An increasingly popular exercise for the last few years is squats, and squats are an excellent way of toning your legs, thighs, and glutes. Another little known benefit of doing squats is that this exercise is also a great way to burn off calories. But how many calories burned doing squats? Well, that depends on the technique, how to do them correctly, and a clear understanding of how to burn the most calories within a given time frame.
There are various ways in which you can exercise doing squats, and you can even add some weights when doing them. When done right, these exercises can give you the kind of result that you can feel and see. The amount of calories burned doing squats also depends on the type of exercise performed, weight, age, and the intensity of the exercise.
Our bodies burn calories 24 hours a day. Even when resting, calories are used to keep body systems functioning properly. A way to measure the amount of calories burned when resting or engaging in activity is to apply the metabolic equivalent (MET) of a task value, which stands for the amount of oxygen you consume and the number of calories you burn at rest. While it is not possible to know exactly the amount of calories burned doing squats, you can calculate a close estimate using the MET value. Squats with normal effort have a MET value of 5.0, and if you are enhancing the squat exercises using weights, the MET value is closer to 6.0. The formula to calculate calories burned per session of exercise is:
(MET value x 3.5 x your weight in kilograms / 200) x duration of exercise in minutes
Note: To convert your body weight in pounds to kilograms, divide pounds by 2.2. For example, a 120 lb person will weigh 54.5 kg.The best way to estimate the amount of calories burned is using a calorie burn calculator.
Body Weight |
Calories Burned in Different Time |
||||
5 Min. |
10 Min. |
20 Min. |
30 Min. |
60 Min. |
|
120 Pounds |
57 |
115 |
230 |
345 |
691 |
150 Pounds |
72 |
144 |
288 |
432 |
864 |
200 Pounds |
96 |
192 |
384 |
576 |
1152 |
250 Pounds |
120 |
240 |
480 |
720 |
1440 |
To increase the calories burned doing squats, do it properly!
For clearer instructions on how to do perfect squats, watch the video:
As mentioned before that calories burned doing squats depends on various factors. The good news is that there're ways that you can burn more calories. In order to burn the most calories and get the most benefits within a time frame, consider using weights while you do squats. You will want to use weights that are heavy enough to work out your muscles doing 12 repetitions per session. A good way is to start with weights that you feel comfortable with, and a great way to measure your progress is to keep increasing the weights until you can barely complete the 12th squat. You can also do back barbell squats, or dumbbell squats to increase the calorie burn rate. Local gyms have machines for added resistance such as the hack squat or the Smith machine.
For many people, particularly women, the legs, thighs, and buttocks are troublesome. The good news is that squats are an excellent way of toning your legs, thighs, and are an excellent butt-lifter.