How Many Calories Are Burned by Doing Squats?
If you’re trying to lose weight or get in shape, you’ve probably wondered how many calories are burned by doing squats. Squats are one of the most popular exercises because they work multiple muscle groups at once and can be done anywhere without equipment. But understanding exactly how many calories you burn during squats can help you plan better workouts and reach your fitness goals faster.
This complete guide will explain everything you need to know about calories burned during squats, including factors that affect calorie burn, comparisons with other exercises, and practical tips to maximize your results.
Understanding Calorie Burn During Squats
Before diving into specific numbers, it’s important to understand that calorie burn depends on many factors. When asking how many calories are burned by doing squats, there’s no single answer that fits everyone. Your body weight, workout intensity, speed, and whether you use weights all play significant roles.
On average, a person weighing 155 pounds burns approximately 5-8 calories per minute doing bodyweight squats at a moderate pace. This means about 35-56 calories burned in a 7-minute squat session. However, this number can be much higher or lower depending on your individual circumstances.
Factors That Affect Calorie Burn
Our Body Weight: Heavier people burn more calories doing the same exercise because their bodies work harder to move more mass. A 125-pound person might burn 4-6 calories per minute, while a 185-pound person could burn 7-10 calories per minute.
Exercise Intensity: Doing squats quickly or adding explosive movements like jump squats dramatically increases calorie burn. High-intensity squats can burn 50-100% more calories than slow, controlled movements.
Workout Duration: Obviously, the longer you squat, the more calories you burn. A 5-minute session burns less than a 20-minute session, but quality matters more than quantity.
Muscle Mass: People with more muscle burn more calories during and after exercise because muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat tissue.
Form and Depth: Proper squat form that goes deeper activates more muscle fibers and burns more calories than shallow, improper squats.
Rest Periods: Taking shorter rest periods between sets keeps your heart rate elevated and increases overall calorie burn during your workout.
Squat Calorie Calculator
How Many Calories Does Squats Burn With Weights?
Adding weights to your squats significantly increases the number of calories you burn. When you ask how many calories does squats burn with weights, the answer is noticeably higher than bodyweight squats alone.
Weighted Squats Calorie Burn:
Light weights (10-20 lbs) burn 8-12 calories per minute
Moderate weights (30-50 lbs) burn 10-15 calories per minute
Heavy weights (60+ lbs) burn 12-18 calories per minute
A 155-pound person doing weighted squats with moderate resistance can burn approximately 70-105 calories in a 7-minute session, compared to 35-56 calories with bodyweight squats. That’s nearly double the calorie burn!
Why Weighted Squats Burn More Calories
Increased Muscle Engagement: Weights force your muscles to work harder, recruiting more muscle fibers throughout your legs, glutes, and core.
Higher Heart Rate: Your cardiovascular system works overtime to supply oxygen and nutrients to working muscles, elevating your heart rate and metabolic rate.
Greater Energy Expenditure: Moving additional weight requires more energy, directly translating to more calories burned per repetition.
When considering how many calories does squats burn with weights, remember that proper form is essential. Never sacrifice form for heavier weights, as this increases injury risk and actually reduces effectiveness.
100 Squats Burn How Many Calories?
One of the most common questions people ask is 100 squats burn how many calories? This specific number interests many people because 100 squats is a popular workout challenge and daily goal.
For Bodyweight Squats:
- 125-pound person approximately burns 15-20 calories
- 155-pound person approximately burns 20-25 calories
- 185-pound person: approximately burns 25-32 calories
For Weighted Squats:
- 125-pound person with moderate weights burns approximately 30-38 calories
- 155-pound person with moderate weights burns approximately 38-48 calories
- 185-pound person with moderate weights burns approximately 45-60 calories
The time it takes to complete 100 squats also matters. If you do them quickly in 3-4 minutes, you might burn slightly fewer calories than spreading them over 7-10 minutes with controlled form. However, faster squats increase intensity, so the difference isn’t dramatic.
Understanding 100 squats burn how many calories helps you set realistic expectations. While 100 squats is an excellent workout component, it alone won’t create massive calorie deficits for weight loss. You’ll need to combine squats with other exercises and proper nutrition for the best results.
