Burpees vs Running: Which Workout Burns More Fat Faster?

If you’re trying to slim down and tone up, you’ve probably wondered whether pounding the pavement or sweating it out with burpees will give you better results. The short answer? It depends on your goals, your body, and your lifestyle. The long answer? Let’s break it down and get into the details so you can pick the best path for your weight loss journey.

What Are Burpees, Really?

Burpees are one of the most well-known bodyweight exercises. A single burpee combines a squat, a plank, a push-up, and a jump—all in one explosive movement. It’s tough, it’s intense, and it’s meant to leave you breathless.

Here’s how one burpee goes:

1. Start standing.
2. Drop into a squat position.
3. Kick your feet back into a plank.
4. Do a push-up (optional but brutal).
5. Jump your feet back in.
6. Explode up into a jump.

Simple? Yes. Easy? Absolutely not.

Burpees are often used in High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) routines because they work your full body and get your heart rate up fast.

What Makes Running So Effective?

Running is one of the oldest and most accessible forms of cardio. Whether it’s on a treadmill or through a neighborhood park, running builds endurance and burns a lot of calories.

It primarily works your legs, glutes, and core while challenging your cardiovascular system. Running also comes with mental health benefits—it’s known to reduce stress and boost mood.

You can run in different ways depending on your goals:

• Steady-state jogging for fat-burning
• Sprint intervals for maximum calorie burn
• Long-distance runs for endurance

Calorie Burn: Burpees vs Running

Let’s talk numbers. After all, when it comes to weight loss, calories in vs. calories out is still one of the most important principles.

Calories Burned Per Minute:

• Burpees: Around 10–15 calories per minute (depending on intensity and your weight)
• Running: Around 10–13 calories per minute at moderate pace (6 mph or 10 min/mile)

In a 30-minute session:

• Burpees (high intensity): Up to 450 calories
• Running (steady pace): Around 350–400 calories

So if you’re judging purely on calories per minute, burpees win—but there’s a catch. Can you realistically do burpees non-stop for 30 minutes straight? Most people can’t.

Running, on the other hand, is more sustainable over longer periods. You can go for a 45-minute run far more easily than you can do 45 minutes of burpees.

Muscles Worked: Full Body vs Lower Body Focus

Burpees hit:

• Chest
• Shoulders
• Triceps
• Core
• Quads
• Hamstrings
• Glutes

It’s a full-body burner.

Running mainly works:

• Quads
• Hamstrings
• Glutes
• Calves
• Core (to a lesser extent)

So if your goal is to build muscle while losing weight, burpees give you more bang for your buck.

EPOC Effect (Afterburn): Who Keeps Burning More?

Burpees, being anaerobic and high-intensity, give you a bigger afterburn effect, also known as EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). This means your body keeps burning calories for hours after the workout ends.

Running, especially at a steady pace, doesn’t trigger the afterburn effect to the same degree unless you’re doing sprint intervals or hill training.

So for continued calorie burning after your workout, burpees have the edge.

Accessibility and Ease of Starting

Let’s face it: burpees are tough. If you’re a beginner or coming back from a long break, they can feel intimidating—and hard on the joints.

Running is more intuitive and beginner-friendly. Lace up a pair of shoes and go. You can start with walking, move to jogging, and slowly build up.

Pros of Burpees:

• Full-body workout
• Requires no equipment or space
• High-intensity for fat loss
• Improves strength and endurance

Cons of Burpees:

• High-impact on joints
• Not beginner-friendly
• Tough to sustain for long periods

Pros of Running:

• Great for heart health
• Easier to scale for beginners
• Burns a lot of calories
• Mental clarity and mood boost

Cons of Running:

• Hard on knees if done excessively
• Needs time and space
• Doesn’t build upper body strength

What’s Better for Belly Fat?

Here’s the truth: no exercise can spot-reduce fat. But some help you lose overall body fat faster—which eventually leads to a leaner waistline.

Burpees, thanks to the HIIT-style fat burning and muscle engagement, are excellent for this. They spike your heart rate and help melt away fat when paired with proper nutrition.

Running helps too—especially if you stay consistent. Long-distance runners tend to have low body fat, but the process can take longer if you’re not also strength training.

Time Efficiency: Who Wins?

Burpees again come out on top when time is limited. You can get a killer workout in just 15–20 minutes of burpees and burn nearly the same number of calories as a 30-minute run.

So if you’re crunched for time and want a fat-blasting workout, burpees are more efficient.

What Do Fitness Trainers Recommend?

Most trainers will tell you—you don’t have to choose one. Combine them.

Here’s how:

• Run for endurance and calorie burn
• Add burpees for strength, afterburn, and metabolic boost

A mix of steady-state cardio and explosive bodyweight training is the secret sauce for fat loss and lean muscle.

Sample Combo Workout:

• 10-minute run (warm-up)
• 3 rounds of:
  • 10 burpees
  • 20 jump squats
  • 30-second plank
• 10-minute run (cool down)

Now you’re training smart—not just hard.

Final Verdict: Which Burns Fat Faster?

If we’re going purely by calorie burn per minute, burpees edge out running—but only if you can sustain the intensity.

For sustainability, accessibility, and mental benefits, running wins.

But the real answer? The best exercise for weight loss is the one you’ll stick to consistently. Whether it’s a 5K jog every morning or burpee intervals in your living room, what matters most is doing it regularly.