Sex burns about 85 calories per session on average: 101 for men and 69.1 for women, according to a study of 21 young couples who wore activity armbands, published by Frappier et al. in PLoS ONE (2013).
That works out to 4.2 calories a minute for men and 3.1 for women. A 30-minute treadmill session burned 276 and 213 calories, about 2.7 and 3.1 times as much.
In this article, we’ll break down calories burned during sex by body weight and intensity, how sex compares with everyday exercise, why some estimates say only 21 calories, how much masturbation and orgasm burn, and what sex does to your heart.
Top Sex Calorie Statistics
- Sex burns about 85 calories per session on average, 101 for men and 69.1 for women, in a study of 21 young couples.
- Men burned 4.2 calories per minute during sex, less than half the 9.2 calories per minute they burned on a treadmill.
- Vigorous sex is rated at 5.8 METs in the 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities, more than brisk walking at 4.8 METs.
- By our estimate, 30 minutes of moderate sex burns about 111 calories for a 155-pound person.
- Masturbating for 10 minutes burns an estimated 28 calories for an average-weight US man, about 13 of them above resting.
- No study has measured calories per orgasm; heart rate at orgasm averaged 110 to 127 bpm in a lab study of 10 men.
- Only 0.7% of 4,557 sudden cardiac arrests in a 13-year US study were linked to sexual activity.
How Many Calories Does Sex Burn?
About 85 calories per session. In the best-known measurement, 21 heterosexual couples with a mean age of 22.6 wore SenseWear armbands during 4 sessions, from foreplay to orgasm, according to Frappier et al. (2013).
Men burned about 46% more than women, possibly in part because men tend to weigh more. Sessions lasted 24.7 minutes on average, from 10 to 57 minutes.
Here’s a breakdown of energy use during sex in the study:
| Measure | Men | Women | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories per session | 101 | 69.1 | 84.8 |
| Calories per minute | 4.2 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
| Intensity (METs) | 6.0 | 5.6 | 5.8 |
| Lowest session (kcal) | 13.0 | 11.6 | Not reported |
| Highest session (kcal) | 306.1 | 164.1 | Not reported |
| Calories participants guessed they burned | 100 | 76.2 | 87.4 |
People guessed well. Men estimated 100 calories against a measured 101, and women 76.2 against 69.1.
The calorie count also dropped over time. Men burned 118 calories in their first recorded session and 90 in the fourth, about 24% less, while women went from 83 to 65.
Wearables are rough tools, though. Apple Watch calorie estimates had an average error of 27.96%, compared with 4.43% for heart rate, in a meta-analysis of 56 studies reported by the University of Mississippi (2025).
Is Sex a Good Workout?
Partly. Men in the Frappier study averaged 6.0 METs and women 5.6, which is moderate to vigorous intensity: US guidelines class 3.0 to under 6.0 METs as moderate and 6.0 or more as vigorous, according to the HHS Physical Activity Guidelines.
But sex is short and uneven. Per minute, it burned 46.7% of what the same people burned on a treadmill, and a whole session burned 37.8% of a 30-minute treadmill workout.
Here’s how sex compared with a 30-minute treadmill session in the same people:
| Measure | Sex: Men | Treadmill: Men | Sex: Women | Treadmill: Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 101 | 276 | 69.1 | 213 |
| Calories per minute | 4.2 | 9.2 | 3.1 | 7.1 |
| Intensity (METs) | 6.0 | 8.5 | 5.6 | 8.4 |
Sex was more pleasant, though. 100% of men and 95% of women found it more pleasant than the treadmill, while only 10% of men and no women found it more strenuous.
The single most active man burned 306.1 calories in one session, about 30 more than the men’s average on the treadmill.
How much does it add up to? Married US adults had sex about 56 times a year in 2010–2014, and how often couples have sex drops steadily with age. At 84.8 calories per session, that’s about 4,750 calories a year, or 91 a week (our rough estimate, applying young couples’ per-session figures to married adults of all ages).
