Try These 4 Fat Burning Running Sessions

Use running to blast body fat with these 4 short, sharp sessions.

Everyone knows that running is awesome for burning calories and staying in shape. But there’s running…. and there’s running! If shedding unwanted body fat is your goal, try one of these calorie-torching training sessions this week. They are all designed to burn maximum calories in minimum time (warning: you’ll need to work hard!)

Hill Reps

Sprint intervals up a steep hill are incredible for burning calories, blasting body fat, toning your legs and bum, and boosting your running performance. Sprinting on a hill (instead of the flat) takes some of the impact out of sprints, and reduces the chances of hamstring injury. If you’ve got a steep hill near your house – you’re in luck!

– warm up on the flat

– sprint up the hill as hard as you can (powering with your legs and pumping your arms) for 20 seconds

– jog or walk back to your start point

– immediately repeat

– do 6-12 repetitions

– finish with a cool down on the flat

Intervals

Interval training is one of the best known ways to up the intensity of your running. You simply mix short, intense efforts with longer periods of recovery. There are various forms of intervals (including Tabata, where you do 20 seconds work and 10 seconds recovery, 8 times over, for a 4 minute work block). But any form of intervals works. In general terms, the more intense the interval, the longer your recovery period should be. Tabata intervals ignore this rule, which is probably why Tabata is only 4 minutes long!

Running intervals can burn up to 3 times as many calories as steady state running. And then there’s the EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), which refers to the extra calories your body uses as it brings things back to baseline after such a tough workout. EPOC is much higher after intervals than it is after a steady run.

Try this for an interval session:

– start with a regular warm up of at least 5 minutes jogging

– sprint for 20 seconds, then jog or walk for 30 seconds

– repeat this 8-10 times

– finish with a 5-10 minute jog, walk, and dynamic stretch

Stair Running

If you have access to outdoor steps then use them! Good places to find steps are running tracks and sports stadiums, hilly parks, cliff walks, or any steep footpath. Don’t use your stairs at home, unless you have an unusually long, wide, straight staircase!

– warm up by walking up and down the stairs for 5 minutes

– sprint from the bottom to the top of the stairs as hard as you can (concentrate!)

– jog back down

– repeat the sprints and recovery for 10-15 minutes

– cool down on the flat and stretch

Weighted Sprints

Have you got a weighted vest? If so, you’re in luck – because you can try this tough calorie blast of a running session! Wearing a weighted vest that is about 20% of your bodyweight will result in over 10% more calories being burned (whether you’re walking, jogging, or sprinting). As an added bonus, running with a weighted vest will have great performance benefits for your normal running. At first, wear 5-10% of your body weight in the weighted vest, and make sure it’s strapped on tight so it doesn’t shift as you run. Try the interval session outlined above.

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