Does running on the beach burn more calories than on a smooth surface?

If you are thinking about the possibility of running on the beach, you need to know that it is much more difficult than doing it on the road. The reason is that sand is a flexible, smooth surface that gives way with each step and does not return the strength of the stride, causing the muscles, especially the heart, to work harder.

Many people compare running on the beach to climbing stairs and claim that no matter how fit you are: it can take your breath away.

Find out if all this effort does its job and if running on the beach really burns more calories .

Quemar más calorías corriendo por la playa

Do you burn more calories running on the beach?

Running on the road burns approximately 160 calories per km, taking into account factors such as the speed, weight and height of the runner. Now, although running on the beach is much more difficult , the exact amount of calories burned per km is not known.

One study found that running on sand makes it easier to burn 1.6 calories more than on solid surfaces (Lejeune, Willems, and Heglund, 1998). However, another study showed that there is a 10% increase in calorie burn when compared to running on grass (Binnie, Peeling, Pinnington, Landers & Dawson, 2013).

Given this inconsistency, the best thing to do when running on the beach is to train using a heart rate monitor or heart rate monitor. In this way, you can compare your normal pace on the road with the pace on the beach and, if you get a higher heart rate running on the sand, you will be burning more calories.

¿Quema más calorías correr por la arena?

Does running on the beach help your fitness?

All racing surfaces have their advantages and disadvantages. Certainly, running on the beach is much more exhausting than running on pavement or concrete, but this does not mean that it is better.

Each has its own purpose. For example, running on the beach reduces stress on your tendons . However, if you’ve always trained on pavement or a treadmill, going straight into the sand can cause injury. Therefore, it is recommended that you start running once or twice a week for 30 minutes on grass or a gentle path near a river.

Also, when you run on the beach, do it on the sand closest to the water, which is always a little firmer, and do not take your shoes off if you are not used to walking or running barefoot. In this way, you will maintain greater stability.

Cómo correr por la playa sin lesionarte

conclusion

It is unknown how many calories are actually burned when running on the beach . For this reason, if you want to determine if you are burning more calories running on sand compared to running on pavement, you must compare your heart rate.

Likewise, you should start running on grass or near rivers, before starting to run on sand .

References

  • Binnie, MJ, Peeling, P., Pinnington, H., Landers, G., Dawson, B. (2013). Effect of surface-specific training on 20-m sprint performance on sand and grass surfaces. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research . doi: 10.1519 / JSC.0b013e31828f043f
  • Lejeune, TM, Willems, PA, Heglund, NC (1998). Mechanics and energetics of human locomotion on sand. Journal of Experimental Biology , 201 (Pt 13): 2071-80