I’ve been asked frequently how to burn fat while running and what’s the best way of losing weight while running. First of all everybody is different and every body works different so there is no bible on how to burn fat while running that works for everyone. Fun fact: I started running exactly for the same reason which is why I will share my 3 secrets how to burn fat while running today.
3 secrets about how to burn fat while running
#1 HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training
Get rid of the extra fat with HIIT. A few years ago HIIT was a big thing in the fitness industry and everybody was doing HIIT all the time. It’s a pretty short, but intense workout with big results, which is why it’s still on my list when I’m trying to burn fat while running. Why? Your metabolism gets a crazy boost when you’re doing high intensity intervals.
The perfect mix between sprints and walking intervals within the training will burn your fat super fast. The all-out effort is followed by an interval of rest. Training tip: Do a 1 mile warm up and then run 1 minute of sprinting and the next minute you will be walking. Repeat this until you reach the 30 minutes mark. 3 times per week in the morning or at night after the gym is the perfect timing.
#2 Going long distance
I’ve burned most of the fat when I was trying to burn fat while running through my long runs. A long run is labeled as a long run when you are running longer than 1 hour and 30 minutes (this is my personal definition you’ll find within my coaching plans).
Within the first hour (approximately) your body burns carbs and after that your fat machines are starting to run – so go for the long run and burn that fat. Your pace doesn’t have to be fast. It’s fine to run a minute slower in your long runs than you are normally running. If your goal is to burn fat while running the long run will help a lot.
#3 Fuel right
A big mistake a lot of runners do although they are trying hard to burn fat while running is to eat or drink the wrong stuff right after the run. When I was loosing weight I tried not to eat the first 45 minutes right after my run.
It’s called the “after-burn-effect” – you are basically still burning fat after your workout for the next hours depending on the training. This effect is more officially known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or simply, EPOC. If you get back to your house and have a bagel with cream cheese, pizza, a sandwich or a glass of soda it was all for nothing. So keep in mind that the diet is an important point if you are trying to burn fat while running.
Last but not least please read my article about supplements for runners.