How to burn fat while running

Running is a fat-burning exercise, and the intensity of the exercise affects how much you burn during the exercise itself. Exercise is categorized into two levels of intensity: aerobic versus anaerobic.

1. Aerobic: Low intensity exercise where normal breathing is sufficient. The body can keep working for longer because the heart rate is not higher than 65%. The body uses oxygen and fat to fuel activity.⁽¹⁾
   Examples: walking, jogging, hiking
2. Anaerobic: High-intensity exercise where oxygen and fat are not enough fuel. Therefore, carbohydrates and acids (such as lactic and amino acids) are used by the body.⁽²⁾
   Examples: dumbbell running, interval running, and hill running

Slow, low-intensity running uses more fat for fuel but takes longer to burn more calories overall. This is why it is recommended to run for more than 30 minutes when running at a low intensity.

High-intensity training pushes your heart rate up until we reach the anaerobic zone. During high-intensity running, fat is burned less because our bodies are tapping into our carbohydrate reserves.

However, due to intense exercise, the total calorie consumption is higher. We burn more calories because of the hard work of the muscles – even after running. The body needs more energy to recover, thus burning more calories. This is how you benefit from it Burning fat after exercise and the effect of post-burn (EPOC, excess oxygen consumption after exercise). You can benefit from losing body fat even after the training Your body continues to burn fat for two to three hours after you finish running.

A study comparing high-intensity training (HIIT) versus moderate-intensity continuous training (MOD) concluded that both HIIT and MOD burn fat. But, HIIT produced a 28.5% increase in total absolute fat mass compared to MOD.⁽³⁾

One reason for increased fat loss due to high-intensity running is that anaerobic exercise usually builds more muscle. Muscle is generally more efficient at burning calories.

The body uses both fat and carbohydrate reserves as fuel during all kinds of activities. However, the percentage of energy coming from fat can be higher or lower depending on the type of activity.

In general, the more fat is burned:

• During low intensity physical activities (Like jogging).
• during longer activities. The more activity, the greater the percentage of fat burning (such as hiking).
• If you are in better shape overall. The more fit you are, the better you can use fat as fuel.

So: If you are in a very fit state, jogging probably won’t burn as much fat in your body. But if you are new to running or exercising, you will burn fat by jogging.

Fat burning refers to the ability of our bodies to oxidize or burn fats. When we “burn fat,” we use it as fuel instead of carbohydrates. This is an aerobic process: fats are broken down with the help of oxygen. In general, more fat is burned during aerobic activities such as Nordic walking, running or cycling.

Many readers ask the following questions:

• Does running reduce belly fat?
• Does running reduce thigh fat?
• Can I try running to lose stomach fat?
• Does jogging burn belly fat?

In general, the answer is no: it is impossible to treat fat deposits in the body with exercise. The location of fat loss depends on your runner’s genes, gender, and diet. Running burns belly fat– If this is where your body chooses. Everyone has a genetic predisposition to retain fat in certain areas, even if they exercise and eat well. You may never lose fat in one area of ​​your body. Good! It exists for a reason.

Focus on the other benefits of running for fat loss:

no. If you don’t like running, don’t do it! You can burn fat through other types of exercise, such as strength training and yoga (both available at adidas training app).

But you can also ask yourself, “Why do I want to lose fat? “ Make sure to embark on your fat loss journey with awareness and love. Here are two blog posts that can help: