The health benefits of run are well known: improves heart health, boosts immunity, helps with weight loss, and the list goes on. While there’s no denying that running is good for you, there’s a popular question among running enthusiasts that leaves room for debate: When it comes to losing weight, are you running at a treadmill Or is running outside more effective?
We asked a few coaches to share their ideas.
Pros and cons of running indoors and outdoors
First of all, it is important to compare the advantages and disadvantages of running on a treadmill and running outdoors in general. John Gardnera NASM-certified personal trainer and the CEO and co-founder of Kickoff, breaks it down:
running outdoors
Advantage:
- It offers a change of scenery that makes it more exciting.
- Fresh air makes it more pleasant and refreshing as well as exciting to go for a run.
- Changing terrain and pathways can cause your heart to race, making it more effective for weight loss.
- Completely free and can be done at any time of the day.
Cons:
- Weather conditions can affect its consistency.
- Difficult to plan intensity and incline.
Related: 10 Really Fun Outdoor Activities To Get You Up And Moving — And Boost Your Mental Health Too
running on treadmill
Advantage:
- Ability to follow strict training that is tailored to your exact needs.
- Ability to control incline and speed to ensure a specific number of calories are burned.
- It can be done in front of the TV or in the gym, so it’s not affected by weather conditions and it’s easy to stay consistent.
- You can use interval training to help get your heart rate up and get the most out of your workout to achieve weight loss faster.
Cons:
- Being indoors and running on location can make a workout seem very long and boring, which could have a huge impact on a person’s consistency.
- More expensive than running outdoors.
matt claes, founder of Weight Loss Made Practical, also weighs in, saying that the first benefit of running on a treadmill is that you can do it indoors, at home, or at the gym. “This makes you less dependent on the weather for your workouts,” he says. “Even if there’s a storm outside, you can do your training as usual.”
On the other hand, running outside gets you a little more sunlight too, which offers a variety of benefits, like getting more vitamin Dimproving sleep, mood and more.
Outdoor running also often involves uneven surfaces. One downside is that this carries a higher risk of injury, but the upside is that it works a variety of stabilizer muscles to a greater extent. “Having stronger stabilizer muscles around your ankles, knees, and core, in turn, reduces your risk of injury in your daily activities,” says Claes.
Another potential drawback to running outdoors? It becomes easier to skip your workouts when the weather isn’t good.
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Outdoor Running vs. Treadmill Running for Weight Loss
The effectiveness of these different workouts depends on the running training you have.
If you’re running at the same pace and aren’t adding challenges to your treadmill workout, running outside will help you burn calories. There’s a climatic factor to consider, as your body burns more calories in the heat as a result of sweating, and it also burns more calories in the winter to keep your body warm, Gardner says.
However, the treadmill offers an excellent advantage and a faster way to lose weight, since it allows you to control what you do to achieve the results you are looking for.
This can be done through interval training to get your heart rate up and maximize fat burning, as well as increasing speed and incline to add more resistance and cardio to burn more calories.
“The effectiveness of each type of running to lose weight depends a lot on the speed you implement,” says Claes. “If you were to do both at the same speed, running outdoors would generally be slightly better for weight loss due to the positive side effects of sunlight and the more challenging surface. However, you definitely may have to slow down a bit outside to avoid injury.”
Another thing to keep in mind when running for weight loss is consistency. If you really don’t like running in the rain, cold weather, or hot weather, chances are you’re skipping a fair amount of outdoor workouts.
On the other hand, these factors won’t stop you when running on a treadmill somewhere indoors.
Since consistency is so important in a weight-loss plan, it’s arguable that running on a treadmill works best in this area, adds Claes. So it really depends on your personal preferences, how much sunlight you get for the rest of the day, and how fast you do each version.
How long do you need to run to lose weight?
It’s important to keep in mind that weight loss depends on factors like your age, gender, pace, body weight, resistance, and the exercise routine you’re doing, adds Gardner. However, as a general guideline, running at least 45 minutes three to five times a week is recommended for weight loss.
Claes shares that the amount of running someone might have to do to lose weight can vary significantly from a very short period of time “to basically not being able to make up for their habits in other lifestyle habits.”
To lose weight, you must do it in a way that your movements require more energy than that which comes from food. In a situation like this, your body starts to get its energy from stores like body fat.
Running can help with this by making you move harder and, in turn, use up more energy, explains Claes.
For example, a 155-pound person can burn about 330 calories (equivalent to about 0.1 pound of body fat) when running at 5.2 miles per hour for 30 minutes. However, to ensure that this amount of calories comes from body fat, this person must have good habits in other lifestyle habits, such as their diet.
An exercise beginner can start with something like three 20-minute running sessions a week, wait for the results, and then decide whether to implement more runs or run faster, or take a look at other areas of the lifestyle, such as eating habits.
Next: Here’s How Much Cardio You Really Need To Do Each Week To Lose Weight
Sources
- John GardnerNASM Certified Personal Trainer and CEO and Co-Founder of Kickoff
- matt claesfounder of Weight Loss Made Practical
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