Kayaking — Calories Burned Calculator
Moderate-effort paddling in calm conditions. Wind, current, waves and hull drag change the real energy cost substantially from one outing to the next. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists Kayaking, moderate effort at 5 METs: at 154 lb (70 kg) that is about 183 kcal in 30 minutes, 147 kcal of it above rest.
Kayaking — Calories Burned Calculator reference last updated · reference source
Loading calculator…
Dated static reference; no live data is fetched. Verify current source values and assumptions before relying on results.
What this tool does
Moderate-effort paddling in calm conditions. Wind, current, waves and hull drag change the real energy cost substantially from one outing to the next. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists Kayaking, moderate effort at 5 METs: at 154 lb (70 kg) that is about 183 kcal in 30 minutes, 147 kcal of it above rest.
How to use the Kayaking — Calories Burned Calculator
- Check Activity (Compendium MET): 5.
- Review the Kayaking — Calories Burned Calculator result and its exact-value comparison table.
- Verify assumptions before applying the result.
Formula
gross kcal = MET × 3.5 × weight kg / 200 × minutes; net above-rest kcal = (MET − 1) × 3.5 × kg / 200 × minutes (Compendium of Physical Activities)
- met
- Activity (Compendium MET)
- weight
- Body weight (lb, before metric conversion)
- minutes
- Activity minutes
MET values are Compendium general-activity values (Ainsworth et al.); individual speed, grade, technique and physiology change actual energy use. The §C preset activity pages reuse this same MET table.
Worked example
Kayaking — Calories Burned Calculator: Activity (Compendium MET) = 5. Moderate-effort paddling in calm conditions. Wind, current, waves and hull drag change the real energy cost substantially from one outing to the next. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists Kayaking, moderate effort at 5 METs: at 154 lb (70 kg) that is about 183 kcal in 30 minutes, 147 kcal of it above rest.
Inputs
- Activity (Compendium MET)Elliptical trainer, moderate effort — MET 5
- Body weight154 lb
- Activity minutes30
Result
- Estimated gross calories (kcal)183.36
- Estimated net calories above rest (kcal)146.69
Kayaking calories by duration at 154 lb (70 kg)
| Duration | Gross kcal | Net kcal above rest |
|---|---|---|
| 15 min | 92 | 73 |
| 30 min | 183 | 147 |
| 45 min | 275 | 220 |
| 60 min | 367 | 293 |
| 90 min | 550 | 440 |
| 120 min | 733 | 587 |
Results explained
- Estimated gross calories (kcal)
- Estimated gross calories (kcal) from the formula above. MET values are Compendium general-activity values (Ainsworth et al.); individual speed, grade, technique and physiology change actual energy use. The §C preset activity pages reuse this same MET table.
- Estimated net calories above rest (kcal)
- Estimated net calories above rest (kcal) from the formula above. MET values are Compendium general-activity values (Ainsworth et al.); individual speed, grade, technique and physiology change actual energy use. The §C preset activity pages reuse this same MET table.
Frequently asked questions
About 183 kcal gross at 154 lb (70 kg) using the Compendium value of 5 METs — 147 kcal above what you would burn resting.
About 367 kcal per hour at 154 lb, or roughly 61 kcal every 10 minutes. Scale in proportion to your own body weight.
5 METs, the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.) value for "Kayaking, moderate effort". One MET is resting energy use, so this activity costs about 5 times the resting rate.
About 82 minutes at 154 lb at the full 5 MET intensity. Rest breaks and lower-effort stretches extend the real time needed.
The formula scales with body weight: at 120 lb the same 30 minutes costs about 143 kcal and at 200 lb about 238 kcal. Technique, terrain and fitness shift the individual result further, typically by ±15–20%.