Squats are a fundamental lower-body exercise used in everything from home workouts to gym strength programs. Besides building the quads, glutes, and core, squatting raises your heart rate and burns meaningful calories over a session. This calculator estimates how many calories you burn during a squat session using your body weight, the amount of time you train, and how hard you push.
The estimate is based on the standard MET formula: calories = MET × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × duration (minutes). You can choose between light, moderate, and vigorous squatting, so the tool works for gentle rehabilitation-style repetitions as well as explosive jump-squat intervals. An optional rep count shows calories per rep and per 100 reps.
Whether you’re tracking daily movement, planning a bodyweight workout, or just curious about your burn, this calculator gives a fast, science-based starting point that you can use with any fitness routine.
🧮 Enter Your Session Details
How to Use This Tool
Enter a few details and click Calculate to see your estimated calorie burn for the whole squat session.
- Body weight — Enter your current weight and choose kg or lb. The calculator converts to kg automatically.
- Intensity — Pick the effort level that best matches your workout: light for gentle, controlled reps; moderate for standard bodyweight squats; vigorous for jump squats, fast tempo, or heavily loaded sets.
- Duration — Enter the actual time spent squatting in minutes and seconds. Don’t include longer rest breaks between sets unless you want an overestimate.
- Total reps (optional) — If you know your total rep count, add it to see calories per rep and per 100 reps.
The result box shows your total calories burned, calories per minute, and the breakdown so you can see exactly how the estimate was calculated.
The Formula Behind the Numbers
This calculator uses the MET (metabolic equivalent) method, the same approach used by many exercise science resources and activity trackers.
Calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight (kg) ÷ 200
One MET is roughly the energy cost of sitting quietly. Moderate squatting has a MET of about 5.0, meaning you burn about five times more energy per minute than at rest. Multiply your calories-per-minute result by the number of minutes in your session to get total calories.
Why 3.5 and 200? The 3.5 represents the average resting oxygen consumption of about 3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. The 200 converts that oxygen use into a calorie value. It is a generalized estimate that works well for most adults.
Worked Example
Scenario: A 70 kg person performs moderate bodyweight squats for 20 minutes and completes 120 reps.
MET = 5.0
Calories per minute = 5.0 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 6.125 kcal/min
Total calories = 6.125 × 20 = 122.5 kcal
Calories per rep = 122.5 ÷ 120 ≈ 1.02 kcal
Per 100 reps ≈ 102 kcal
Tips for Better Estimates
- Use actual exercising time, not total gym time. If you rest 60 seconds between sets, don’t include those minutes in the duration field.
- Be honest about intensity. A few slow, deep squats can be moderate, while fast jump squats are closer to vigorous. Choosing the right MET value matters more than adding two extra minutes.
- If you use weights, treat the workout as vigorous if the added load makes you breathe hard. The standard squat MET assumes bodyweight effort.
- Muscle mass matters. Someone with more lower-body muscle will burn more calories than the formula predicts because muscle tissue raises resting and working metabolism.
- For a full bodyweight session, combine this with other movement estimates using the bodyweight calorie calculator.
Reference: MET Values Used in This Calculator
| Intensity | Typical Activity | MET |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Gentle, partial-range or assisted squats; slow warm-up sets | 3.5 |
| Moderate | Standard bodyweight squats, steady controlled pace | 5.0 |
| Vigorous | Jump squats, high-tempo squat circuits, heavy resistance | 8.0 |
These values are adapted from the Compendium of Physical Activities and are intended for healthy adults.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories do 100 squats burn?
For a typical 70 kg person doing moderate squats, 100 reps at a steady pace might take about 15–20 minutes and burn roughly 90–120 kcal. Lighter squatting burns less; vigorous jump squats burn more. Use the optional rep field in this calculator for a personalized estimate.
Does using a heavier weight increase calorie burn?
Yes, adding load makes your muscles work harder and raises your heart rate, so you burn more calories per minute. Select the vigorous intensity option if you are doing heavy or explosive squatting. The estimate will still be approximate because individual technique and effort vary.
Why does my watch show a different number?
Wearables estimate using heart rate plus movement data, while this calculator uses a population-average MET value. Differences of 10–25% are common. The calculator is useful for planning workouts and comparing relative effort, not for clinical precision.
Can I use this calculator for weighted squats?
You can, but understand that the MET values come from bodyweight squat research. For heavy barbell training you may need a slightly higher MET. Treat the result as a reasonable session-level estimate.
Want to compare squatting with other core strength moves? See the sit-up calorie calculator for a similar bodyweight exercise estimate.