Quick Answer
The number of calories you burn doing 100 sit ups depends on your body weight and the intensity of your workout. On average, a 155 pound person will burn around 50-100 calories performing 100 sit ups at a moderate pace. Heavier individuals generally burn more calories, while lighter people burn fewer calories for the same exercise. Factors like speed, proper form, rest periods, and muscle mass also impact calories burned to some degree.
Calories Burned Per Sit Up
On average, you can expect to burn about 1 calorie per sit up if you weigh 150 pounds. However, this estimate can vary based on:
- Body weight – Heavier people burn more calories per sit up. Lighter people burn fewer.
- Exercise intensity – Sit ups performed vigorously and rapidly burn more calories than slow, relaxed sit ups.
- Sit up technique – Proper form where you fully engage the abdominal muscles is more effective.
- Rest periods – Taking short breaks between sets of sit ups may allow you to workout more intensely overall.
- Muscle mass – The more abdominal muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn per sit up.
As an example, a 200 pound person may burn around 1.3 calories per sit up performed at a moderate pace with good technique. A 125 pound person may only burn around 0.8 calories per sit up.
Calorie Burn for 100 Sit Ups
Based on the estimate of 1 calorie per sit up for a 150 pound person, doing 100 sit ups would burn approximately 100 calories.
However, this number can range based on the factors above:
- For a 125 pound person, 100 sit ups = around 80 calories
- For a 175 pound person, 100 sit ups = around 115 calories
- For a 200 pound person, 100 sit ups = around 130 calories
If you perform the 100 sit ups at a faster, more intense pace and fully engage your core muscles, you might burn around 5-10% more calories. Taking short 15-30 second breaks between sets of sit ups allows you to workout more vigorously overall, also increasing your calorie burn.
In general, for the average person, performing 100 sit ups at a moderate pace will burn 50-100 calories. Faster sit ups, proper technique, and more body weight can increase the calories burned into the 100-150 calorie range for 100 reps.
Factors That Influence Calorie Burn
The most important factors that impact the number of calories burned doing 100 sit ups include:
Body Weight
Heavier people burn more calories performing sit ups than lighter individuals, because it takes more energy to move more weight against gravity. Lean muscle mass also plays a role, as more calorie burn comes from the abdominal muscles.
Exercise Intensity
The faster and more vigorously you perform your sit ups, the more calories you’ll burn. Intense exercise skyrockets your metabolism compared to slower, relaxed movement. However, maintain proper form – sacrifice quality for speed.
Sit Up Technique
To work your abdominal muscles maximally and burn the most calories, use good technique where you fully curl your upper back off the floor on each rep. Partial or sloppy reps burn fewer calories.
Rest Periods
Taking 15-30 second breaks between sets of sit ups allows you to recover a bit and put full effort into each set. This can increase your calorie burn compared to doing 100 reps continuously.
Abdominal Muscle Mass
The greater the amount of muscular abdominal tissue you have, the more calories you will burn doing sit ups. Resistance training builds muscle, leading to greater calorie burn during ab exercises.
How to Burn More Calories Doing Sit Ups
Here are some tips to help maximize your calorie burn when doing 100 sit ups:
- Perform sit ups vigorously to engage more muscle fibers.
- Use full range of motion, fully curling up and down on each rep.
- Keep proper form – don’t sacrifice technique for speed.
- Take 15-30 second breaks between sets of sit ups.
- Build abdominal muscle with resistance training (i.e. weighted crunches).
- Increase total workout volume by doing more sets of sit ups.
- Combine sit ups with other challenging ab exercises like planks.
Doing sit ups rapidly without pausing significantly boosts their calorie burning potential. But maintaining proper form remains critical to prevent injury.
Building lean abdominal muscle also makes your sit ups more effective for fat burning in the long run. Pair sit ups with dietary changes to see visible results on your midsection.
Muscles Worked
When performed correctly, sit ups primarily work the abdominal muscles including:
- Rectus abdominis – Large superficial abdominal muscle running down the front of your abdomen.
