How many calories do sit-ups burn?
At 160 pounds, 10 minutes of vigorous sit-ups comes to about 91 calories using the Compendium formula. That uses calisthenics code 02020 at 7.5 MET. Body weight, effort and minutes all change the number.
Put your sit-up time into the calculator
Estimated calories 90.7
An estimate using the selected calisthenics entry, not a measurement of your set.
A count needs a time
50 or 100 sit-ups tells you the repetitions, but leaves the minutes unknown. The Compendium gives no pace for sit-ups and no calorie value for a single repetition.
Time your own set and enter those minutes above. A count alone cannot fill in that input.
The arithmetic behind 91 calories
calories = MET × body weight in kilograms × hours
MET supplies the hourly energy rate for each kilogram. On the Compendium unit page, 1 MET means 1 kilocalorie per kilogram of body weight per hour. The same page gives 2.2046 pounds per kilogram.
For the 160 pound example, the steps are
- 160 ÷ 2.2046 = 72.58 kg.
- 10 minutes = 1/6 hour.
- 7.5 × 72.58 ÷ 6 = 90.7 calories, or about 91.
The displayed kilograms are rounded. The calculator retains the full conversion until it displays calories to one decimal.
One, five and ten minutes at different weights
| Effort | Weight in lb | 1 minute | 5 minutes | 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 130 | 3.7 | 18.7 | 37.3 |
| Moderate | 160 | 4.6 | 23.0 | 46.0 |
| Moderate | 190 | 5.5 | 27.3 | 54.6 |
| Moderate | 220 | 6.3 | 31.6 | 63.2 |
| Vigorous | 130 | 7.4 | 36.9 | 73.7 |
| Vigorous | 160 | 9.1 | 45.4 | 90.7 |
| Vigorous | 190 | 10.8 | 53.9 | 107.7 |
| Vigorous | 220 | 12.5 | 62.4 | 124.7 |
Why there are two effort choices
The Compendium groups sit-ups with other calisthenics. It lists no value for sit-ups alone. These are its two descriptions that include sit-ups, copied from Conditioning Exercise, checked October 6, 2026.
| Code | MET | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 02020 | 7.5 | Calisthenics (e.g., pushups, sit ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks, burpees, battling ropes), vigorous effort |
| 02022 | 3.8 | Calisthenics (e.g., pushups, sit ups, pull-ups, lunges), moderate effort |
Herrmann and colleagues describe the work in 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, PubMed 38242596. The Compendium covers adults aged 19 to 59.
Its explanation of corrected METs makes a limit clear. It was not built to find one person's exact energy cost. The listed MET values have no adjustment for age, body mass or sex, even though weight is an input to the calorie formula.
What an abdominal exercise study found about belly fat
Vispute and colleagues' 2011 study randomly assigned 24 sedentary adults aged 18 to 40 to an abdominal exercise group or a control group. The exercise group completed 7 abdominal exercises, 2 sets of 10 repetitions, 5 days a week for 6 weeks.
Compared with the control group, the study found no significant change in abdominal fat or body fat measures. Curl-up endurance rose. At the posttest, the exercise group completed 47 curl-ups versus 32 in the control group.
That finding comes from a small group followed for a short time. The participants were young sedentary adults, and the routine included several abdominal exercises.
Walking, daily energy and body composition
Walking uses the same MET idea in the steps to calories calculator and the estimates for calories burned walking 5,000 steps.
Daily energy including activity is estimated by the TDEE calculator. Body composition is a separate topic covered by the lean body mass calculator and FFMI calculator.
Keep a food log with TrueCal
With TrueCal's free plan, you can log calories manually and see daily views, weekly views and meal history. Pro turns a typed meal description into a food log with calories and macros. Photos, voice and barcodes are also included in Pro. The nutrition numbers are estimates and can be wrong.
Sit-up counts, pace and calorie estimates
How many calories do 100 sit-ups burn?
The estimate depends on how many minutes those 100 sit-ups took. Time your set and enter the minutes. The Compendium supplies neither a sit-up pace nor calories per repetition.
Do sit-ups burn more calories at a faster pace?
The Compendium assigns vigorous calisthenics 7.5 MET and moderate calisthenics 3.8 MET. At the same weight, vigorous effort gives about twice the estimated calories per minute. It does not define either effort by a sit-up pace.
Does body weight change calories burned doing sit-ups?
Yes. The formula scales with kilograms. For 10 vigorous minutes, the estimate is 73.7 calories at 130 pounds and 124.7 at 220 pounds.
Do sit-ups burn belly fat?
In the Vispute study of 24 sedentary adults, 6 weeks of abdominal exercise produced no significant change in abdominal fat or body fat measures versus the control group. Curl-up endurance improved. The study was small and short.
References for sit-ups and abdominal exercise
- Compendium energy units and pound conversion, checked October 6, 2026.
- Compendium calisthenics descriptions, checked October 6, 2026.
- 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities paper, checked October 6, 2026.
- Compendium limits and corrected METs, checked October 6, 2026.
- Vispute et al. on abdominal exercise and abdominal fat, checked October 6, 2026.