walking / running on spot compared to outdoors

[Jeroniymo]

Hi

i have a query... with the nights closing in I have taken to walking / running on the spot at home to meet my step count.

my query was if this burns less calories than walking / running outside.  It certainly can get my heart rate up if i go fast enough.

I do not intend to change my attitude as exercise is exercise as far as I am concerned, but was intrigued.

cheers

[wannabelf]

I Have noticed a difference when I get my tally in by stepping in place or around the house if I need to do that for over a week. I do gain a little doing everything else the same,even if I feel like I "push" it for exercise. Not so with an elliptical machine;the same "steps" give me the burn I need with the same eating habits and stats on my charts. Stepping in place daily for awhile I found out this last year I need to go into a weight-loss deficit (via my charts) just to maintain. It doesn't seem logical,since the workout feels the same but I've noticed this all summer so that's the way it is,for Me.

[Jeroniymo]

i am sure it does burn less calories, but i just cannot work out why.  i lift my knees / legs higher when walking / jogging on the spot..... the way i look at it is that all exercise is good and given the choice of that or less steps outside i will go for that every time.

I'm not tracking weight at the moment, but will start when i return to work next week.  I have issues with food and depression and suffer from SAD so need to be careful.

[shipo]

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@Jeroniymo wrote:

i am sure it does burn less calories, but i just cannot work out why.  i lift my knees / legs higher when walking / jogging on the spot..... the way i look at it is that all exercise is good and given the choice of that or less steps outside i will go for that every time.

I'm not tracking weight at the moment, but will start when i return to work next week.  I have issues with food and depression and suffer from SAD so need to be careful.

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Working out in place burns fewer calories simply because in addition to the leg and arm motion causing the up and down motion, when you're walking or running you are also propelling yourself foward; it is the forward movement which adds a significant extra effort which in turn causes a higher calorie burn.

[Jeroniymo]

That seems valid enough .... The transformation of chemical into kinetic energy in the forward direction seems like it would make a difference, I just wonder how much ....

[shipo]

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@Jeroniymo wrote:

That seems valid enough .... The transformation of chemical into kinetic energy in the forward direction seems like it would make a difference, I just wonder how much ....

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It depends upon how fast you're moving; run at a 15:00 per mile pace and the difference might be only 10% greater than in place (a total SWAG), however, if you're running along at say an 8:30 pace and I would guess two or three times the number of calories burned compared to steps taken in place (another SWAG).

Speaking strictly for myself, if I'm lined up for a race and kind of jogging in place to keep warm, my heart rate is typically in the 80s or 90s, however, once out on the course my heart rate typically heads up into the 150s and 160s, sometimes higher when climbing a nasty hill or burning through the last mile or two on the way to the finish.

[KSS2]

Frankly any exercise is better than nothing and keeping moving is the key. However, there are differences in doing it outside, on the treadmill or on the spot. Walking/ jogging/running outside is the gold standard. You use far more muscles doing this as you not only have to put one foot in front of the other, you also have to stabilise your body over what can be uneven ground. No pavement/trail/path is completely flat so you are also going up and down hills (even if they are small) and of course you get no assistance when propelling forward. On a treadmill half the effort is done by the treadmill itself, its a moving surface that actually does the propelling. If you add an incline you more closely approximate the outdoors but it is still less of a calorie burn than the outdoors due to the lack of engaging stabilisers. Now walking on the spot is fine but you do not engange as many stabilising muscles as you do outdoors nor do you have any inclines. Running up and down stairs would be another alternative as a fair calorie burner. So all up it really depends what you want to achieve and where you are now. If someone was very obese and not exercised for a very long time, just marching on the spot may well be enough to get all the benefits. Someone of a healthier weight but not active is likely to need something a little more challenging. In the end the best form of exercise is the one you will do consistently.

[bcalvanese]

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@Jeroniymo wrote:

Hi

i have a query... with the nights closing in I have taken to walking / running on the spot at home to meet my step count.

my query was if this burns less calories than walking / running outside.  It certainly can get my heart rate up if i go fast enough.

I do not intend to change my attitude as exercise is exercise as far as I am concerned, but was intrigued.

cheers

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Here is a power walk/jog outside that I did yesterday...

http://www.movescount.cn/moves/move132641994

You can look at all the stats and maybe compare it to your recorded workouts if it will help.

I think walking/running outside burns way more calories because you are moving yourself along the ground. In addition, it uses muscles that help with coordination and balance because you are constantly adjusting your steps to the terrain.

My sister can jog 3 miles on a treadmill but can't even jog 1 mile on the ground.

[USAF-Larry]

Any movement is better than no movement....walking is walking....and, running is running.  That said, I have found that walking/jogging on a treadmill with 0° incline does very little to raise my heart rate, while increasing the incline dramatically increases the heart rate. Walking in place, or walking around the house would have approximately the same benefit of walking on a treadmill with 0° incline.  If you have a step board, or other stairs that can be added to in-place walking, that would be a good addition.

[A_Lurker]

Okay, I own a treadmill, which I don't use that much lately.  I think it has to do more with a dead even pace, which I find awkward.  Walking outside, or around the house I can do more steps in a shorter period of time - although I suspect it's because I have a less even pace.  Now, I can also add stairs into that, which helps.   A circuit of my place is ~ 500 steps depending on the specific ins and outs of the specific rooms.  Before it was just my basement (~250 steps) but now I go up and down the stairs with each circuit.  If I do them quickly enough I can raise my heart rate (but I admit that it is more difficult as I lose weight and become more fit).  I use the rowing machine, elliptical, and sometimes still the treadmill to do that.

However, I know lots of people who find success with walking and running in place.  Leslie Sansone has a set of videos that could still probably kick my butt.  If I remember correctly although she does walking in the home she includes side steps, front and back steps, which I think would do more to work functional muscles.