How Many Calories Does Boxing Burn in a 1 Hour Boxing Class?
Boxing can burn up ~800 calories for an hour class and~400 calories for 30 minutes of moderately intense training for a 160 lb-180 lb male. Jumping rope, heavy bag training, and sparring are the boxing activities that burn the most calories.
In this post we will compare how many calories different exercises burn, how to maximize your weight loss with boxing as well as answering the question is boxing good for weight loss.
Calories Burned During Boxing – Key Takeaways
- An average 1 hour boxing session may burn up to 800-1000 calories.
- Boxing can burn approximately 400 calories in a 30-minute session. (see blow table for breakdown of other weights)
- A 120 lb male burns ~270 calories and a 240 lb male burns ~540 calories with a 30 min session
- Male participants burn around 40% or exactly 38% more calories than female.
- Shadow boxing can burn around 205-300 calories in a 30-minute session.
- Jumping rope, heavy bag training, and sparring burn the most calories in boxing
- Lastly, physical variables like intensity, body weight, and duration significantly influence calorie burn rates.
| Weight (lbs / kg) | Avg Calories Burned in 1 Hour Boxing Class |
|---|---|
| 120 lbs / 54.43 kg | 540 |
| 140 lbs / 63.5 kg | 630 |
| 160 lbs / 72.57 kg | 720 |
| 180 lbs / 81.65 kg | 810 |
| 200 lbs / 90.72 kg | 900 |
| 220 lbs / 99.79 kg | 990 |
| 240 lbs / 108.86 kg | 1,080 |
Calories Burned During Different Types of Boxing Training
| Boxing Activity | Estimated Calories Burned in 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Heavy Bag Training | ~150 – 300 calories |
| Shadowboxing | ~100 – 200 calories |
| Sparring | ~250 – 350 calories |
| Running | ~250 – 350 calories |
| Jumping Rope | ~350 – 500 calories |
Comparing Calories Burned During Different Activities
| Activity: | Avg calories burned for 30 minutes of activity: |
| Boxing | 350 |
| Stretching | 99 |
| Walking | 150 |
| Running | 375 |
| Weightlifting | 285 |
| Swimming | 350 |
| Basketball | 240 |
| Sitting | 35 |
| Wrestling | 390 |
| BJJ Sparring | 365 |
Why Tracking Calories with Calculators or Fitness Trackers May Not Be Accurate
Fitness trackers like apple watches, woop, or other wearables and even trackers like MyFitnessPal where you manually enter in the foods you’ve eaten and activity each day, really aren’t that accurate.
Some reasons why they aren’t the best way to gauge amount of calories burned is due to:
- Difficult to wear with certain activities including boxing, wrestling, or Brazilian jiu jitsu.
- They use generic algorithms/standard formulas not tailored to individual differences.
- Trackers have limited sensors and often miss complex movements, affecting accuracy.
- Better at tracking simple activities like running, less accurate for varied exercises like boxing, weightlifting, or yoga.
- Accuracy is dependent on user input (ie. weight, height, etc.)
- Incorrect placement or poor skin contact can lead to faulty heart rate data.
- They don’t account for factors like muscle mass or environmental conditions.
- Over time, sensors may become less accurate.
- Individual metabolic rates vary, but trackers often use generalized rates.
While wearables and fitness trackers can give you a comparably gauge of amount of calories burned, I’ve found a better way to manage my and track my calories burned is by
- weighing in every other day
- taking and average of my weight each week
- and adjusting my calories or physical activity based on my goals
How Many Calories Does Boxing Burn Per Minute
Each minute of boxing can potentially burn about 10 to 15 calories, depending on your body weight and workout intensity.
So, say you’re a 150 pound individual doing a moderate-intensity boxing workout, you’ll likely burn around 10 calories every minute.
How Many Calories Does Boxing Burn in 30 Minutes
On average, a person weighing around 150 lbs (~70 kilograms) performing a moderate-intensity boxing workout for half an hour may burn around 300-400 calories.
Again, intensity and specific activity can increase amount of calories burning with hitting the heavy bag and sparring burning the most calories.
How Many Calories Does Boxing Burn Per Hour
An hour-long session of moderate to high-intensity boxing can burn around 600-1000 calories.
The number of calories burned will of course vary based on physical factors like intensity, age, sex, and weight.
How Many Calories Burned in an Average Boxing Class?
The average calorie expenditure during a typical boxing class can fluctuate between 400 to 600 calories per session for an average person. (Side note: this estimation leans towards moderate-intensity classes considering an individual weighing around 155 pounds.)
How Many Calories Do You Burn When Punching a Heavy Bag?
Based on a 155 lb male, on average, you could be looking at an estimated burn rate of around 200 to 400 calories in a vigorous 30-minute heavy bag session.
How Many Calories Does Shadow Boxing Burn?
Shadow boxing burns a bit less calories than hitting a heavy bag since a heavy bag offers a good amount of resistance.
An individual weighing 155 pounds (70 kilograms) can burn approximately 205-300 calories during a half-hour session of moderate-intensity shadow boxing
Does Sparring Burn the Most Calories?
Sparring is definitely taxing and physically demanding. It is one of the boxing activities that can burn more calories. Depending on intensity, of course, a half an hour sparring session can burn up to 350 calories.
Is Boxing a Good Way to Lose Weight?
To cut straight to the chase, boxing can be great way to lose weight. However, there are many activities that can be ideal to lose weight so this will all depend on your preferences. If you enjoy boxing or the activity, you will lose while having fun.
Boxing is a great way to lose weight (if you enjoy it of course). Running is also a great way to lose weight too, but I find it boring and not engaging so be sure to choose whatever activity you like!
For me, the main reasons why boxing is great for losing weight is that:
- its engaging
- it teaches you self defense
- let’s you train with and meet other people
Why Does Boxing Burn So Many Calories?
Boxing engages multiple muscle groups, especially the core, which is the prime mover in boxing. Continuous engagement of the core muscles during defensive and offensive moves increases the intensity of the workout, resulting in higher energy expenditure.
Additionally, boxing is a form of high-intensity interval training, leading to the ‘after burn’ effect or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). This means that post-exercise, the body continues to burn calories at a higher rate as it consumes more oxygen to recover. The intense and fast-paced nature of boxing elevates the metabolic rate, not just during the workout but also for some time afterward, contributing to ongoing calorie burn.
Simply put, boxing’s effectiveness in burning calories can be attributed to its continuous high-energy demands, core engagement, and the after burn effect, making it an efficient workout for energy expenditure.
Related Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Calories Does a Boxer Burn in 12 Rounds of Boxing?
On average a male weighing about 70 kilograms or 155 pounds can burn approximately 500 to 800 calories in a 12-round match, depending on the intensity.
Does MyFitnessPal or other Fitness Trackers Measure Calories Burned During Boxing Accurately?
In reality, fitness wearables or diet trackers like MyFitnessPal where you log your diet or activity might not be 100% accurate.
Specifically, I’ve noticed that apps like MyFitnessPal do not accurately measure specific activities. Plus sometimes they don’t even offer that activity such as Brazilian jiu jitsu etc.
Fitness trackers, however, are good at providing comparable numbers so that you can better gauge your activity and amount of calories burned.
Zack is an avid jiu jitsu practitioner and martial arts nerd. He currently holds a brown belt in BJJ. When not on the mats or in the gym, he can be found going for walks with his wife, attempting (and often failing) to train his dog, and frequently obsessing over a specific hobby only to forget about it a week later.
