Playing pickleball is like a blessing in disguise, just from playing a single session not only are you able to enjoy a recreational moment with your buddies but you are also burning calories at an exponential rate.
If you are body conscious and want to cut back on some unnecessary fats, Pickleball might be by far one of the best physical extracurricular activities you may partake in, however, not all the glitters are gold here, especially for those who want to keep an eye out for their physique ending up in calorie deficit as it may negatively impact their health.
Whatever the case might be, I have curated this article demonstrating Calories Burned Playing Pickleball so you can maintain the right balance by staying on a sweet spot and even tossing in a couple of health benefits for your mental and physical well-being.
What is A Calorie? And How Is It Consumed?
Every consumable that enters our body provides calories which is the energy needed to perform daily tasks. The typical definition of a calorie is,
It is the unit of energy, correlating to heat that is necessitated to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.
In much more profound words, calories are similar to fuel that will provide mileage for your body so you can use it for every possible task even if you are remaining idle as the heat energy storage in your body still requires energy to be used.
One way or another, this heat energy is consumed and gained in the form of calories, however, the speed at which you lose it depends on your weight, gender, and age Respectively.
Since this article corresponds to Calories burnt while playing Pickleball, how long you play it and the intensity of your playstyle further enhance the ratio at which calories are consumed.
Average Calories Burnt Per Session of Pickleball
Everyone knows that even a casual mode of Pickleball would give you a run for your money but how many calories it even burns lies in the gray area which I will be shedding some light on,
Calories Burning Rate In Singles Format
A male of age 25 partaking in the singles format of Pickleball while playing under casual settings for at least 30 minutes is expected to lose calories up to 350 units, considering the fact his body weight is around 150 lbs.
Keep in mind, that if the game settings are changed to competitive mode with multiple rallies in between, expect around 477 units of calories burnt per hour.
On the other hand, if genders are swapped to female, expect a decline of calories being burnt down to 20-30% percent due to a variety of factors such as,
- Women tend to have a lesser composition of muscle to fat ratio in their body, since fat is less metabolically active, calories aren’t burnt as easily when compared to lean muscle in a male’s body.
- Due to an abundance of hormones such as estrogen which also happens to slow down the rate at which calories are burnt as compared to the male’s body which has more progesterone levels as compared to the former hormone giving them an edge over the female counterpart.
- Men tend to have more muscle mass in their anatomy, which is a substance that is metabolically active as compared to fat.
Calories Burning Rate In Doubles Format
Now you would be surprised to know that in doubles format, even though it may look strenuous with so many things to get overwhelmed at a time, certainly burns fewer calories as compared to the singles format
In general, regardless of your gender and playstyle, expect a decrease of 10% lesser calorie unit burn rate due to reasons such as,
- You have fewer fields to cover because you work in conjunction with your partner which causes you to perform less leg work.
- You have more time to recover even if you are playing aggressively.
- The opportunity to hit the ball is cut in half as compared to the singles format
What Should I Do to Increase The Speed At Which My Calories Burn?
If you feel like you are putting in all your efforts and still cannot seem to lose weight or get in shape, try following these tips.
- Play in a hotter and less Conditioned environment as it will pump your cardio levels to a great extent causing you to burn units of calories at higher levels.
- Participate in rallies as much as you can rather than playing in casual and more laid-back sessions as it has the most amount of activity and maneuvering required.
- Balance out your food intake so that your body never really accumulates the excess fat and would rather work on dissolving its body reserves.
Is Pickleball Good Exercise?
Pickleball is considered by far one of the most strenuous sports since it also doubles down as your daily workout as you are required to use your upper and lower torso altogether.
The maneuvering alone would burn a great proportion of fats in a matter of weeks if you play aggressively considering each session lasts up to an hour.
In general, Here are some parts of your body that will be used the most,
1. Glutes
The glutes or your leg are typically the most used part of your body that is used almost every second whenever you are in the court.
Regardless of your settings, you will feel soreness and numbing pain if you indulge in a session longer than usual. If you are worried about spending the day in your day and want a more forgiving experience with an equivalent experience, I would suggest that you hit your nearest pickleball court.
2. Pectoral Muscles
Located at your upper torso, pectoral muscles let you pivot the paddle whenever you are swinging for a critical lob or Dink, without these muscles you wouldn’t be able to make it in time as most of your reflexes are bound in these regions.
Pectoral muscles are also responsible for how strong or rapid you hit your shots as well as help you build an instinct.
3. Inner core Muscles
Pickleball is a mind-blowing workout as not only will it keep your cardio levels pumped up but it will also ensure your inner core muscles located at your abdomen region as well as your back remains strengthened.
Pickleball also helps you generate stability and integrity which is only possible if you have a reinforced inner core.
Read Also: What to Wear to Play Pickleball? – Let’s Find Out
Calories Burned Playing Pickleball – Final Word
If you are conscious of keeping your body in shape, sports like pickleball might help you tremendously since you can either play it in an aggressive manner to lose a great chunk of weight or simply for recreational purposes to gain lean muscle.
In other words, you are attaining the best of both worlds without sacrificing much time and energy because in the end it also happens to be a socially inclined sport that will enhance your mental and physical well-being.
Stay fit, and good luck. ❤️
