Efficiency in Reducing Body Weight through Running
Mateusz Pawlak
2026-03-22
5 min. read
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On our website, we frequently discuss the efficiency of short-term and intermittent running in the context of weight reduction. However, why do thousands of people still opt for long-distance running, the more demanding and longer route to success? Here is an analysis and answer to the question of which type of running is relevant in terms of calorie burning.
Why do people really choose long-distance running?
First, they are attracted to their low intensity of effort. Second, if we run for 40 minutes a day and burn 400 calories in that time, then the body starts to lose weight after a few hours of training. But this effect is not due to fat burning, but rather a large loss of water in the body. With water, we don't lose fat, and 24 hours after training, our body returns to its original proportions. People often don't realize this and continue to run longer and longer. If we run for 40 minutes every day and burn 400 calories, then the body begins to adapt after a few training sessions, resulting in a decrease in calorie burning. When we see a lack of results, we extend the duration of exercise to 50 minutes and beyond. However, the body quickly adapts to this type of activity and loses less and less water. It's also worth noting that if we burn 400 calories during training, why is this loss only noticeable after some time? This is because the body has the greatest potential for calorie burning after training - during the time when we cook, walk, sleep, etc. The key to fast and effective weight loss lies in the ability to force mitochondria to work harder, which is best done in two situations: when we stimulate muscles for growth in parallel with fat loss and when we follow a low-calorie diet. It's also worth mentioning that long-distance running causes muscle breakdown, which is a result of depleted glycogen reserves in the muscles. When muscles are catabolized, our mitochondria, which are responsible for fat burning, also break down.
Synthesizing aspect of short distance runs
Certain types of workouts have synthesizing properties (damaging numerous cells, forcing the body to rebuild them in excess). However, the synthesis process does not start immediately, but long after exercise - just when walking or sleeping. This increases the number of calories burned, which in 24 hours after exercise we can burn up to 1500 (plus about 500 calories from training). However, long running alone never forces our mitochondria to burn fat in the same way as sprinter training, strength training or plyometric training. If we love running and want to lose weight, we must diversify our running! It cannot be just long running. We should include fartlek, sprints or hill intervals in our training and appropriately choose the method of their execution (the best method is interval). At a more advanced level, we should also include strength training and plyometrics in our training. Only then we will achieve quick success in weight loss.
The initial stride towards weight reduction
Many of you prefer longer runs. It's like accessing a different dimension, a place where for a long time we can enjoy full autonomy and at the same time get a lot of benefits from it. However, when we're looking for solutions to weight loss, we should opt for a varied and systematic run. Here's an example of how to set up a weekly weight-loss training schedule. Here's the schedule: - Monday: 30-minute easy run, combined with movement exercises and dynamic stretching; - Tuesday: 4 × 8 minutes Fartlek (running in varied terrain, both uphill and straight sections); - Wednesday: day off; - Thursday: 15 × 60 meter sprint interval with 2-minute break. Warm-up and stretching beforehand; - Friday: 12 × 20 meter hill runs (break: 2.5-3 minutes); - Saturday or Sunday: 4 × 10 minute long-time interval with 30-second sprint. The training consists in running slowly for 10 minutes and after that time starting a 30-second sprint. After that, we rest for 5 minutes and carry out another round.
Does it genuinely matter what fraction of success is comprised of exercise and what fraction is composed of diet?
There is no definitive answer to this question, but it is beyond doubt that in order to reduce body weight, in certain cases, it suffices to merely restrict one's diet. Exercise buttresses this process, and in the phase when we lose fat, it enables the building of muscular mass. If we plan to commence a sporting career from tomorrow and engage in at least an hour-long training session daily, losing unnecessary kilograms is feasible even without a diet. However, most individuals lack sufficient time for regular exercise and must rely on a diet combined with periodic workouts.
