Why sprinting burns more fat than jogging
Effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) on fat oxidation during exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People with overweight or obesity experience nearly triple the fat-burning benefit from HIIT compared to normal-weight individuals.
Most assume HIIT is harder or less effective for heavier people, but this shows their bodies respond more strongly—likely due to metabolic inflexibility being targeted.
Practical Takeaways
If you're overweight or obese, try 3x 20-minute HIIT sessions per week on a bike—start with 30s sprint/90s rest, and stick with it for at least 4 weeks.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People with overweight or obesity experience nearly triple the fat-burning benefit from HIIT compared to normal-weight individuals.
Most assume HIIT is harder or less effective for heavier people, but this shows their bodies respond more strongly—likely due to metabolic inflexibility being targeted.
Practical Takeaways
If you're overweight or obese, try 3x 20-minute HIIT sessions per week on a bike—start with 30s sprint/90s rest, and stick with it for at least 4 weeks.
Publication
Journal
British Journal of Sports Medicine
Year
2022
Authors
M. Atakan, Y. Guzel, Nipun Shrestha, Ş. Koşar, J. Grgic, T. Astorino, H. H. Turnagol, Ž. Pedišić
Related Content
Claims (6)
If you're carrying extra weight, your body burns fat faster during short, intense workouts like sprinting or interval training than someone who's at a normal weight — like burning 3 times more fat per minute.
If you're overweight, doing short bursts of intense exercise like sprinting or HIIT helps your body burn fat better than it does for someone who's a normal weight—so these workouts might be especially good at fixing how your body struggles to switch between burning fat and sugar.
If you're not an athlete and start doing short bursts of intense exercise like sprinting or HIIT, your body gets better at burning fat while you work out—after about a month, you’ll start seeing this effect, and it keeps improving a little bit each week after that.
If you're not an athlete but want to burn more fat while working out, doing short bursts of intense exercise—like sprinting or pedaling hard—on a bike or treadmill can help, and it works better on a bike based on current research.
If you do short bursts of super-hard exercise like sprinting, you burn a tiny bit more fat during your workout than if you jog steadily — but the difference is so small it might not even matter in real life.