Short answer: an hour of recreational doubles burns roughly 280 calories at 150 lb, 335 at 180 lb and 370 at 200 lb. That’s based on the one lab study that measured pickleball players’ oxygen use directly: they averaged 4.1 METs and 353.5 calories per 60 minutes (Dalleck et al., ACE, 2018). Two hours roughly doubles it. Singles moves you more, so expect the higher end.
Want your own number? Use our pickleball calories burned calculator. It takes your weight, minutes played and format.
Source: Dalleck et al., ACE-sponsored study (2018); Webber et al., Journal of Aging and Physical Activity (2022)
Calories burned playing pickleball, by weight and time
Calculated as METs × body weight in kg × hours, at the measured average of 4.1 METs. One MET is 1 kcal per kilogram per hour, as defined by the Compendium of Physical Activities.
| Body weight | 30 min | 1 hour | 90 min | 2 hours | 3 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb (54 kg) | 112 | 223 | 335 | 446 | 670 |
| 150 lb (68 kg) | 139 | 279 | 418 | 558 | 837 |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | 167 | 335 | 502 | 670 | 1,004 |
| 200 lb (91 kg) | 186 | 372 | 558 | 744 | 1,116 |
| 250 lb (113 kg) | 232 | 465 | 697 | 930 | 1,395 |
These figures include the calories you’d burn anyway sitting still (about 1 MET). Count time actually playing, not time at the courts. In open play, waiting for a court can be a third of your session or more.
At 4.1 METs, the average measured in recreational players. Easy play (3.1 METs) is about 24% lower; hard rallies (5.1 METs) about 24% higher.
Source: Pickleland calculation from Dalleck et al. (ACE, 2018) and the Compendium MET definition
Where the 4.1 METs comes from
Most “calories burned” pages for pickleball borrow a MET value from another sport, often paddleball (6.0) or tennis. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the standard reference, has no entry for pickleball. So we went to the measurements:
- The ACE study (2018). Researchers at Western State Colorado University put 15 recreational players aged 40 to 85 in portable metabolic systems and heart-rate monitors for four 15-minute doubles matches. They averaged 4.1 ± 1.0 METs, 5.9 calories per minute and 353.5 calories per 60 minutes. Heart rates ranged from 79 to 158 bpm. Women averaged 330 calories an hour, men 381.6 (ACE study PDF).
- The Older Adult Compendium (2024). It does list “pickleball, competitive” at 5.3 METs, but on its own scale, where 1 MET is 2.7 ml of oxygen per kg per minute, not 3.5. Converted to standard METs, that’s 14.3 ml/kg/min ÷ 3.5 = 4.1 METs, the same figure (Older Adult Compendium).
Two different sources, one number. That’s why we use 4.1.
Why other calculators say more
Using paddleball’s 6.0 METs gives answers 46% higher than the measured value. That’s where claims of “600 calories an hour” come from. Paddleball (as the Compendium lists it) is a faster, racquetball-like sport, not pickleball.
Higher METs burn more calories per minute. Pickleball from measured players; the others from the Compendium.
Source: Dalleck et al. (ACE, 2018); 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, codes 15660, 15685, 15285, 15030, 15500, 15690
Singles vs. doubles
A University of Manitoba study tracked 22 singles and 31 doubles players (average age 62) with heart-rate watches and accelerometers (Webber et al., 2022):
| Singles | Doubles | |
|---|---|---|
| Average heart rate | 111.6 bpm (70.3% of predicted max) | 111.5 bpm (71.2% of predicted max) |
| Time at moderate or vigorous heart rate | Over 70% | Over 70% |
| Time at moderate intensity by accelerometer | 80.5% | 50.4% |
| Steps per hour | 3,322 | 2,791 |
Heart rates were the same, but singles players moved more. Nobody has measured singles METs directly, so we can’t put an exact number on the difference. A reasonable assumption is that singles sits toward the upper end of the measured range (about 5 METs).
What changes how many calories you burn
- Body weight. It’s in the formula directly. Moving a heavier body costs more energy.
- Format. Singles covers more ground than doubles (above).
- Style of play. Long dinking rallies are lower intensity than fast exchanges and lots of movement to the baseline. The ACE players ranged from 1.5 to 7.7 METs moment to moment.
- Time on court vs. time waiting. The biggest factor in real life. Two hours at open play might be 75 minutes of actual play.
- Fitness and age. The same game is harder work for a less fit player. Heart rate is a good guide.
Can you trust your smartwatch?
For heart rate, mostly yes. For calories, not really. A 2024 UNLV study compared four wrist and arm devices with a lab metabolic system during simulated pickleball. Heart-rate error was 3% to 6%. Calorie estimates were off by 19% to 28% on average, and neither tested device was valid for energy expenditure (Navalta et al., 2024). Use your watch’s heart rate to judge effort, and treat its calorie number as a rough guess.
Is pickleball good exercise for weight loss?
It counts as moderate-intensity exercise. US guidelines call for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity (HHS Physical Activity Guidelines, 2nd edition), and three one-hour sessions of pickleball cover that. The six-week ACE program, three hours a week, didn’t change participants’ weight, waist or body fat. It did lower blood pressure (systolic −4.75 mmHg), improve LDL and HDL cholesterol and raise VO2max by 3.1 ml/kg/min. So it’s good for your heart. For weight loss, diet matters too. We go further in pickleball and weight loss and is pickleball good cardio.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories does 1 hour of pickleball burn?
About 280 calories at 150 lb and 370 at 200 lb, using the measured 4.1 METs. The ACE study group, average weight 76 kg (168 lb), burned 353.5 calories per 60 minutes.
How many calories do 2 hours of pickleball burn?
About 560 calories at 150 lb and 740 at 200 lb of actual playing time. If part of the two hours is spent waiting for a court, the real total is lower.
How many calories does 30 minutes of pickleball burn?
About 140 calories at 150 lb and 186 at 200 lb.
Does pickleball burn more calories than walking?
A little more than an ordinary walk, a little less than a brisk one. In the 2024 Compendium, walking at 2.8–3.4 mph is 3.8 METs and a brisk 3.5–3.9 mph walk is 4.8 METs. Measured recreational pickleball, at 4.1 METs, sits between them. Singles likely burns more.
Does singles burn more calories than doubles?
Very likely. Singles players took 3,322 steps an hour against 2,791 in doubles, and spent 80.5% of playing time at moderate intensity by accelerometer against 50.4% (Webber et al., 2022).
Is pickleball a good workout?
Yes. Measured heart rates average about 70% of predicted maximum, which is moderate-to-vigorous intensity. Three hours a week meets the US guideline of 150 minutes of moderate activity.