How many calories does pickleball burn?
Enter your weight and how long you played. The estimate uses the intensity measured in players wearing lab equipment, not a guess from another sport.
Calories (kcal) burned. About 0 steps in that time.
An estimate, not a measurement. Calories = METs × weight in kg × hours. 4.1 METs is the average measured in recreational players; 3.1 and 5.1 are one standard deviation either side. Includes the calories you'd burn at rest. Read the research →
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Claim your free intro →Calories burned playing pickleball, by weight
Typical recreational intensity (4.1 METs), with the easy-to-hard range for one hour in the last column.
| Body weight | 30 min | 1 hour | 2 hours | 1 hour, easy to hard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb (54 kg) | 112 | 223 | 446 | 169–278 |
| 140 lb (64 kg) | 130 | 260 | 521 | 197–324 |
| 160 lb (73 kg) | 149 | 298 | 595 | 225–370 |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | 167 | 335 | 670 | 253–416 |
| 200 lb (91 kg) | 186 | 372 | 744 | 281–463 |
| 220 lb (100 kg) | 205 | 409 | 818 | 309–509 |
| 240 lb (109 kg) | 223 | 446 | 893 | 337–555 |
Where the numbers come from
Intensity: 4.1 METs. In a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, researchers at Western State Colorado University fitted 15 recreational players aged 40 to 85 with portable gas analysers and heart-rate monitors during 60 minutes of doubles. They averaged 4.1 ± 1.0 METs and 353.5 calories per 60 minutes (Dalleck et al., ACE, 2018). The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the standard MET reference, has no pickleball entry. Its companion Older Adult Compendium lists "pickleball, competitive" at 5.3 METs (code 1552560), but on a scale where 1 MET is 2.7 ml of oxygen per kg per minute instead of the usual 3.5. Converted, that's 14.3 ml/kg/min, or 4.1 standard METs: the same figure.
Formula. One MET is 1 kcal per kilogram per hour (Adult Compendium), so calories = METs × kg × hours. At the study group's average weight of 76.3 kg, 4.1 METs gives 313 kcal an hour, a little below the 353.5 they measured directly. Treat the middle number as a fair-to-conservative estimate.
Steps. A University of Manitoba study of 53 players with an average age of 62 counted 3,322 steps an hour in singles and 2,791 in doubles (Webber et al., 2022). The calculator uses those rates.
Singles vs. doubles. The same study found almost identical average heart rates (111.6 and 111.5 bpm) but more moderate-intensity movement in singles: 80.5% of playing time against 50.4%. No study has measured singles METs directly, so the calculator doesn't change the calorie figure for singles. Expect to land toward the "hard rallies" end in singles.
What it can't know. Your fitness, your skill level, how much of your hour is spent waiting for a court, and whether you play casual dinks or fast hands battles. Only count time on court, and see the full explainer for how to burn more.
Questions
How many calories does an hour of pickleball burn?
In the only published lab measurement, 15 recreational players aged 40 to 85 burned an average of 353.5 calories per 60 minutes of doubles, working at 4.1 METs (ACE-sponsored study, Western State Colorado University, 2018). Using 4.1 METs, a 150-pound player burns about 280 calories an hour and a 200-pound player about 370.
How many calories do 2 hours of pickleball burn?
About twice the hourly figure: roughly 560 calories for a 150-pound player and 740 for a 200-pound player at the study-average intensity of 4.1 METs. Breaks between games lower the real total, so log only time spent playing.
Is singles or doubles better for burning calories?
Singles. A 2022 University of Manitoba study found singles players took 3,322 steps per hour against 2,791 in doubles, and spent 80.5% of playing time at moderate intensity by accelerometer, against 50.4% for doubles. Heart rates were similar, about 111 beats per minute in both.
Are smartwatch calorie counts accurate for pickleball?
Not very. A 2024 UNLV study found watch calorie estimates during pickleball were off by 19% to 28% on average, while heart-rate readings were accurate to within about 3% to 6%.
What is a MET?
A metabolic equivalent. One MET is the energy you burn sitting still, defined as 1 kilocalorie per kilogram of body weight per hour. Calories burned = METs x weight in kg x hours.
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