In time, 56 sessions of 24.7 minutes come to about 26.6 minutes a week. That’s only about 18% of the 150 minutes of moderate activity that US guidelines recommend (our calculation).
How Does Sex Compare With Everyday Activities?
Moderate sex is rated at 3.0 METs, the same as vacuuming, according to the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Vigorous sex is 5.8 METs and light activity such as kissing and hugging is 1.8 METs.
A MET compares an activity’s energy use with sitting at rest, which is 1.0 MET. So vigorous sex uses about 5.8 times the energy of watching TV.
Here’s a breakdown of MET values and estimated calories for a 155-pound person:
| Activity | METs | Estimated kcal in 30 Minutes (155 lb) |
|---|---|---|
| Jogging | 7.5 | 277 |
| Stair climbing | 6.8 | 251 |
| Sex, vigorous | 5.8 | 214 |
| Walking, brisk (3.5–3.9 mph) | 4.8 | 177 |
| Bicycling, leisure (under 10 mph) | 4.0 | 148 |
| Walking, moderate (2.8–3.4 mph) | 3.8 | 140 |
| Sex, moderate | 3.0 | 111 |
| Vacuuming | 3.0 | 111 |
| Washing dishes | 2.0 | 74 |
| Sex, light (kissing, hugging) | 1.8 | 66 |
| Watching TV | 1.0 | 37 |
Harvard Health puts sex at about 3.5 METs, or about 5 calories a minute for a man. In a study of 19 men with an average age of 55 and 13 women, men rated its intensity 2.7 out of 5 versus 4.6 for treadmill exercise, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
How Many Calories Does Sex Burn by Body Weight?
Between about 54 and 275 calories per 30 minutes, by our estimate, depending on weight and intensity. Heavier people burn more at the same intensity because moving a larger body takes more energy.
The average US man weighs 199.0 pounds and the average US woman 171.8 pounds, according to CDC measurements from 2021–2023. At moderate intensity, that’s about 4.7 calories a minute for him and 4.1 for her (our estimates).
Here’s a breakdown of estimated calories burned in 30 minutes of sex:
| Body Weight | Light (1.8 METs) | Moderate (3.0 METs) | Vigorous (5.8 METs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 lb | 54 | 89 | 173 |
| 155 lb | 66 | 111 | 214 |
| 171.8 lb (average US woman) | 74 | 123 | 237 |
| 185 lb | 79 | 132 | 256 |
| 199.0 lb (average US man) | 85 | 142 | 275 |
Few people keep up vigorous effort for 30 minutes. Penetrative sex itself lasts a median of 5.4 minutes in a stopwatch study of 500 couples, so most of a session is foreplay and lighter activity. Foreplay stretches the whole encounter well beyond how long sex lasts from penetration to ejaculation.
Why Do Some Estimates Say Sex Burns Only 21 Calories?
Because they count only a short bout of intercourse. A 2013 review of obesity myths in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that a 154-pound man burns about 21 calories in a 6-minute bout at 3 METs, only about 14 more than watching TV, as quoted by Dr. Arya Sharma and Pacific Standard.
That review, by Casazza et al., listed the popular claim that sex burns 100 to 300 calories per person as a myth.
Both can be right. Frappier’s sessions lasted 24.7 minutes and included foreplay, while the NEJM figure covers 6 minutes. At Frappier’s rates of 4.2 and 3.1 calories a minute, 5.4 minutes of intercourse comes to about 22.7 calories for men and 16.7 for women (our calculation).
Here’s how per-session estimates compare:
| Estimate | Calories | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Zavorsky et al. (2019) | 130 (range 53–190) | Heart rate monitor, 8 adults, 13 minutes |
| Frappier et al. (2013), men | 101 | Armband, 21 men, 24.7 minutes |
| Oliva-Lozano et al. (2022) | About 100 | Systematic review of 18 studies |
| Frappier et al. (2013), average | 84.8 | Armband, 42 adults |
| Frappier et al. (2013), women | 69.1 | Armband, 21 women |
| Intercourse only, men (our calculation) | 22.7 | 5.4 minutes × 4.2 kcal/min |
| Casazza et al. (2013), NEJM | 21 | 3 METs, 154-lb man, 6 minutes |
| Casazza et al. (2013), above TV watching | 14 | Same, minus resting energy |
The systematic review of 18 studies with 349 participants concluded that intercourse burns about 100 calories at about 6 METs, an effort that varies with health status, position and duration, according to Oliva-Lozano et al. (2022).
