Daily RAW: Calories/Minute - What it really comes down to.

Greetings RAW Warriors,

Today's Daily RAW is focused on running and calories per minute. I know not everyone is a runner, but many active people I know are. Running is one of the best ways to train in my opinion, but its not the only way.

Some deterrents to running for people are past injuries, their body structure just isn't 'built' for running, and well, some people just flat out hate it.

This is why some people may turn to a bike for their training, or an elliptical trainer.  I'm a cyclist as well, just not on a super-serious level, but I do use it a mode of exercise to complement my running. 

Elliptical trainers have their place as well, but as the primary means, I don't think its ideal.  To me, its between walking & running as far as calorie burning.  When I figured out I can walk briskly at 4mph and cover a mile in 15 minutes, versus running a mile in 7-8 minutes, the elliptical trainer's measurements said I went about a mile in 11 minutes, basically right in the middle.  To me, if I had an injury, it might be okay for me to try it.  I know people with bad knees who enjoy the low impact of the elliptical.

However, after discovering kettlebells and the power of Swings alone years ago, it can mimic the conditions of a good, moderate to hard running effort.  To me, I want to burn the most calories I can in as little as time as I have. Using Calories Burned Per Minute is a great way to see what exercise choice is great for you.

For me, its 150 calories to cover 1 mile with walking, elliptical, or running.
Walking: 150 calories/15 minutes - 10 calories/minute
Elliptical: 150 calories/11 minutes - 13.6/minute
Running: 150 calories in 7 minutes - 21.4/minute
Kettlebell Swings: been tested at about 20/minute.... pretty much the same as running a 7 minute mile for me.

This is why I typically stay away from walking or the elliptical because of their low calories/minute rate. 

In just 10 minutes of running, you burn 2x the amount of calories as you would in 10 minutes of walking. Walk for 20 minutes, or run for 10?  I will run for 10 and use the other 10 minutes to shower up after the run.

Walking is fine if you are just starting out, but if you want to burn more calories, you have to keep walking more & more time.  At some point, you will run out of time, and have to look at burning more calories per minute. 

Biking is another efficient way, since I've tested out indoor cycles that measure my rate at roughly half of what running is per minute (75 calories/mile) but I can also get 2x the distance with biking. So, its basically 2 miles of biking equals 1 mile of running, both calories/minute rate and in time.

Since long distance running doesn't agree with me too well, I will turn to the bike to get in my distances.  Let's say if I wanted to do a 10 mile run, I would aim for a 20 mile bike ride to burn roughly the same amount of calories, and take less pounding on my body this way as well.

If the weather is bad outside, there is always the indoor workout of the kettlebell swing (although nothing is stopping you from swinging it outside as well). Don't underestimate the power of Swings when you don't have much time and need to get something in.  10 minutes of a Swing workout will do more wonders for you than a 20 minute walk.

"Just Swing It!" is proof of how adding Swings can really make a difference in calories/minute effects for your training.  http://tinyurl.com/jsiasap

Keep these things in mind as you are looking for workout options to do, you want to make the most of your time, right?

Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak