How Many Calories Does Sex Burn?

Anyone who’s ever had sex can tell you it’s a workout. Often it’ll have participants waking up with sore muscles or so robbed of energy they need a midnight snack. But unless the Apple Watch stays on during sex, it’s not easy to know exactly how many calories you’re burning. Leigh Weissman, a certified personal trainer, glute specialist, and nutrition coach, says she’s seriously thought about keeping hers on: “But then I thought about my mom texting me and seeing it on my watch …”

So, to avoid the many indignities of wearing a fitness tracker while you get it on, we’ve asked Weissman, who is based in New York City and is also the founder of the Leigh Taylor Method, and personal trainer Charlene Ciardiello, CEO of the holistic fitness program Shut Up and Move, to calculate exactly how many calories are burned during 30 minutes in five common sex positions. They used the MET formula (short for “metabolic equivalent,” a unit of measurement used to describe how many calories are burned during an activity): MET x 3.5 x weight in kg/200.

There are countless possible sexual configurations with and for countless possible bodies;these calculations reflect an average estimate for heterosexual sex between a cishet woman who weighs 150 pounds and a cishet man weighing 195 pounds. But it’s important to remember that every single body will process and burn calories differently, so they aren’t ever going to be an exact science. Ruth Bruno, the founder of Ruth Pilates Studio and creator of Sensulates, says calorie counts should generally be taken with a grain of salt. “People want to know exactly how many calories something is going to burn, but without taking into account that every single movement on every single body is going to burn a different amount of calories,” says Bruno. “The more in shape you are, the less calories you’re going to burn. That’s ideal, right? Because we’re trying to survive. That’s what our bodies are trying to do. They’re trying to conserve, so the stronger you get, the more you can conserve.” She also says variables like hormones and how you’re performing the movements can affect how many calories you burn.

No matter the variables, a romp in the sheets isn’t exactly substituting your usual gym time. But remember, calories aren’t everything! Sex is also a great way to engage a variety of muscles and, most importantly, a good time to connect with your partner and have fun. Instead of trying to turn sex into exercise, Bruno recommends bringing some of the freedom and creativity of sex into your workout routine. That’s the philosophy behind her popular Sensulates program. “All exercise is gonna be great for your sex life; for endurance, blood flow, mobility, energy, confidence, all those things,” she says. “But when it comes to Pilates, and specifically, the style of movement I teach, we’re incorporating positions that you actually might be exploring in the bedroom, or movements that have a rhythm or fluidity that’s going to improve the act of sex.” The connection is there; she cites a book called Caged Lion: Joseph Pilates and His Legacy, a book written by a longtime student of Pilates. In it, the author writes that many of the foundational exercises in Pilates were intentionally modeled after sexual positions and movements. “He thought if exercise could be as fun as sex, more people would be doing it, and it would be a happier and healthier world,” says Bruno. “I don’t agree with everything that Joseph said, but I agree with that.”

Below, our experts break down what each of these five positions is doing for your body.

1.

Missionary Position

Missionary is one of those positions where one partner is doing a lot more work than the other, so it’s no surprise that there’s a big disparity in calories burned. Ciardiello estimates the person on top will burn 143 calories, while the partner on the bottom will burn 44 calories. But Weissman says that the bottom participant can do more in missionary to engage their muscles.

“From a muscle-activation perspective, the top partner is working their upper body to support the hips and stabilize the torso, the gluteus maximus to push the hips into extension, the core to assist the hips and back in maintaining a modified plank,” she says. “The bottom doesn’t have to do much, but a willing participant will likely be moving their hips alongside their partner, engaging their glutes to do this.” Bruno says it’s a good idea to focus on the position of the pelvis. “Play around with different angles — anterior and posterior pelvic tilts are going to be a great way to change the position, not only to get stronger and have better mobility, but also to enjoy it more.”

If you’re looking to actually turn this into an intentional workout of sorts, Ciardiello recommends that the partner on the bottom thrust back when the partner on top thrusts toward them. “This requires a lot of core strength and the calories will start burning. Also, squeezing your booty will give your glutes a great workout to help tone!” An optional step? Try using your body to hold up your partner for some isometric work.

There are also exercises you can do outside of the bedroom that will help build the relevant muscles; Bruno recommends classic squats and front balances for the partner on top, and hip-abduction movements for the person underneath: clamshells, developpés, enveloppés, and rond de jambes are all great.

2.

Doggy Style

Ciardiello ventures that a female partner bent over in doggy style will burn 98 calories, though she says that holding onto a wall, which will lift your body and engage more muscles, will raise the number to 118. The partner behind them in doggy style will burn 151 calories, though Ciardiello says they can burn 211 calories by speeding up the tempo of those thrusts. Friendly reminder, though: Speed isn’t everything. Nobody likes a jackhammer.

