How Many Calories Can Burpees Burn? | Quick Facts Guide

Burpees pack a squat, plank, push, and jump into one loop. That mix spikes heart rate and taxes large muscle groups, which is why a short burst feels like a long run. Calorie use swings with body size, pacing, and how strict your technique is. The ranges below help you plan sessions that fit your goals without guesswork.

Calorie Estimates By Weight And Pace

Coaches and researchers rate intensity with metabolic equivalents, or METs. A widely used reference assigns ~7.5 MET to vigorous calisthenics that include patterns like this. The standard math is MET × 3.5 × body weight (kg) ÷ 200, which returns calories per minute. Using that equation gives solid ballpark figures across body sizes and paces.

Body Weight	10 Minutes Steady	10 Minutes All-Out
60 kg (132 lb)	~79 kcal	~105 kcal
70 kg (154 lb)	~92 kcal	~123 kcal
85 kg (187 lb)	~112 kcal	~149 kcal

Those “steady” cells use 7.5 MET. The “all-out” column uses 10 MET to reflect hard intervals where speaking drops to short phrases. Once you know your daily calorie needs, you can slot this drill into a weekly plan that lines up with weight-gain, weight-hold, or weight-loss targets.

Burpee Calorie Burn Per Minute: What Changes It?

Body weight has the biggest pull. Two people moving at the same speed won’t spend the same energy, because the equation scales with kilograms. Technique matters next. A version with a strict pushup and a vertical jump uses more oxygen than a step-back variation with a stand. Pacing seals the deal: longer work sets and shorter rests shift the average upward.

Public references used by trainers list vigorous calisthenics at ~7.5 MET. See that entry in the Compendium of Physical Activities. The CDC guide to intensity explains that vigorous work limits speech to brief bursts between breaths, which matches a crisp minute of this move.

Group-based interval classes report similar intensity bands. A review of HIIT sessions logged values spanning roughly 5.5 to 11.6 MET across drills, which fits the spread you’ll see when reps per minute rise, rests shrink, and pushups and jumps stay clean.

How To Measure Your Own Session

You can get a personal figure in three steps. First, pick a pace you can hold with perfect form for two minutes. Second, record reps and keep rests fixed, like 40 seconds on and 20 seconds off for six rounds. Third, estimate calories with the MET equation, or let a reliable heart-rate device do the math for a cross-check.

Quick Math Walkthrough

Say you weigh 70 kg. At a steady 7.5 MET session, calories per minute land near 9.2. If your circuit totals 15 work minutes, that’s about 138 calories. Push to harder intervals that average 10 MET, and the same 15 work minutes rise to roughly 184 calories. Your hour-long average, including warm-up and rests, will sit lower than the peak segments.

Rep Targets That Make Sense

Reps per minute vary with build and experience. Many people hit 12–16 with a tidy standard rep. Athletes pushing 20+ need tight form and soft landings to keep risk low. Pick a range, stay there for most sets, and only surge up when positions look the same in set six as they did in set one.

Technique Tweaks That Change Energy Use

Small changes shift demand in big ways. Adding a strict pushup adds time under tension for chest, shoulders, and triceps. A higher jump at the end adds flight time and landing force. Loose hand and foot placement shortens the plank portion and drops the load on the core. To raise burn without losing positions, cycle one of the tweaks below.

Options You Can Cycle

• Pushup every rep: Keep a straight line from heels to head; no sagging hips.
• Jump to a target: Tap a beam or chalk mark to keep jump height honest.
• Tempo sets: Three seconds down to the floor, quick pop up, repeat.
• Traveling version: Shuffle one step sideways between reps to increase time under tension.
• Step-back option: If wrists or knees bark, step back and forward while keeping the plank solid.

Programming Ideas For Different Goals

Short On Time

Run 8 rounds of 40 seconds on and 20 seconds off. Keep 12–16 clean reps per work set. That nets about 320 seconds of work, with calorie use similar to a brisk mile.

Conditioning Finisher

After a strength session, set a 10-minute clock and do sets of 10 with steady breathing. Walk the rest of each minute, then repeat. This keeps heart rate high without wrecking form.

Endurance Builder

Use a 15-minute EMOM (every minute on the minute). Do 8–12 smooth reps, then stand and shake out. The consistent rhythm helps you learn pacing and keeps technique from drifting.

When To Pick A Different Drill

This move isn’t the best fit for every body. Shoulder pain, wrist stiffness, or knee trouble can make the plank and jump pieces cranky. Swap in squat-thrusts without the pushup or jump. If impact bothers your joints today, cycle mountain climbers, rowing intervals, or cycling sprints instead and aim for the same total work minutes.

Safety, Scaling, And Recovery

Form Checks That Keep You Moving

• Hands under shoulders; fingers splayed for grip.
• Brace before the kick-back; ribs and pelvis stay stacked.
• Elbows track at ~45° on pushups to spare shoulders.
• Land softly; knees track over mid-foot.
• Stop a set early if reps lose their shape.

Scaling Ideas

• Elevate hands on a low box to shorten the lever.
• Remove the pushup and keep the jump.
• Remove the jump and keep the pushup.
• Work:rest at 30:30 until breathing adapts.

Recovery Between Sessions

Spacing matters. Leave at least one day between hard bouts for the same muscle groups. Walk after the session, drink water, and eat a protein-rich meal to support repair. Sleep sets the floor for how much you can handle next week.

External Benchmarks You Can Trust

The Compendium groups this movement with other vigorous calisthenics at ~7.5 MET, which is the base used in the steady estimates above. The CDC intensity page shows how moderate and vigorous sessions feel, which helps you pick the right pace on days when a heart-rate strap isn’t handy. A review of group HIIT reports sets that climb past 10 MET during short bursts, so the “all-out” column in the first table fits field data.

Per-Minute Burn By Weight (Steady Vs. Hard)

The second table shows calories per minute at two effort levels for a few common body weights. Pick the row closest to you and match the column to your session plan.

Body Weight	kcal/min at 7.5 MET	kcal/min at 10 MET
60 kg (132 lb)	~7.9	~10.5
70 kg (154 lb)	~9.2	~12.3
85 kg (187 lb)	~11.2	~14.9

Putting It All Together

Use the first table when planning a circuit block and the second when you want a quick per-minute estimate. For weight control, pair two to three short sessions across the week with easy movement on the other days and steady protein at meals. For general health, one or two bouts sprinkled into a week of walking and strength work is plenty. Want a friendly nudge toward a broader routine? Read the benefits of exercise for next steps.