Pushups are a classic calisthenics exercise that work several muscle groups at once. By understanding how many calories this full-body movement burns, you can better plan your workout regimen for weight loss or maintenance goals.
Calories Burned Per Pushup
There are a few factors that determine how many calories are burned per pushup:
- Body weight – Heavier people burn more calories performing pushups.
- Intensity – The speed and depth of the pushup impacts calories burned.
- Fitness level – Well-conditioned people tend to burn fewer calories.
On average, a 155 lb (70 kg) person will burn approximately 1.3 calories per standard pushup. This equates to:
| Body Weight | Calories Burned Per Pushup |
| 120 lbs (54 kg) | 1.0 calorie |
| 155 lbs (70 kg) | 1.3 calories |
| 175 lbs (79 kg) | 1.4 calories |
| 200 lbs (91 kg) | 1.6 calories |
These numbers are averages and can vary slightly depending on the factors mentioned earlier.
Calories Burned During 200 Pushups
Based on averages, here’s how many calories would be burned doing 200 pushups for different body weights:
| Body Weight | Calories Burned for 200 Pushups |
| 120 lbs (54 kg) | 200 calories |
| 155 lbs (70 kg) | 260 calories |
| 175 lbs (79 kg) | 280 calories |
| 200 lbs (91 kg) | 320 calories |
A 155 pound person would burn around 260 calories performing 200 standard pushups. Heavier persons may burn closer to 300 calories while lighter persons would be in the 200 calorie range.
Pushup Calorie Burn by Fitness Level
Calories burned doing pushups reduces as your fitness level increases. Here’s how many calories a 155 lb person would burn based on their pushup training experience:
| Experience Level | Calories Burned |
| Beginner | 290 calories |
| Intermediate | 260 calories |
| Advanced | 230 calories |
As you become more efficient at doing pushups, your muscles require less energy to perform the exercise. This translates into fewer calories burned as you advance your pushup skills.
Impact of Pushup Cadence
The speed at which you perform pushups also influences calorie burn. Faster pushups burn more calories than slower, more controlled reps. Here’s the difference:
| Pushup Cadence | Calories Burned (155 lb person) |
| Slow – 50 reps per min | 210 calories |
| Moderate – 75 reps per min | 260 calories |
| Fast – 100 reps per min | 310 calories |
Performing pushups rapidly can increase calorie burn by up to 50% compared to slow pushups. However, form and depth often deteriorate at fast speeds.
Pushup Type
There are many pushup variations that impact calorie expenditure including:
- Standard – Burning 260 calories (155 lb person)
- Wide arm – Burns about 5% fewer calories
- Diamond – Burns about 5% more calories
- Decline – Burns about 10% more calories
- Hand elevating – Burns about 5-10% more calories
- Clapping – Burns about 10% more calories
- Fingertip – Burns about 15% more calories
Dynamic pushup variations that involve unstable movements and greater range of motion tend to burn slightly more calories for the same number of reps.
Other Factors Impacting Calorie Burn
A few other things that influence calorie expenditure during pushups include:
- Rest periods – Taking short rest breaks can allow for greater exertion.
- Time under tension – Longer reps burn more calories.
- Muscle mass – More muscle requires more energy.
- Age – Younger people tend to burn more calories.
- Sex – Men often burn more calories than women.
In general, factors that allow you to do pushups with greater intensity and exertion will result in more calories burned.
How Many Calories Are Burned Per Minute?
Doing 200 pushups continuously takes most people 4-6 minutes to complete. Based on our estimates above, calories burned per minute doing pushups is:
- Beginner: ~50 calories per minute
- Intermediate: ~45 calories per minute
- Advanced: ~40 calories per minute
You can use these numbers to estimate calorie burn for any duration of pushups completed.
Calories Burned Per 100 Pushups
If you want to extrapolate the data above, here is how many calories are burned doing 100 pushups:
| Body Weight | Calories Burned Per 100 Pushups |
| 120 lbs (54 kg) | 100 calories |
| 155 lbs (70 kg) | 130 calories |
| 175 lbs (79 kg) | 140 calories |
| 200 lbs (91 kg) | 160 calories |
Use these estimates as a guide for shorter pushup workouts. Keep in mind endurance and intensity diminish as you go beyond about 75 reps.
Comparison to Other Exercises
How does pushup calorie burn compare to other common exercises? Here are estimates for a 155 lb (70 kg) person:
- Jogging – 300 calories per 30 minutes
- Jumping rope – 300 calories per 30 minutes
- Swimming – 300 calories per 30 minutes
- Biking – 260 calories per 30 minutes
- Pushups – 260 calories for 200 reps
Pushups burn a comparable number of calories to many traditional cardio exercises. Combining pushups with other bodyweight movements like squats, lunges, and planks can be an effective approach for fat loss.
Should You Do 200 Pushups a Day?
Doing 200 pushups daily can be an appropriate goal in some cases but is excessive for most people. Here are a few considerations:
- Performing pushups 7 days per week increases overtraining risk. Take 1-2 rest days.
- Spread the reps throughout the day for quicker recovery.
- Use alternate pushup types and hand positions to minimize strain.
- Ensure adequate protein intake and sleep to support muscle recovery.
- Adjust volume based on your recovery capacity and goals.
If done smartly, 200 daily pushups can help build upper body strength. But more is not always better when it comes to exercise. Listen to your body.
5 Pushup Workouts to Burn Calories
Here are some sample pushup routines and their estimated calorie burns to put this data into practice:
1. Beginner
- 100 standard pushups – 130 calories
- 60 second plank – 5 calories
- 60 jumping jacks – 30 calories
- Total: 165 calories
2. Intermediate
- 75 decline pushups – 140 calories
- 50 wide pushups – 120 calories
- 60 diamond pushups – 140 calories
- 60 crunches – 15 calories
- Total: 415 calories
3. Advanced
- 100 fingertip pushups – 150 calories
- 50 explosive pushups – 150 calories
- 40 clapping pushups – 120 calories
- Plank circuit – 20 calories
- Total: 440 calories
4. Upper Body
- 150 standard pushups – 195 calories
- 100 tricep dips – 120 calories
- 60 decline pushups – 110 calories
- Plank – 10 calories
- Total: 435 calories
5. Total Body Circuit
- 50 pushups – 65 calories
- 40 bodyweight squats – 40 calories
- 20 pushups – 25 calories
- 50 jumping lunges – 100 calories
- 15 pushups – 20 calories
- 60 mountain climbers – 40 calories
- Total: 290 calories
Conclusion
On average, doing 200 pushups will burn around 260 calories for a 155 pound person. Heavier and more novice individuals may burn up to 300 calories while lighter and more advanced exercisers may only burn around 200.
Factors like speed, form, rest periods, muscle mass, and pushup variation impact calorie expenditure. Integrating pushups into a varied workout routine can be an effective approach to burn calories and lose fat.
Be mindful not to overdo pushups daily as that can impair recovery. But performing 100-200 good reps 3-4 times per week can be a reasonable goal as part of a comprehensive bodyweight training program.
