Does Running Burn Fat? The Science Behind This Cardio Myth

When you’re searching for a cardio exercise to complement all of that muscle-sculpting you’ve been doing in the gym, it’s tough to beat running. Whether you do your runs inside on a treadmill or out on the track, putting your legs in motion can enhance muscle endurance, boost cardiovascular health, and even improve brain function. (1)

That’s all reason enough to run — but you may also want to get in some laps because people often connect it to weight loss. But does running burn fat better than other methods? it’s critical not to over-rely on any one approach to trying to lose weight. Here’s how weight loss works and how a balanced, sustainable approach can suit your goals most safely.

Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.

How Running Can Aid Weight Loss

Aerobic training like running requires you to use energy, which means you’ll be burning calories. Calories — which are perhaps the most talked about part of many weight loss goals — are simply units of energy (like a degree Fahrenheit is a unit of measuring temperature). 

Since running uses energy, and therefore burns calories, any run that you go on — a low-intensity steady state (LISS) jog or a high-intensity sprinting session — can potentially aid weight loss goals. 

[Read More: The 7 Best Treadmills for Running]

But there’s a bigger context here. Are you sleeping enough to recover between your training bouts? Are you eating enough to fuel your runs while balancing your caloric intake with your desire to lose weight? All these factors need to come together for a goal of weight loss to take shape. (2)

That said, running can provide a piece of the weight loss puzzle if it’s a method of fitness that you enjoy and are likely to be consistent with. 

How Fat Loss Works

Although fat loss is often thought of as a straightforward process, myriad factors influence it. In the overall scheme of things, it’s more than just “calories in, calories out.”

If you use a lot of energy — i.e., burn a lot of calories — during your run, the logic goes, that’s more “calories out.” And that’s true to a degree. You do stand to lose weight if your body is using more energy than you’re giving it, or when you’re in what’s called a “calorie deficit.” (3)(4)

You can use BarBend’s calorie calculator to help you figure out a starting point for your caloric intake requirements. Remember that you’ll need to eat enough to fuel your activities, too — you can account for this in the calculator.

[Read More: Best Macros Calculator for Tracking Muscle Gain and Fat Loss]

But sustainable, safe weight loss is a lot more nuanced than just numbers — especially for athletes who can’t or don’t want to count calories. Running to increase “calories out” just won’t cut it. You need to make more holistic choices regarding everything from activity levels and nutrition to lifestyle factors (think: sleep and stress). (2)

And lest you’re tempted to go on endless runs — or have tons of sprint sessions — to try and shed weight quickly, studies have shown that only losing half to one percent of body weight per week will help you lose fat while retaining muscle mass. (5)(6) 

[Read More: How to Gain Muscle — A Guide to Eating for Mass]

Trying to lose weight quickly by being extremely rigid with diet and exercise can result in gaining the weight back and often stimulates dangerous weight cycling compared with more flexible eating habits. (7)(8) 

The takeaway here is that sustainable fat loss is a slow game. Keep that in mind when you’re programming your runs.

How to Schedule Running and Lifting 

If your foremost objective is to lose fat while still building muscle mass, the good news is that there are ways to schedule a running workout amidst your strength training efforts. There are physical advantages to performing both types of workouts, and reciprocal benefits to completing both types of exercise. (1) This means you don’t need to choose one over the other.

However, if you want to minimize the potential of one form of training to interfere with your ability to maximize performance in the other, you should schedule running and lifting on separate days. Research suggests separating resistance training from cardio by no less than three to six hours — and sometimes, more than 24 hours — to yield the best performance outcomes from both modalities. (9)(10) 

[Read More: The 8 Best Budget Treadmills]

But if your schedule calls for you to combine strength and endurance training in one session, you’ll have to make a call about your priorities. If you mainly want to get stronger and build muscle with a side goal of aerobic performance, schedule your run after your lifting session. (11)(12) 

On the other hand, if you mostly want to get better at running, run before strength training. (13) 

However you order your sessions, don’t neglect strength training if your goal is to drive weight loss. Not only will lifting weights help you become more resilient against injury by nature of strengthening your legs, but you also use a tremendous amount of energy — i.e., burn a lot of calories — during strength training. (14)(15)(16) 

How Much Should You Run for Weight Loss?

Keep in mind your overall volume, too. When you make running a part of that plan, make sure you’re keeping your training volume manageable and something you can both recover from and easily fuel nutritionally. 

What volume is manageable for you might be very different from your training buddy. Experienced runners may be able to warm up with a 5k that’s faster than your personal best. Your longest run ever might top out at a 5k. That’s OK — determine your running volume based on your own experience level. It’ll change over time with practice.

