Question of the day. Does running help you lose weight?

Question of the day. Does running help you lose weight?

Is it effective to run to lose extra pounds? Answers the coach.

Many people, having decided to lose a couple of kilograms, start running every day. This is the first and most obvious option that intuitively comes to mind. However, experts are increasingly saying that the effectiveness of running for weight loss is greatly exaggerated. So is it necessary to run to lose weight? The expert opinion is shared by Vladimir Lepesa, a trainer of the SM Stretching fitness studio chain.

To assess the effectiveness of running for weight loss, you need to understand the general mechanics of getting rid of excess weight.

There is a universal rule: to start the weight loss process, you need to spend more energy than you consume.

There is a universal rule: to trigger weight loss, you need to expend more energy than you consume. So without proper nutrition, running is ineffective. Being in a calorie deficit, the body begins to fill the lack of energy with the help of fat and muscle tissue. And, first of all, the body will get rid of muscles, as they consume a lot of energy. In order to reduce the percentage of fat in the body, while preserving muscle, it is worth not only to monitor calories and the balance of BGU, but also to systematically train.

Treadmill training is just one of the possible options. Remember, calories can also be burned with other exercises. This can often be even more effective. Unconditional advantages of running – training the cardiovascular system, development of general endurance and maximum accessibility. At the same time, a varied running load (monotonous running, interval running, running with a change of altitude, etc.) will perfectly work the main muscle groups and spend a large number of calories.

The undoubted pluses of running are cardiovascular training, development of general endurance and maximum accessibility.

For those who mainly use long monotonous exercise (long jogs at the same pace), I would advise to include strength training in parallel, as monotonous low-intensity exercise negatively affects the preservation of muscle mass with overall weight loss.

It is also important to note that people with excessive body weight are not recommended to abruptly introduce running into their training process, it is advisable to start with walking. To start intensive running loads, you need to be sure that there are no contraindications and the presence of proper running technique, this will help to avoid injuries.