How many calories do you burn running as a cardio workout?

Geschatte leestijd: 7 minutenBurning Calories with Running? After all, running is one of the most natural forms of cardio. However, or perhaps because of this, there are some considerations when using running as a method for cardio training. Read here all the points to consider, from most common mistakes to buying the right shoes. And of course: how many calories do you burn exactly while running?

Table of Contents

• High Impact on Joints
• Starting Running
• What Do You Want to Achieve with Running?
• Starting Running
• Common Mistakes While Running
• Buying the Right Running Shoe in 8 Steps
• Calorie Burning Running
• Running Tips for Beginners

High Impact on Joints

Every form of cardio puts a certain strain on the joints and burns a certain amount of calories. Both depend on the individual, but compared to other forms of cardio, running offers a relatively high impact on the joints relative to the amount of calories burned. Therefore, a warning in advance: do not run if you are significantly overweight. Your body can’t handle it, and you are at a high risk of getting injured.

For heavy individuals, running is not such a suitable form of cardio. If you are a bit heavier, your body cannot tolerate the impact of running well.

If you want to be sure that you can safely start a running program, visit your doctor first and have them examine and advise you.

Starting Running

To run comfortably, it is important to have the right shoes and clothing. Shoes are the most important because they should allow you to run without putting too much strain on your body. Good shoes absorb the impact that your lower back and knees would otherwise have to endure.

If you run regularly, it is advisable to have your proper running shoes fitted. These are specially designed to cushion the impact and provide the comfort you need. See the tips at the bottom on how to purchase the best running shoes. Your clothing is less important than your shoes.

When it comes to clothing, it is important that you feel comfortable in it and that you can move freely. If you want to run comfortably, it is best to buy real running clothing. This clothing is designed to be worn by runners. The right clothing allows sweat to evaporate easily so you don’t end up with a soaking wet shirt.

Good running clothing also causes less friction while running, which certainly enhances comfort.

If you want to run outside in the evening, make sure you are visible! Wear at least a fluorescent vest over your shirt. This ensures that you are not easily run over. If you want to be sure that you are buying the right clothing and shoes, get advice from a real running store.

What Do You Want to Achieve with Running?

Before you start incorporating running into your training program, decide what you want to achieve with running. This has an impact on the distances, speed, and frequency of your runs. If you want to run races, your training will be very different from when you want to incorporate running into a fitness program for conditioning. Also, running for weight loss works differently.

If you don’t want to lose weight but want to run as a complement to your weight training for better conditioning, then it’s best to run about two to three times a week for half an hour at an easy to moderate pace. If you want to use running to lose weight, then run three to five times a week at an easy pace (if possible with the help of a heart rate monitor) for between half an hour and an hour. Read below about the calorie consumption during running and the factors involved.

Don’t overdo the running! If you want to build muscle mass, don’t run much or at all. Running consumes energy, increasing the chance that your muscles will be used as fuel. In any case, a training that combines cardio and strength will always be a compromise and never offer the best of both.

Starting Running

Where do you want to run? Do you want to run indoors on a treadmill, or do you want to run outside?

The advantage of running outside is that you can do it whenever you want. You don’t have to go to the gym first to do your cardio training; you can just go for a run for half an hour in between. This is generally easy to fit into your daily schedule.

When you first start running:

• Start with brisk walking and do this at least three to four times a week until you can do this for at least 45 minutes.
• Then gradually increase the pace until you start jogging (brisk walking or slow running). Do this for about thirty seconds and then switch back to brisk walking.
• Now gradually increase the time you jog until you can do this for the full 45 minutes.

Remember: this is not a race! It is important that your body warms up and stays warm throughout the entire run. You shouldn’t be completely out of breath; make sure you can still talk to your running partner if you have one.

For fat burning, it is not necessary to run hard at all. As long as you are moving and can

still talk normally, your pace is sufficient.

If you really want to continue running, get advice from real running stores (where you also get your clothing and shoes from). They know how to help you further.

