned is essential for understanding how to train effective.