According to Weissman, doggy style is a workout for all parties. “The bottom position is using mostly the upper body and core to keep the body in either tabletop or a modified elbow version with hips raised,” she says. During the act, Bruno recommends engaging the pelvic-floor muscles to help strengthen them — and to potentially avoid the occasional queef, although she says queefing is totally natural and normal. “The top will be using all hip extensors, pushing the gluteus maximus into extension and contracting the hamstrings. They may also be using some upper body to pull the partner on the bottom closer to them and consequently helping them to stabilize their hips,” says Weissman. But beware of the cursed hamstring cramp if you’re on top. Consider pregaming with some light stretching and a banana.

Bruno says that if you’re finding the doggy position to be particularly painful no matter the angle, it might be a good idea to speak to a pelvic-floor specialist. But if it’s just endurance or mobility you’re concerned about, cat-cow stretches and variations can really help open up your flexibility, as well as back extensions and backbends. Practicing the yoga pose Uttana Shishosana, or puppy pose, is also helpful. For the partner in the back, focus on hip extensions, says Bruno: “Essentially, we want to get the knees behind the hip without arching the pelvis.” She recommends lying prone and practicing swimming and single leg-kick exercises.

3.

Legs Up

A partner in this position will burn 116 calories — and get a good stretch in — while the thrusting partner burns 127. “The woman will be working and stretching her leg muscles, such as quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves,” Ciardiello says.

Weissman endorses the legs-up position, since it relieves some pressure on the top partner while allowing for deeper penetration. But still, everyone’s getting a workout! “They will undoubtedly be using their abs and core muscles as they will be in a contracted position, and hip flexors to keep the legs up,” she says of the top partner. And if the bottom partner is pulling her legs closer to her chest, she will also be engaging the upper body. As for the top partner, he will be engaging similar muscles as in missionary position, though he may face a little more pressure if he is using his body to support his partner’s legs.

Exercises using the leg straps on a classical Pilates reformer are great for this particular position. For at-home exercise, she recommends propping up the hips on a pillow, ball, or foam roller. Practicing movements like leg circles, bicycles, scissors, and frogs can help build flexibility and pelvic-floor strength. If you’re really ambitious, you can try doing some of these movements during sex. Hamstring stretches are also helpful in making sure you aren’t tilting your pelvis further than you want to.

4.

Cowgirl

A partner lying flat on their back burns, you guessed it, zero calories during this position, though they can achieve the equivalent of a light walk if they assist their partner with thrusting. It’s no surprise that the person on top will be getting way more exercise. Ciardiello estimates a round of cowgirl will burn 122 calories. If you want to ramp up the difficulty, Ciardiello suggests squatting on top of your partner to “add a little hip movement with bouncing up and down.” This gets the heart rate up and burns 172 calories instead of the original 122.

Still, unless you plan on staying in cowgirl for the length of an entire session, you may not achieve that full calorie burn. But don’t worry: Your muscles are still getting a great workout. The person on top is engaging their ab muscles, hip flexors, glutes, and quads in cowgirl, “hence why most people either avoid the position altogether or would never stay in it for ten minutes,” Weissman says.

This is another position that has a direct connection with a Pilates reformer exercise: the horseback movement. That’s an exercise that engages the inner thighs and can help with strength and endurance, especially if you’re resting on your knees. If you’re squatting on the balls of your feet, it’s helpful to work on ankle mobility. Bruno loves incorporating kneeling squats into her workouts. “I think it’s fun to sit on your heels and just squat up and down. You can feel sexy, you can really get into it,” she says. She also recommends, again, focusing on the pelvis. “Think about changing it into different tilts, different angles. Think about using the pelvic floor. How can you make this feel more pleasurable for you? Make it about you.”

5.

Spooning

While spooning sex might not feel like much of a workout, Ciardiello calculates that a woman actually burns 103 calories while a man burns 113 in this position. A bonus: While each person lies on their side, they’re engaging their core and obliques. To burn more calories, Ciardiello suggests speeding up the tempo with the hips “to add some muscle endurance and extra cardio burn.” With this added challenge, a woman could burn 153 calories and the man could burn 173.

Although spooning may be a great cooldown position, Weissman emphasizes that both partners are still working their muscles at about an equal rate. “There’s some hip extension and flexion happening and maybe some upper-body use,” she says. Bruno says Pilates sideline sequences are closely connected to this position. “When you’re lying on your side, you’re lifting your top leg. You could probably do a whole sidekick series in this position. I would experiment with that.” She also says that, if you’re really ambitious, both partners can try side planking in this position.

The conclusion? Sex is a workout, but it’s not burning many calories. Most of these positions burn about as many calories as a light 30-minute walk. But don’t get too worked up about the numbers; you’re still putting your muscles to work. Bruno says focusing on calories is unnecessary. “My particular philosophy would be, don’t try to make sex into a workout, because you’re taking away from the part that’s really fun and pleasurable. Instead, experiment with making your workouts feel more like sex. It’s gonna have a similar effect.” She says low-impact exercise is one of the best ways to build strength and muscle mass over time, as well as positively impacting your overall health and longevity. “If you’re constantly burning calories, eventually your body’s gonna have to start pulling from your muscle mass. And breaking down muscle is one thing that we want to avoid,” she says. “This is a different way to frame it. Measuring your results and your progress by your ability to execute an exercise better than you could a month ago is really rewarding.” Maybe working out can be fun after all.

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