How many caloriesdo push-ups burn?
Push-ups burn roughly 4 to 14 calories per minute depending on how hard you go, or about 3 to 7 calories per set of 10 to 15 reps. Body weight and pace decide where you land.
Push-ups burn somewhere between about 4 and 14 calories per minute for most adults, which comes out to roughly 3 to 7 calories for a typical set of 10 to 15 reps. The range is wide because push-ups can be slow and controlled or fast and explosive, and that intensity gap changes everything.
On the standard intensity scale, moderate push-ups sit near 3.8 METs while vigorous, non-stop sets climb toward 8 METs. Body weight matters too, since a heavier body moves more mass on every rep. Together those two factors explain most of the difference between one person and the next.
Below is the simple math, a table you can read your own weight off of, and the honest caveat that push-ups burn modestly compared with sustained cardio. Their real payoff is upper-body strength, not the calorie line.
The quick math
Calorie burn is usually estimated with METs, or metabolic equivalents, a standard measure of exercise intensity. Moderate calisthenics like steady push-ups sit around 3.8 METs; vigorous, continuous sets are closer to 8 METs. The per-minute formula is METs times 3.5 times your body weight in kilograms, divided by 200.
For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, that is roughly 5 calories a minute at a moderate pace and close to 10 at a vigorous one. A set of 10 to 15 push-ups usually takes 30 to 45 seconds, so a single set lands at only about 3 to 7 calories. The reps add up across a workout, not within one set.
Why your number is different from someone else’s
Two people can do the same 10 push-ups and burn different amounts. Pace and effort are the biggest levers here: fast, unbroken reps keep intensity near the vigorous end, while slow reps with pauses drop it toward moderate. Body weight is the other main factor, since you are pressing a share of your own mass.
Form changes the cost too. Full range of motion, a tight core, and no resting on the floor all keep the muscles working, which nudges the burn up. Rest between sets pulls the average down, because the per-minute rate only counts the time you are actually moving.
- Pace: fast, continuous sets can nearly double the per-minute burn of slow ones.
- Body weight: heavier lifters move more mass per rep and burn more.
- Range and form: full reps with a braced core work more muscle.
- Rest: the per-minute rate applies only to active time, not breaks.
Do push-ups burn many calories?
Directly, not many. Even 100 push-ups spread across a workout might only burn 30 to 50 calories, far less than the several hundred a long walk or run adds up to. Strength moves like these are simply not designed to keep you in continuous motion for long stretches.
The bigger picture is muscle. Push-ups build the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core, and added muscle raises the calories you burn at rest over time. So the strongest case for push-ups is what they do to your body between workouts, not the calories burned during the set itself.
Where push-ups fit for weight loss
Push-ups support weight loss mostly indirectly. The direct burn is small and easy to offset with food, so what you eat still decides whether you end the day in a deficit. Where they help is by preserving and building lean muscle while you diet, which keeps your metabolism higher than cutting calories alone would.
Pair a simple push-up habit with tracking what you eat and you get both sides of the equation working. The strength side protects muscle; the food side creates the deficit that actually changes the scale.
| Body weight | Moderate, per min | Vigorous, per min |
|---|---|---|
| 55 kg / 120 lb | ~4 cal | ~8 cal |
| 70 kg / 154 lb | ~5 cal | ~10 cal |
| 85 kg / 187 lb | ~6 cal | ~12 cal |
| 100 kg / 220 lb | ~7 cal | ~14 cal |
Estimate calories for walking and steps
Our calculator is built for walking and steps, so it estimates those. For push-ups, use the per-minute MET math above. Both rely on the same underlying formula.
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What this is based on.
- 01Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.). MET values for moderate and vigorous calisthenics used in the per-minute formula.
- 02Harvard Health Publishing, calories burned in physical activities. Weight-banded estimates for calisthenics consistent with the table above.
- 03ACSM guidance on resistance training and energy expenditure. Supports the modest direct burn and the muscle-building role described here.
Questions, answered.
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