Calories Burned Pull-ups
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About pull-ups
Vigorous calisthenics is 7.5 METs, which for a 155 lb person is 8.8 calories a minute, or 264 in half an hour. The catch with pull-ups is that almost nobody accumulates half an hour of them. A rep takes roughly three seconds of hanging, so twenty pull-ups is one minute of work and about 9 calories. That is the number worth knowing here: pull-ups are priced by the rep rather than by the session, and the session is mostly rest.
Calories Burned by Body Weight
Calories burned per 30 minutes of pull-ups at moderate intensity (MET 7.5)
| Body Weight | Calories Burned |
|---|---|
| 120 lbs (54 kg) | 204 cal |
| 140 lbs (64 kg) | 238 cal |
| 155 lbs (70 kg)Reference | 264 cal |
| 170 lbs (77 kg) | 289 cal |
| 185 lbs (84 kg) | 315 cal |
| 200 lbs (91 kg) | 340 cal |
| 220 lbs (100 kg) | 374 cal |
Calories Burned by Duration
Calories burned at 155 lbs body weight, moderate intensity
| Duration | Calories Burned |
|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 132 cal |
| 30 minutesReference | 264 cal |
| 45 minutes | 395 cal |
| 60 minutes | 527 cal |
| 90 minutes | 791 cal |
Calories by Intensity
Different intensities burn different calories. MET (Metabolic Equivalent) measures exercise intensity.
Food Equivalent
30 minutes of pull-ups burns enough calories to offset:
Based on 264 calories burned (30 min at 155 lbs)
Tips for Pull-ups
- Start every rep from a dead hang with the arms straight, cutting the bottom is how a set of five becomes a set of eight that trained less
- Pull the elbows down toward your ribs instead of aiming your chin at the bar, the chin clears as a by-product
- Squeeze the glutes and pull the ribs down to kill the swing, a swinging body is the lats handing work to momentum
- If you can manage three, do many sets of two through the day rather than one set to failure
- Grip usually quits before the back does, and hanging for time on the off days fixes that faster than more pull-ups will