This plank calorie calculator may satisfy your curiosity about how many calories a plank session burns. Whether you are an athlete, coach, or a fitness-focused person doing a quick 30-second hold or long and intense plank challenges, you can easily calculate plank calories burned to estimate how much energy your body is using.
It simply means the amount of energy your body burns while you are holding a plank. While planks may seem like an isometric exercise (no movement), multiple muscle groups are actively engaged:
In plank calories burned calculation, there are two main factors that affect calorie burn rate and overall weight loss:
To calculate plank calories burned, there is an ACSM-style MET formula that is science-backed and commonly used in physical activity to estimate calories burned.
ACSM, the American College of Sports Medicine is the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise science organization, with more than fifty thousand members and certified professionals.
The following equation from ACSM is widely accepted to estimate calories per minute:
kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) / 200Where:
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task3.5 is the baseline used to define 1 METWeight is your body mass in kg200 is a conversion factor to turn oxygen consumption (ml/min) into kilocalories Then multiply kcal per minute by total time in minutes:
Total calories = kcal/min × total minutesTo obtain calories burned, the formula requires your body weight, duration, and intensity level (METs value) to compute the total calories burned.
Take a look at the following table showing the common MET values for plank exercises:
| Plank Intensity | MET Value | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Light | ~3.0 | Modified plank / very short holds |
| Moderate | ~3.8 | Standard forearm plank |
| Vigorous | ~4.5 | Harder variations, RKC plank, long tension holds |
To understand the calculation steps, consider the following simple example showing you how it works:
First, determine your body weight e.g., 80 kg, plank hold duration e.g., 3 minutes, and plank intensity e.g., Vigorous (~4.5 MET) based on the above table.
Now, let's apply the ACSM formula to estimate the calories burned per minute:
kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) / 200kcal/min = 4.5 × 3.5 × 80 / 200kcal/min = 6.3 kcal/minFinally, multiply the calories per minute by the total time in minutes:
Total calories = 6.3 kcal/min × 3 minutesTotal calories = 18.9 kcalThis shows that an 80 kg person holding plank at high intensity for 3 minutes burns about 18.9 kcal.
In plank exercises, calories burned vary based on the factors explained earlier, but here are general estimates:
| Duration | 55 kg | 70 kg | 85 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 1.7–2.0 kcal | 2.2–2.4 kcal | 2.7–3.0 kcal |
| 1 minute | 3.4–4.0 kcal | 4.5–5.0 kcal | 5.5–6.0 kcal |
| 2 minutes | 6.8–8.0 kcal | 9–10 kcal | 11–12 kcal |
| 5 minutes | 17–20 kcal | 22–25 kcal | 27–30 kcal |
Generally, a 1-minute plank burns around 3 to 6 calories depending on weight and effort level.