Does Masturbation Burn Calories?
Yes, but very few. No study has measured calories burned during masturbation, so the figures below are our estimates.
Men’s peak oxygen use during masturbation was 1.8 METs in a lab study of 10 men by Bohlen et al. (1984), as summarized by Stein and Hohmann. That matches the Compendium’s 1.8 METs for light sexual activity.
Women take about 8 minutes on average to reach orgasm when masturbating, in a survey of 2,304 women reported by the International Society for Sexual Medicine. At 1.8 METs, 8 minutes burns about 20 calories for an average-weight US woman, of which about 9 are above resting.
Here’s a breakdown of estimated calories burned masturbating:
| Duration | Average US Man (199 lb) | Above Resting | Average US Woman (171.8 lb) | Above Resting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 14 | 6 | 12 | 5 |
| 8 minutes | 23 | 10 | 20 | 9 |
| 10 minutes | 28 | 13 | 25 | 11 |
| 15 minutes | 43 | 19 | 37 | 16 |
Our above-resting estimate for 5 minutes, 5 to 6 calories, matches the 5 to 6 calories per solo session that Healthline cites from anecdotal reports. How fast those 5 to 6 calories add up depends on how often people masturbate, which varies a lot by age and gender.
How Many Calories Does an Orgasm Burn?
No study has measured calories per orgasm. The best evidence is heart rate: men’s average heart rate at orgasm was 127 bpm with the man on top and 110 bpm with the woman on top in a lab study of 10 men, according to a systematic review by Oliva-Lozano et al. (2022).
Here’s a breakdown of heart rate at or near orgasm in lab studies:
| Study | Group | Heart Rate (bpm) |
|---|---|---|
| Bohlen et al. (1984) | Men, man on top, at orgasm | 127 |
| Hellerstein & Friedman (1970) | Men, peak at orgasm | 117.4 |
| Nemec et al. (1976) | Men, woman on top (mean) | 117 |
| Nemec et al. (1976) | Men, man on top (mean) | 114 |
| Palmeri et al. (2007) | Men, peak | 113 |
| Bohlen et al. (1984) | Men, woman on top, at orgasm | 110 |
| Palmeri et al. (2007) | Women, peak | 105 |
| Xue-Rui et al. (2008) | Women, orgasm onset | 90.19 |
Orgasm is brief. Women’s orgasm has traditionally been described as lasting 3 to 15 seconds, while lab measurements by Bohlen and colleagues recorded female orgasms of 20 seconds to 2 minutes, according to a 1993 abstract on PubMed. Oxygen use returns to baseline within about 2 to 3 minutes, per Stein and Hohmann.
A UK hospital leaflet lists orgasm at 5 METs, according to Cambridge University Hospitals. At that level, and applying those durations to both sexes, a 20-second orgasm burns about 2.6 calories for an average-weight US man and 2.3 for a woman, and even a 2-minute orgasm only about 15.8 and 13.6 (our estimates).
Which Sex Positions Burn the Most Calories?
Man-on-top intercourse took the most effort for men, at 3.3 METs, versus 2.5 METs with the woman on top, about 32% more, in the lab study of 10 men by Bohlen et al. (1984), as summarized by Stein and Hohmann.
The two non-intercourse activities, masturbation at 1.8 METs and manual stimulation by a partner at 1.7 METs, took less effort than either position. The study measured only men, so it doesn’t show how hard women work in each position. Man on top, the classic missionary position, is also the one couples use most among the most popular sex positions.
Is Sex Hard on the Heart?
Rarely. Only 34 of 4,557 sudden cardiac arrests (0.7%) in Portland, Oregon, between 2002 and 2015 happened during or within an hour of sex, according to the American College of Cardiology (Aro et al., 2017).
