In fact, according to research from the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, your own four limbs—plus a willingness to push your body to the brink—can burn more calories than just about anything else. [block:bean=pvn-survey-walking-a-062015] For the 2013 study, 16 fit adults participated in a 20-minute bodyweight circuit, which included exercises like push-ups, burpees, squats, and lunges. According to John Porcari, the lead researcher and head of the university’s performance lab, the participants burned an average of 15 calories per minute, nearly twice the rate expended during a long run. MORE: Exercises To Improve Your Hill Running The key to the efficient burn is effort, Porcari says. “You should be feeling extremely uncomfortable. If you aren’t exhausted by the end of this workout you aren’t doing it right.” The researchers modeled the circuit after high-intensity interval training (HIIT), a workout style that includes periods of intense effort followed by a short recovery. (Looking for a HIIT workout geared toward runners? Dr. Jordan Metzl, a marathoner and sports physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, designed the training series IronStrength specifically to prevent running injuries and increase speed.) In the study, participants completed an exercise all-out for 20 seconds, then rested for 10, repeating the process in 5, 4-minute segments. MORE: Does Knowing Your Splits Help You Run Faster? “What it all boils down to is overtraining specific metabolic systems,” Porcari says. “You can only run a race at a certain pace for so long. When you do high-intensity interval training you shift that threshold up. It’s why athletes do intervals.” If you’re looking to incorporate a bodyweight HIIT routine in your normal training, Porcari recommends keeping it to once or twice a week, allowing plenty of time for recovery between sessions. The article How Many Calories Can Runners Really Burn During a Bodyweight Workout? originally ran on RunnersWorld.com.
