How to Get Faster When Running with a Stroller

Running with a stroller is difficult to say the least. Often when I’m pushing the double BOB stroller up a hill, I hear my daughter taunt “Mom, are you even running right now?” Yes, yes I am, sweetheart. But the workout is no joke.

In fact, studies show that running with a stroller doesn’t just feel hard — it is hard. One study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that running with a stroller results in a significantly higher heart rate, perceived level of exertion, and lactate concentration. Another study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine added a higher VO2 max to the mix.

Stroller running burns more calories.

Extra bonus, especially for new Mother Runners trying to get back to their pre-baby weight, a study by researchers at Seattle Pacific University broke down the amount of calories burned by how you push the stroller:

• pushing the stroller with two hands increases the amount of calories burned by about 5 percent,
• pushing with one hand increases it by about 6 percent,
• and the push-and-chase method increases it by about 8 percent.

On average, that means a 150-pound person can expect to burn about 30 more calories per half hour of running.