Does Running in Place Burn More Calories Than Running Outside?

Running outside usually burns more calories than running in place because effort is the primary criteria in how many calories you burn while exercising. Running in place, whether you’re on a treadmill or on your living room floor, is generally easier because the gentler terrain puts less strain on your leg muscles, you’re less likely to burn calories just to remain upright, and staying in place puts less strain on your heart than moving rapidly.

Your heart rate reflects the effort of your cardiovascular system and muscles. Trying harder increases your heart rate and the amount of oxygen pumped to your muscles. Exercising burns the larger amount of oxygen and, thus, increases the amount of burned calories, which measure energy. Exercise experts define various effort levels, including light effort, moderate effort, vigorous effort and very vigorous effort. You’re exercising vigorously if your heart rate is 70 to 89 percent of your maximum heart rate -- defined as 220 heartbeats per minute minus your age -- and exercising lightly if your heart rate is 35 to 54 percent of your maximum heart rate. A 155-pound person exercising vigorously on a stationary bicycle burns 739 calories per hour, but only 387 calories per hour exercising lightly, according to a list compiled by Wisconsin’s Department of Health and Family Services. One pound equals 3,500 calories.

Running miles in 5 1/2 minutes burns the most calories of the 175 exercises on Wisconsin’s list -- 1,267 calories per hour if you weigh 155 pounds and 1,553 calories per hour if you weigh 190 pounds. A 155-pound person running for one hour will also burn 1,126 calories running 6-minute miles, 880 calories running 8-minute miles, 704 calories running 10-minute miles and 563 calories running 12-minute miles. These statistics pertain to all running, but running outside burns more calories than running on an indoor track because “even the bumps and rocks of a well-graded trail make your leg muscles work a bit more” every time a foot lands on the trail, writes Mark Fenton in his book “The Complete Guide to Walking for Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness.”

Running in place without a treadmill machine burns an average of 563 calories per hour if you weigh 155 pounds and 690 calories per hour if you weigh 190 pounds, according to Wisconsin. A 155-pound person must run in place for about 6 hours, 12 minutes to lose 1 pound, but can lose 1 pound running 5.5-minute miles in about 2 hours, 45 minutes. Exercising vigorously while running in place burns more calories than exercising lightly, although Wisconsin doesn’t have figures for various intensity levels. Remaining in the same place while exercising vigorously can be difficult.

Treadmill machines are designed to simulate the experience of walking and running outside. Theoretically, running on a treadmill should burn the same amount of calories as running outside if you’re running at the same speed. However, you might burn fewer calories running on a treadmill for the same reason that running on indoor tracks burns fewer calories than running on outdoor tracks, according to Fenton. Setting up the treadmill so you’re running on a 1 percent incline often makes up the difference, writes Fenton.