Curious about how many calories does sex burn? While it won’t replace your gym routine, sex can help burn some calories. On average, you might burn 3-4 calories per minute. Dive in to learn more.
Forgetjogging,Pilates, orHIIT workoutsfor a min — can sex add to your daily calorie burn?
Whilesexdefinitely can’t compete withCrossFitandrunningwhen it comes tocalorie expenditure, youcanexpect to burn a few calories when you hop in the sack.
How many calories are burned during sex?
According to afewstudies, people burn on average 3 to 4 calories per minute duringsex. And since the average sexual act is an estimated6 minutes, that means that, on average, having sex burns about 21 calories.
Let’s talk about sex: Calculating how many calories you burn having sex
In asmall 2013 studyof 21 straight, healthycouplesin their early 20s, researchers found that on average men burned 101 calories (4.2 cals/min) and women burned 69 calories (3.1 cals/min) during 24-minute sex sessions (including foreplay). Participants wore armbands to track activity and measure calories burned during four sexual acts.
Researchers concluded thatsexcan sometimes be considered a “significant exercise.” But TBH, the couples in this study seemed to be spending more time doing the deed than average.
In a2013 review, researchers claimed burning 100 to 300 calories during sex is amyth. According to their research, a 150-pound man working at a moderate intensity would burn 3.5 cals/min during sex, which is similar to walking at a3 mile-per-hour pace. However, since sex on averagelasts 5 to 6 minutes, that adds up to just 21 calories burned during an average sexcapade.
They also note that justwatching TVfor 6 minutes expends one-third of that (7 cals) — probably to make the point that sex isn’t typically a calorie-torching workout.
The bottom line on calories burned during sex
People may burn on average 3 to 4 cals/min during sex at moderate intensity.
While people often claim that you may burn 100 to 300 cals per sexual act, you’ll need to go for at least 25 mins to make that happen.
So, whether you’re going at it for 2 mins or 20, the length of time and intensity will affect how many calories you burn.
Get physical: How to boost calories burned during sex
Want to boost calories burned while bumping and grinding? Here’s what to do:
What are the other health benefits of sex?
Aside from feeling amazing, sex comes withhealth perksfar better than burning a few calories:
Estimates vary, but a few studies suggest thatsexat average intensity burns about 3 to 4 cals/min, or about the same aswalkingat a moderate pace.
But unless you’re doing marathon sex seshes or contorting yourself like you’re in Cirque du Soleil (and if so, more power to you), don’t bank on it burning a ton of calories.
But hey, sex has a lot of otherbenefitsaside from burning calories. Ultimately sex should be enjoyed, and not just another workout.