- Obliques – Side abdominal muscles on your left and right waist area.
- Transverse abdominis – Innermost abdominal muscle that wraps around your midsection.
Secondary muscles worked during sit ups include:
- Psoas major – Hip flexor muscle that raises your legs up.
- Iliopsoas – Muscle group made up of psoas major and iliacus muscles.
- Quadriceps – Thigh muscles located on the front of your legs.
So sit ups engage all the major abdominal muscles while also working some secondary hip flexors and leg muscles.
Sit Up Variations
There are many different types of sit ups that target the abs with slightly varied movements:
- Basic sit up – Lie on back with knees bent, feet flat. Curl torso up to vertical position.
- Crossed sit up – Perform sit up with opposite elbow touching opposite knee.
- Vertical sit up – Execute sit up with both hands reaching straight overhead.
- Twisting sit up – Add a rotation, touching elbow to opposite knee.
- Decline sit up – Anchor feet with feet elevated and perform sit up.
- Crunches – Perform small sit ups focused on abdominal contraction.
- V-ups – Raise straight legs and torso simultaneously from floor.
- Russian twists – Rotate side to side with torso in crunch position.
Mixing up your sit up technique keeps your abs working in different ways to maximize muscle activation and calories burned.
Adding Resistance
You can increase the challenge of bodyweight sit ups by adding resistance to the movement:
- Hold dumbbell or weight plate against chest
- Use weight vest or other added weight
- Attach cable resistance from top or sides
- Partner provides manual resistance
Performing weighted sit ups causes greater muscle recruitment, increasing strength development and calories burned. But start with light loads to maintain proper technique.
Common Sit Up Mistakes
When doing sit ups, avoid these common form errors:
- Partial range of motion – Go fully up and down on each rep.
- Pulling on neck – Keep hands away from head and neck.
- Arched back – Keep spine long, don’t hunch over.
- No bracing – Engage your core throughout the movement.
- Fast pace with sloppy form – Control your motion.
- Holding breath – Breathe naturally throughout the exercise.
Proper sit up technique works your abs effectively while helping prevent strain on your neck or lower back.
Adding Sit Ups to Your Routine
Here are some tips for incorporating sit ups into your workouts:
- Warm up your core properly before starting sit ups, such as leg raises or planks.
- Include 2-4 sets of sit ups in your workout.
- Perform 8-15 reps per set if aiming for endurance, or 6-10 reps per set if aiming for strength.
- Take 45-90 seconds rest between sets to fully recover.
- Start with a more manageable number of reps such as 50, and add more over time.
- Pair sit ups with other complementary core exercises like crunches or side planks.
Train your abdominals 2-3 days per week for best results. Vary your ab workout regularly to target different muscle groups and avoid overuse injuries.
Nutrition for Fat Loss
While ab exercises like sit ups help strengthen your core muscles, visible six pack abs are ultimately made in the kitchen through proper nutrition. To reveal defined abs, focus on:
- Achieving a calorie deficit to burn fat via diet, cardio, and strength training.
- Consuming adequate protein to maintain lean muscle while losing fat.
- Reducing intake of refined carbs and sugar that can get stored as belly fat.
- Staying hydrated to prevent bloating that hides abdominal definition.
Sit ups combined with smart dieting, cardiovascular training, and full body workouts can help burn belly fat for pronounced abdominal muscles.
The Bottom Line
On average, you can expect to burn around 50-100 calories performing 100 sit ups at a moderate pace if you weigh 150 pounds. Heavier individuals burn more calories with sit ups, while lighter people burn fewer. Factors like exercise intensity, proper form, rest periods, and abdominal muscle mass also impact calories burned.
Incorporate sets of sit ups into your workout 2-3 days per week. Combine sit ups with dietary changes like eating in a calorie deficit and reducing refined carbs to reveal your ab definition. Sit ups are most effective as part of a comprehensive core and full body strength routine alongside proper nutrition.