Different Types of Squats and Calorie Burn
Not all squats are created equal when it comes to calorie burn. Here’s how different squat variations compare:
- Bodyweight Squats: 5-8 calories per minute
- Jump Squats: 10-14 calories per minute
- Goblet Squats: 8-12 calories per minute
- Barbell Back Squats: 12-18 calories per minute
- Pistol Squats: 9-13 calories per minute
- Sumo Squats: 6-9 calories per minute
- Bulgarian Split Squats: 8-11 calories per minute
Incorporating various squat types into your routine prevents boredom and challenges your muscles in different ways, potentially increasing overall calorie burn.
Maximizing Calorie Burn During Squats
If you want to maximize how many calories are burned by doing squats, try these proven strategies:
Increase Workout Intensity
Perform squats faster, add explosive movements like jump squats, or decrease rest periods between sets. Higher intensity means higher calorie burn.
Add Resistance Progressively
Gradually increase the weight you’re using. As you get stronger, your body adapts, so you need more resistance to maintain the same calorie-burning effect.
Perform Higher Repetitions
While heavy weights with low reps build strength, higher rep ranges (15-25 reps) with moderate weights excel at burning calories and building muscular endurance.
Combine With Other Exercises
Create circuit-style workouts alternating squats with other exercises like push-ups, lunges, or burpees. Minimal rest between exercises keeps your heart rate elevated for maximum calorie burn.
Focus on Proper Form
Deeper squats with proper form activate more muscle fibers than shallow, improper squats. Go as deep as your mobility allows while maintaining good form.
Try Squat Challenges
30-day squat challenges or high-volume squat days (like 200-300 squats) create significant calorie burn and improve muscular endurance.
Squats for Weight Loss: What to Expect
Understanding how many calories are burned by doing squats helps set realistic weight loss expectations. To lose one pound of fat, you need to burn approximately 3500 calories more than you consume.
If you do 100 squats daily and burn 25 calories each session, that’s 175 calories per week or about 700 calories per month. While this alone won’t create dramatic weight loss, combined with other exercises and a healthy diet, squats become a powerful tool in your fitness arsenal.
The real benefit of squats for weight loss comes from the muscle they build. More muscle means a higher resting metabolic rate, so you burn more calories even when not exercising. This long-term metabolic boost makes squats invaluable for sustainable weight loss.
Common Mistakes That Reduce Calorie Burn
Avoid these mistakes that limit how many calories are burned by doing squats:
- Poor Form: Improper technique reduces muscle engagement and calorie burn while increasing injury risk.
- Going Too Light: If you can easily do 30+ reps, your weight is too light to maximize calorie burn.
- Resting Too Long: Taking 3-5 minute rest periods significantly reduces overall workout calorie burn.
- Skipping Depth: Shallow squats work fewer muscle fibers and burn fewer calories.
- Inconsistent Training: Sporadic workouts don’t build the muscle mass needed for increased metabolic rate.
Practical Workout Examples
Here are three squat workouts with estimated calorie burns for a 155-pound person
Beginner Workout
- 3 sets of 15 bodyweight squats
- 2 minutes rest between sets
- Estimated burn: 50-65 calories
Intermediate Workout
- 4 sets of 12 goblet squats (moderate weight)
- 4 sets of 10 jump squats
- 90 seconds rest between sets
- Estimated burn: 140-180 calories
Advanced Workout
- 5 sets of 8 barbell back squats (heavy weight)
- 3 sets of 15 jump squats
- 3 sets of 20 bodyweight squats
- 60-90 seconds rest between sets
- Estimated burn: 200-270 calories
Final Thoughts
So, how many calories are burned by doing squats? The answer depends on your body weight, the type of squats you do, workout intensity, and duration. Bodyweight squats burn approximately 5-8 calories per minute, while weighted squats can burn 12-18 calories per minute.
For those wondering, 100 squats burn how many calories, expect to burn 15-32 calories for bodyweight squats and 30-60 calories for weighted squats, depending on your weight. And when asking how many calories squats burn with weights, you can expect nearly double the calorie burn compared to bodyweight squats.
Remember that squats offer benefits beyond immediate calorie burn. They build muscle mass that increases your resting metabolic rate, improves functional strength, and creates an afterburn effect that continues burning calories long after your workout ends.
Include squats in your regular fitness routine, progressively increase intensity and resistance, and combine them with other exercises and proper nutrition for optimal results. Whether your goal is weight loss, muscle building, or improved fitness, understanding squat calorie burn helps you create more effective workout plans and achieve your goals faster.
