Burning calories through exercise is an effective way to lose weight and improve your overall health and fitness. One common exercise that can help burn calories is pushups. But how many pushups do you need to do to burn 100 calories? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the calories burned from pushups and provide tips for maximizing your calorie burn.
How Many Calories Does a Pushup Burn?
The number of calories burned per pushup depends on a few key factors:
- Your body weight – Heavier individuals burn more calories per pushup
- Intensity – The speed and power of your pushups impacts calories burned
- Pushup variation – Different pushup types work muscles differently and impact calorie burn
On average, a 155 pound (70 kg) person will burn around 0.44 calories per standard pushup. So for a set of 10 pushups, that’s around 4.4 calories burned. This may not seem like much, but it can quickly add up over the course of a workout.
Calories Burned Per Pushup by Weight
Your body weight significantly impacts the calories you’ll burn per pushup. Heavier individuals have to work harder to complete pushups, burning more calories. Lighter individuals burn fewer calories for the same exercise.
Here’s an estimate of the calories burned per pushup based on body weight:
| Weight | Calories Burned Per Pushup |
|---|---|
| 100 lbs (45 kg) | 0.29 calories |
| 120 lbs (54 kg) | 0.35 calories |
| 140 lbs (63 kg) | 0.41 calories |
| 160 lbs (72 kg) | 0.46 calories |
| 180 lbs (81 kg) | 0.52 calories |
| 200 lbs (90 kg) | 0.58 calories |
As shown, an individual weighing 100 lbs would burn around 0.29 calories per pushup, while someone weighing 200 lbs would burn 0.58 calories. The difference of 0.29 extra calories burned per pushup for a heavier individual can add up over many repetitions.
How Pushup Intensity Impacts Calories Burned
Beyond just your body weight, the intensity at which you perform pushups also impacts your calorie burn. Pushups performed more powerfully and rapidly will burn more calories than slow, easy pushups.
Here’s how pushup intensity changes calorie burn:
- Slow pushups – 0.36 calories per pushup
- Moderate pushups – 0.44 calories per pushup
- Fast pushups – 0.58 calories per pushup
- Explosive pushups – 0.72 calories per pushup
Performing explosive pushups versus slow pushups nearly doubles the calories burned per rep. Pushing yourself to do higher intensity pushups can significantly increase your calorie expenditure.
Calories Burned Per Pushup by Variation
Beyond standard pushups, there are many pushup variations that work muscles differently. The type of pushup impacts the calories burned:
Standard Pushups
Standard pushups work the chest, triceps, and shoulders. They burn around 0.44 calories per pushup for a 155 lb person.
Wide Pushups
Wide pushups target the chest more. They work the same muscles as standard pushups but increase the range of motion. Wide pushups burn around 0.48 calories per rep.
Diamond Pushups
Diamond pushups work the triceps harder by placing hands closer together in a diamond shape. They burn 0.50 calories per rep since they increase triceps activation.
Decline Pushups
Decline pushups work the lower chest by elevating the feet. This variation burns 0.51 calories per pushup.
Pushup Jacks
Pushup jacks are performed explosively, combining a pushup and jumping the feet in and out. They burn around 0.58 calories per rep due to power output.
One Arm Pushups
One arm pushups build tremendous strength by distributing your body weight onto one arm. They torch 0.72 calories per rep since one side handles the strain.
Incorporating different pushup variations into your workout routine can target muscles from new angles while keeping your calorie burn high.
How Many Pushups to Burn 100 Calories?
Now that we know the average calories burned per pushup, we can calculate how many repetitions are required to burn 100 calories. Here’s a breakdown:
| Body Weight | # of Pushups Required for 100 Calories |
|---|---|
| 120 lbs | 286 pushups |
| 140 lbs | 244 pushups |
| 160 lbs | 217 pushups |
| 180 lbs | 192 pushups |
| 200 lbs | 172 pushups |
For a 155 lb person performing moderate intensity pushups, it would take around 227 pushups to burn 100 calories. At higher intensities like explosive pushups, around 139 reps are needed for a 100 calorie burn.
Burn 100 Calories in a Pushup Workout
While doing over 200 pushups may sound daunting, you can break up the reps into sets over a workout session. Here’s one way to structure 100 calories worth of pushups:
Warm Up
- 5 min light cardio warm up
- Arm circles, shoulder rolls, wrist rolls
- 5 pushups
Workout
- Set 1: 30 pushups
- Set 2: 25 pushups
- Set 3: 20 pushups
- Set 4: 15 pushups
- Set 5: 10 pushups
Cool Down
- Child’s pose hold 30 seconds
- Forearm stretches 30 seconds each
- Shoulder stretches 30 seconds each
This workout progresses from higher to lower rep sets, allowing sufficient rest while accumulating over 100 reps. Warming up and cooling down enhances blood flow to working muscles.
Tips to Maximize Calories Burned from Pushups
Here are some tips to burn even more calories through your pushup workout:
Increase Number of Reps
Simply doing more pushups at a moderate intensity will burn additional calories. Build towards higher volume workouts to maximize calorie expenditure.
Reduce Rest Between Sets
Minimizing rest time keeps your heart rate elevated, enhancing calorie burn. With less rest, your body works harder.
Try Intervals
Interval training alternates high and low intensity. Do explosive pushups for 30 seconds, then standard pushups for 30 seconds. This spikes calorie burn.
Add Weight
Wearing a weighted vest or backpack during pushups makes them harder, torching extra calories. But increase weight gradually to prevent injury.
Combine with Other Exercises
Pair pushups with squats, planks, and lunges for a full body workout that burns additional calories.
The Benefits of Calorie Burning Pushup Workouts
Burning 100 calories through pushups provides many excellent health and fitness benefits:
- Enhances metabolism – More muscle activation through resistance training boosts your metabolic rate.
- Builds upper body strength – Pushups progressively load muscles to increase strength in the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.
- Convenient cardio option – Pushups raise your heart rate without equipment, providing cardiovascular benefits.
- Helps control weight – The extra calorie expenditure contributes to daily negative energy balance needed for weight loss.
- Improves posture – Pushups strengthen back muscles, reducing slouching and improving alignment.
Sample 100 Calorie Pushup Workouts
Here are two 100 calorie pushup workout examples you can try:
Beginner 100 Calorie Pushup Workout
This beginner pushup workout accumulates around 120 reps with rest between sets.
- Set 1: 20 pushups
- Set 2: 20 pushups
- Set 3: 15 pushups
- Set 4: 15 pushups
- Set 5: 15 pushups
- Set 6: 15 pushups
- Set 7: 10 pushups
- Set 8: 10 pushups
Advanced 100 Calorie Pushup Pyramid
This advanced workout uses a pyramid structure progressing to a peak volume set.
- Set 1: 10 pushups
- Set 2: 15 pushups
- Set 3: 20 pushups
- Set 4: 25 pushups
- Set 5: 30 pushups
- Set 6: 25 pushups
- Set 7: 20 pushups
- Set 8: 15 pushups
- Set 9: 10 pushups
Conclusion
Performing around 200 pushups can burn 100 calories for most people. But calorie expenditure depends on intensity, individual weight, and pushup variations. Integrating calorie burning pushup workouts into your fitness routine provides many benefits beyond fat loss, like building upper body strength, improving posture, and enhancing your cardiovascular fitness. Track your pushup reps and aim to increase volume over time for continued calorie burn.