[Read More: What You Need to Know About Muscle Recovery]

Packing in more miles in a short period with the aim of weight loss likely won’t be sustainable — and can have the opposite effect — if your goal is losing weight. (7)(8)(5)(6) So judge your mileage based on capacity and fitness level, rather than simply trying to drive temporary and potentially dangerous weight loss.

Run the way you like best for the most sustainable results. That might mean packing in a lot of miles because you enjoy it. Or, it might mean a series of short sprints that never let you get bored. Either way, a more sustainable plan is more effective for your body and your mind.

Diet Matters

Although your efforts to burn calories through running may certainly serve you, the classic adage that “abs are made in the kitchen” still rings true. This means if you want to see consistent reductions in your body fat percentage, you’ll pay attention to the calories you consume on the front end — not just the calories you burn on the back end.

Opt to maintain a ratio of macronutrients — that is, protein, fats, and carbs — that can sufficiently fuel your running. (Remember, you need carbs to help you generate all that energy.) Focus on getting a wide array of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), too. 

[Read More: 9 Types of Diets — How They Work and Pros & Cons]

With flexible nutrition habits that pay attention to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, you can lose weight more healthily and sustainably than with rigid dietary habits. (7)(8) 

Weight Loss Tips

Despite the emphasis that tends to get placed on exercise, weight loss and fat burning aren’t exclusively the result of exercise — no matter how high-intensity your workouts might be. Certainly, what you do between your warm-up and cool-down sessions can factor into your fat-burning formula, but weight loss is far more nuanced than going on a series of endless runs.

Everything Helps

No matter the intensity level, you’re going to be using energy to move. As long as you bring your heart rate up to a comfortable aerobic level, you can consistently burn fat even if you’re training at a lower intensity than you’re capable of. (17) This also makes it possible for total beginners to burn fat with a reduced risk of injury or burnout.

Longer Runs Aren’t Necessarily Better

While there’s certainly nothing wrong with long-distance runs, shorter running sessions can still help you burn calories and shed body fat. Even if your running plan consists of quick high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions where every one-minute run is offset by a minute of rest, that’s fine. Research suggests that quick HIIT sessions and longer moderate-intensity exercise can burn similar amounts of calories, as well as develop great cardio health. (18)

Don’t Give Up Your Weight Training

While cardio is often associated with “weight loss” while strength training is associated with “getting big,” the truth is that strength training also requires a tremendous amount of energy (i.e., burns a lot of calories). (14)(15)(16) 

Even at a low intensity, strength training burns between three and 10 calories a minute, research suggests. (14) At higher intensities — for example, working above 80 percent of your one-rep max — you can easily double those figures. (14)

[Read More: The Big Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy]

Training with about 75 percent of your one-rep max can burn just under nine calories per minute, another study suggests. It seems that the harder you work in the weight room, the more calories you need to recruit to give you the energy to get those reps completed. (16)

Make Yourself Comfortable

One of the easiest ways to ensure that you continue with an exercise plan is to make it as easy as possible to replicate. Easy does not mean ineffective — it means sustainable. Here’s what we mean:

• Select the right pair of running shoes. Leave them by your door the night before a run, along with your favorite pair of socks.
• Similarly, set out your running clothes before you have to get ready for your run. That might mean setting them near your shoes for the morning, or packing them and changing clothes for your run before leaving the office.
• Consider investing in a treadmill at home if you’re not comfortable joining a commercial gym. That privacy and convenience can make a world of difference with keeping your routine consistent.

The easier your routine, the more likely you are to stick with it. And that consistency is key for any training program and any fitness goal.

Your Takeaways

So does running burn fat? It certainly can. Here are your biggest takeaways for the day:

• Running requires energy, which means it burns calories. That’s an important part of the weight loss equation.
• Choose a mode of running that you enjoy, because you’re more likely to stick with something you like.
• Losing weight slowly, with flexible nutrition habits, is a more effective and safer way to lose weight than rigid restrictive diets that put you in the mentality of “earning” any food you eat.
• Program runs that you enjoy, and don’t neglect your strength training. Supplementing running with strength training (or vice versa) is a very effective way to build an overall program and promote sustainably weight loss.
• LISS cardio and HIIT workouts can burn similar amounts of calories, so you’re best off choosing the modality you enjoy and that fits in with your overall program and goals.
• Set yourself up for success by making it as easy as possible to get out the door for your runs. Strategies like setting out your running shoes and clothes the night before a run are favored for a reason.

FAQs

If you’re still wondering if it’s possible to burn fat while running, we provide answers to some of your most likely questions below.

References

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