Most were men. 94% of these cases were men, and sex accounted for about 1% of cardiac arrests in men versus 0.1% in women, according to TCTMD. Only about one-third received bystander CPR.
Here’s a breakdown of heart-risk statistics linked to sex:
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sudden cardiac arrests linked to sex | 0.7% (34 of 4,557) | Aro et al. (2017) |
| Heart attacks caused by sexual activity | Less than 1% | American Heart Association (2012) |
| Relative risk of heart attack during or after sex | 2.70 | Dahabreh & Paulus (2011) |
| Extra heart attacks per weekly hour of sex | 2–3 per 10,000 person-years | Dahabreh & Paulus (2011) |
| Hourly heart attack risk, healthy 50-year-old man | About 1 in a million, 2 in a million during sex | Harvard Health |
| Men’s heart rate during intercourse | Rarely above 130 bpm | Harvard Health |
| Sexual activity intensity in cardiac rehab advice | 3–5 METs | Cambridge University Hospitals |
Regular exercise is linked to lower risk. In a meta-analysis of case-crossover studies, the relative risk of a heart attack after exertion fell by about 45% for each additional time per week of habitual physical activity, according to the ACC journal scan.
A common rule of thumb is that if you can walk briskly up 2 flights of stairs without getting out of breath, you can likely handle sex, per Cambridge University Hospitals. Anyone with heart disease should ask their doctor.
Methodology
We reviewed 191 data points from 27 sources. We used measured energy expenditure studies (Frappier et al. 2013, 21 couples with SenseWear armbands; Zavorsky et al. 2019, 8 adults with heart rate monitors), lab studies of heart rate and oxygen uptake summarized in a 2022 systematic review of 18 studies, the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the NEJM obesity myths review (Casazza et al. 2013), and cardiology data from the Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study, the American Heart Association and a meta-analysis by Dahabreh and Paulus.
Study samples are small and mostly young, healthy and heterosexual, and Bohlen’s position data cover only 10 men. Wearable calorie readings are approximations. The Palmeri study was funded by Pfizer. All calorie figures for body weight, masturbation and orgasm are our own estimates using the formula kcal = MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200 × minutes, with Compendium or Bohlen MET values and CDC average weights; ratios and yearly totals are also our calculations. The NEJM figures are reported through a press summary.
Key Takeaways
Sex burns about 85 calories per session on average, 101 for men and 69.1 for women, at an intensity of about 6 METs. That’s real moderate-to-vigorous activity, but at 4.2 calories a minute for men it burns less than half as fast as a treadmill workout.
Masturbation burns an estimated 28 calories in 10 minutes for an average US man, and a single orgasm only a few calories. Sex is rarely dangerous for the heart: just 0.7% of sudden cardiac arrests in a large US study were linked to it.
FAQ
How many calories does sex burn?
About 85 calories per session on average, 101 for men and 69.1 for women, in a study of 21 young couples whose sessions averaged 24.7 minutes. That’s about 4.2 calories a minute for men and 3.1 for women.
Is sex a good workout?
It counts as moderate-to-vigorous activity, at about 6.0 METs for men and 5.6 for women. But it burns less than half as many calories per minute as treadmill exercise, and, by our rough estimate, married adults’ 56 sessions a year add up to only about 18% of the recommended 150 weekly minutes.
Does masturbation burn calories?
A little. At 1.8 METs, our estimate is about 28 calories in 10 minutes for an average-weight US man and 25 for a woman, including resting energy. Only about 13 and 11 calories are above what you’d burn sitting still.
How many calories does an orgasm burn?
No study has measured it. Assuming 5 METs, a 20-second orgasm burns about 2.6 calories for an average-weight US man. Heart rate at orgasm averaged 110 to 127 bpm in a lab study of 10 men.
Which sex position burns the most calories?
Man-on-top intercourse took the most effort for men in a lab study, at 3.3 METs, versus 2.5 METs with the woman on top. Masturbation measured 1.8 METs.
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