# Squat Calorie Calculator

> A 155 lb person burns about 0.5 calories per bodyweight squat. Fifty squats in 5 minutes burn about 34 calories, and 100 squats over 10 minutes burn about 68. Jump squats in an interval workout burn far more, about 129 calories in 10 minutes.

**Last updated:** September 2026
**URL:** https://bodyhealthcalculator.com/squat-calorie-calculator
**Category:** Calories Burned by Exercise

## How it works

Bodyweight squats: calories = reps × 0.50 kcal × (body weight ÷ 66.1 kg) + 1.35 kcal per minute × (body weight ÷ 66.1 kg) × minutes, from measured oxygen use in Nakagata et al. (2022). Other types use MET × body weight (kg) × hours with 2024 Adult Compendium codes 02057 (6.5 MET), 02052 (5.0 MET), and 02214 (11.0 MET).

## How many calories do squats burn?

A 155 lb person burns about 0.5 calories per bodyweight squat, plus the cost of standing between reps. Fifty squats in 5 minutes burn about 34 calories and 100 squats over 10 minutes burn about 68. Jump squats in an interval workout burn far more, about 129 calories in 10 minutes. The bodyweight figures come from a lab study that measured oxygen use during squats at set speeds. The other squat types use values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.

Sources: [2] [1]

## Squat calories by reps and body weight

Each row lists total squats and the time it took, including rest between sets.

*Calories burned doing bodyweight squats (Nakagata rep model)*

| Squats and time | 125 lb | 155 lb | 185 lb |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 10 squats in 1 min | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| 20 squats in 2 min | 11 | 14 | 16 |
| 50 squats in 5 min | 27 | 34 | 40 |
| 100 squats in 10 min | 54 | 68 | 81 |

## Weighted, circuit, and jump squats

For squat workouts measured by time, the calculator uses Compendium values. Each row is a 10-minute total.

*Calories burned in 10 minutes of squat workouts (2024 Compendium METs)*

| Squat type | MET | 125 lb | 155 lb | 185 lb |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Weighted squats, with rest | 5.0 | 47 | 59 | 70 |
| Fast bodyweight squat circuit | 6.5 | 61 | 76 | 91 |
| Jump squats in intervals | 11.0 | 104 | 129 | 154 |

## How the calculator works

Nakagata and colleagues had 15 men squat at rising cadences, 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up, while measuring oxygen use. Energy rose in a straight line with pace: gross kcal per minute = 0.50 × squats per minute + 1.35. The men averaged 66.1 kg, so the calculator scales both numbers by your body weight divided by 66.1. At 10 squats per minute that works out to about 5.4 MET for a 66 kg person.

Worked example: a 200 lb person (90.7 kg) does 4 sets of 25 bodyweight squats in 9 minutes.

Scale = 90.7 ÷ 66.1 = 1.37. Squat work = 100 × 0.50 × 1.37 = 69 kcal. Standing and resting = 1.35 × 1.37 × 9 = 17 kcal. Total = about 85 kcal, an average of about 6.3 MET.

For weighted, circuit, and jump squats: calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours.

Sources: [2] [1]

## Squats compared with other moves

In a 2024 lab comparison of seven bodyweight exercises, squats sat in the middle of the group, above the plank and lunges and well below burpees. A slow bodyweight routine with squats, push-ups, lunges, and core work averaged 3.1 MET over 26.5 minutes, about the same as walking.

Squats become a calorie burner when you speed them up or add a jump. Slow, controlled squats build strength and burn modest amounts of energy.

Sources: [3] [4]

## Strength, blood sugar, and blood pressure

Bodyweight squats can build leg strength. In a 6-week trial, 13 sedentary young women did either progressive bodyweight squats or barbell back squats twice a week. Both groups gained similar knee strength and muscle thickness in the thigh, hip, and calf. Body fat fell only in the barbell group.

Short squat breaks can help after meals. In a lab study, 14 adults sat for 7.5 hours and either stayed seated, walked for 2 minutes, or did 15 chair stands every 30 minutes. Over the 3 hours after lunch, chair stands cut the insulin response by about 24% compared with sitting still.

Holding a squat against a wall is a form of isometric training. A 2023 meta-analysis of 270 trials found isometric training lowered resting blood pressure the most of any exercise type, and the wall squat ranked highest for systolic pressure.

Sources: [5] [6] [7]

## Where these numbers can be off

The rep model was built on 15 young men squatting to a set depth at a slow tempo.

Deeper squats, faster reps, or a much heavier body may shift the cost. The Compendium values for weighted and jump squats assume typical rest patterns.

Hard sets also raise oxygen use for a short time afterwards. The calculator reports energy used during the session.

Sources: [2] [1]

## FAQ

### How many calories does one squat burn?

About 0.5 kcal per bodyweight squat for a 155 lb person, plus the cost of standing between reps. A 125 lb person burns about 0.43 kcal per squat and a 185 lb person about 0.63 kcal.

### How many calories do 100 squats burn?

For a 155 lb (70 kg) person spreading 100 bodyweight squats over 10 minutes: about 68 kcal. At 125 lb it is about 54 kcal and at 185 lb about 81 kcal.

### Do weighted squats burn more calories?

Per rep, yes, because you move more mass. Per minute, a lifting session often burns less than a fast bodyweight circuit because you rest longer between heavy sets. The Compendium rates squats and deadlifts at 5.0 MET.

### Do jump squats burn more than regular squats?

Yes. Jump squats in an interval workout rate 11.0 MET, about 129 kcal in 10 minutes for a 155 lb person. The same 10 minutes of steady bodyweight squats at 10 per minute burns about 68 kcal.

### Can bodyweight squats build muscle?

In a 6-week trial in sedentary young women, progressive bodyweight squats built leg strength and muscle thickness about as well as barbell squats. Only the barbell group lost body fat.

### Do short bouts of squats help blood sugar?

In one lab study, 15 chair stands every 30 minutes during a long sit cut the insulin response to lunch by about 24% over 3 hours compared with sitting still. Short squat breaks are a simple way to interrupt sitting.

## References

1. Herrmann SD, et al. J Sport Health Sci 2024. [2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2023.10.010)
2. Nakagata T, et al. J Strength Cond Res 2022. [Estimating energy cost of body weight resistance exercise using a multistage exercise test](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32379233/)
3. Poulios A, et al. J Strength Cond Res 2024. [The energy expenditure associated with body-weight resistance exercises of various movement patterns performed at different durations](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39178048/)
4. Nakagata T, et al. Physiol Int 2018. [Energy expenditure, recovery oxygen consumption, and substrate oxidation during and after body weight resistance exercise with slow movement compared to treadmill walking](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30587026/)
5. Wei W, et al. Sci Rep 2023. [Effects of progressive body-weight versus barbell back squat training on strength, hypertrophy and body fat among sedentary young women](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37598268/)
6. Gillen JB, et al. J Appl Physiol 2021. [Interrupting prolonged sitting with repeated chair stands or short walks reduces postprandial insulinemia in healthy adults](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33180640/)
7. Edwards JJ, et al. Br J Sports Med 2023. [Exercise training and resting blood pressure: a large-scale pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37491419/)
8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition](https://odphp.health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines/current-guidelines)

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