How Many Calories Does Kayaking Burn?

How Many Calories Does Kayaking Burn?

Kayaking is one of the growing outdoor sports in the United States. If you want to see how many health benefits a sport has, seek how many calories it burns! Kayak is one of the sports which is for those looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle. On average, a person burns between 375 to 475 calories per hour while kayaking, depending on their weight, paddling intensity, and water conditions.

On this article, we answer the question “How Many Calories Does Kayaking Burn?”:

Factors Affecting Calories Burn in Kayaking

If you want to find out How Many Calories Kayaking Burn, consider the factors below:

Intensity

Paddling can be categorized into three levels:

  • Kayak in your leisure time: This kind of kayaking is all about paddling on calm water and enjoying the scenery. With this low-intensity activity, a person weighing 68 kg typically burns around 300-400 calories per hour.
  • Touring Kayaking: In this category, paddlers kayak for multi-day adventures at a steady pace. At this level, kayakers burn approximately 400-500 calories per hour.
  • Competitive Kayaking: we call this category a high-intensity kayaking. Your pace is high at this level. This can result in burning 600-800 calories per hour.

Duration

The longer kayaking sessions can lead to higher calories to be burned. If you double this time from one hour to two hours, can effectively double the calories burned.

Body Weight

The heavier kayaker will burn more calories compared to lighter individuals. There are some examples in the table below:

Weight (kg)

Calories Burned per Hour Kayaking

59 kg

295

70 kg

352

82 kg

409

86 kg

431

91 kg

477

93 kg

465

Kayaking Style

Different styles of kayaking also impact calorie expenditure:

  • Casual paddling on a lake or flatwater: Generally low-intensity, burns fewer calories.
  • Touring Kayaking: Moderate intensity with increased calorie burn due to sustained effort.
  • Sea and Whitewater Kayaking: High-intensity styles that while It is river running, the paddler follows the river, which can lead to significant calorie burn due to the physical demands.

How Many Calories Does Kayaking Burn?

Weight (kg)

Light Kayaking (cal/hr)

Moderate Kayaking (cal/hr)

Vigorous Kayaking (cal/hr)

50-59

200-300

400-500

600-700

60-69

225-325

425-525

625-725

70-79

250-350

450-550

650-750

80-89

275-375

475-575

675-775

90-99

300-400

500-600

700-800

100+

325-425

525-625

725-825

Kayaking Burning Calories Comparing to Other Activities

Kayaking is a full-body workout. Let’s compare the calorie burn of kayaking to other common activities. The table below is an approximate number of calories burned per hour for a 70 kg person:

Activity

Calories Burned per Hour

Kayaking (moderate effort)

352

Running (5 mph)

563

Cycling (12-13.9 mph)

563

Swimming (moderate effort)

423

Brisk walking (3.5 mph)

298

Ways to Increase Calorie Burn While Kayaking

  • Increase the speed of your kayaking in an hour session. Your heart rate increases and more and it engages more muscles which leads to greater calorie burn.
  • Paddle for long distances. Increase the kayaking time and plan for longer routes.
  • Paddle at a vigorous pace for 1-2 minutes, followed by 1 minute of slower paddling. Repeat this cycle throughout your workout.
  • Engaging your core will not only improve stability but also increase power output.
  • Exercising on land can affect burning calories while kayaking. Exercises like push-ups, planks, and squats can help.
  • Kayak in different conditions such as rivers with currents or choppy waters, which require more effort to increase calorie burn.

I have been coaching swimming since 7 years ago. I love water sports, especially kayaking. I share all the information about kayaking until you learn how to do it. I wish I could paddle, but I haven't yet had a chance.

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