Ever Wonder How Many Calories You Burn From Running? An Expert's Answer

Although cardio isn’t all about burning calories and losing weight, it’s helpful to know how much energy you’re expending on a long run, especially if you’re on a weight-loss path. Fitness trackers have proven to be unreliable in the calorie-counting game, so we have to turn to more credible sources to find out how many calories you’re burning on that 5K trail.

Michael Olzinski, MSc, Purplepatch endurance coach, Equinox run coach, and ultra-marathoner told POPSUGAR, “Calories are very simply a measure of energy that you spend during physical activity, and the more muscle mass or body mass a person has, generally the higher the energy requirement for a specific activity.” That’s why men tend to burn more calories than women if they run the same distance with the same amount of effort.

Previous studies have shown that, on average, women burn about 100 calories per mile and men burn about 125 calories per mile. “This is incredibly broad, with lots of room for fluctuation of course, but in general that would be true with all external factors removed,” Mike said.

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Previous studies have shown that, on average, women burn about 100 calories per mile and men burn about 125 calories per mile.

That being said, how many calories you burn when you’re running isn’t simply calculated by how many miles you’ve run. It’s also about the level of intensity and the programming. “I try to maximize the person’s time, so I would select a workout that requires the most energy in a short amount of time, which will continue burning higher amounts of calories for the next 24-48 hours,” Mike explained.

“I like runs that require lots of variation and efforts, creating peaks and valleys in heart rate and paces,” he said. “The most common run would be an interval run. My personal favorite is hill interval running.” Mike says this kind of workout “requires great running form, lots of energy to complete, and it leaves your body feeling strong with the minimal amounts of corrosive stress from very heavy impact on your joints.”

Not only will these kinds of runs burn the maximum amount of calories during the workout, but they will also set you up to burn many more calories throughout the rest of your day. “The greatest benefits of running for calorie expenditure is that the true benefit and the biggest impact actually…

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