Common Mistakes While Running

The origin and compulsion to exercise often stem from physical frustration. Your pants don’t fit anymore, your belt needs another hole, or you’re outgrowing other clothes. It’s a harsh reality, and you want to make up for it quickly, so: running. Low-threshold, exercisable anywhere, and burning lots of calories. This is all true, but don’t forget that you’re starting from afar. Some common beginner mistakes are:

• Running with the wrong shoes
• Starting too fast
• Not resting enough

Wrong Shoes
One of the most important things when doing long running sessions is your shoes. Your knees and joints absorb all the impact every time your foot lands after taking a step. These impacts need to be cushioned as much as possible, and good footwear is therefore extremely important. If you don’t start running with the right shoes, you can get ankle and knee pain. Get good advice and don’t stubbornly run on random sports shoes. Make a video and see how your feet land and how you might need to be corrected with shoes.

Read on below about how to buy the best running shoes.

Starting Too Fast
Your frustrations can be a good motivator to get off the couch, but realize that this is something new for your body. Do you know how fast you are running? And at what pace and intensity? How is your heart rate doing? And how many kilometers are you going to run? A common phenomenon is that beginners start too fast and quickly get out of breath. They blame themselves for this and admit that they don’t have a good condition or that they are not made for running. If you start carefully and slowly, both in intensity and distance, you will be able to keep it up longer and you will notice that you will get better at running step by step and build up a better condition gradually.

Not Resting Enough
Ok, you’ve completed the first session. Again tomorrow? Maybe not such a smart idea. After all, your body needs rest to recover. Especially when you haven’t done anything for a while and you’ve just started running. Don’t think this is easy because often you’ll notice that the stiffness increases after the first training session, often within 48 hours. So it’s not very smart to go running then, since the body is recovering. Therefore, take at least 48 hours of rest and eat well so you can promote recovery.

Buying the Right Running Shoe in 8 Steps

Buying the right running shoe in 8 steps

• Find the best running store in your area
• Make sure the seller is also a runner; they know what you need
• Wear the socks you wear while running
• Always try both shoes
• Run a bit with the shoes you want to try (on the treadmill in the store). If you can’t do this, find a store where you can!
• Your shoes should fit snugly, but NOT too tight
• If you’re undecided between two or more pairs of shoes, follow the advice of the – running – seller
• If you feel you can’t trust the seller, you’re in the wrong store
• If necessary, find another store and start over.

Calorie Burning Running

You can also burn a lot of calories while running. How many calories you burn depends on how fast you run and also how long you run. In addition, the number of kilograms you have to carry, namely your own body weight, also plays a role.

There are various tables that provide an overview of an estimate of how many calories you burn while running. Note: this is an indication. Factors such as baseline fitness and gender also play a big role in calorie burning while running and are not included in this table.

Running Tips for Beginners

So you’re not going to make the most common mistakes. But how should you start then? Below are some tips. You will also find more articles on

this site about running, including a schedule for beginners. Read these calmly and decide how you are going to start:

• Listen to your body. As mentioned, don’t start too fast and give your body time to recover. When you’re running and feel a sharp pain or an increasing nagging pain, stop running. This is not strange in itself, since your body needs to get used to the new intensity, but if the pain persists for more than 2 days, you should have it checked by a physiotherapist.
• Build up slowly. This has also been mentioned earlier, but the joints and muscles need to adapt to the impact running brings. Incidentally, your condition will improve very quickly, and you will also notice this in other daily activities such as climbing stairs.
• Buy good running shoes. Again, we’re not telling you anything new. It can’t be emphasized enough how important running shoes are. These absorb the impact and provide good cushioning. Make sure you always buy the shoes slightly larger since your feet expand during running.
• Train your abdominal muscles. The abdominal and lower back muscles keep the body straight during running. This is important because it also determines much of your technique.
• Eat 2 hours in advance. Never go running on a full stomach. But not on an empty stomach either. Your body needs energy to finish the workout. Therefore, eat 2 hours in advance and then go running. Try to eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein after the workout to help your body recover.