Wondering how many calories you burn playing padel? The short answer: most players burn approximately 300 to 700 calories per hour, depending on their weight and how intensely they play. For a lighter, recreational player, this is often lower, and for a heavier or more competitive player, it's higher. This estimate is based on comparable racket sports in the 2024 Adult Compendium and on research describing padel as a sport with a moderate to fairly high physiological load.
Padel often seems "just fun," but physically, it is indeed a sport with many short sprints, accelerations, decelerations, and changes of direction. Research describes padel match play as intermittent, with repeated accelerations and decelerations and an average load that usually falls within the moderate to fairly high zone.
How many calories do you burn per hour playing padel?
Since there's no standard official calorie count for EVERY padel player, it's best to work with a realistic estimate. The Compendium uses MET values to estimate energy expenditure: 1 MET is approximately 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. Comparable racket sports range between 4.5 and 8.0 METs, meaning padel typically falls within a similar range in practice.
Realistic estimate per hour
- 60 kg: approximately 270 to 480 kcal per hour
- 70 kg: approximately 315 to 560 kcal per hour
- 80 kg: approximately 360 to 640 kcal per hour
- 90 kg: approximately 405 to 720 kcal per hour
These figures are derived from the MET range above and are therefore estimates, not exact measurements. The true value depends on your rally length, rest periods, skill level, and playing style. The calculation follows directly from the Compendium's definition of MET and the listed racket sport values.
What does a recreational, intermediate, or competitive player burn?
In practice, this classification is more useful than one general figure.
Recreational player
If you play 1 to 2 times a week at a slow to moderate pace, you typically burn around 300 to 500 calories per hour. This aligns with the lower to middle MET zone of comparable racket sports.
Regular player
Those who play more often, have longer rallies, and move more actively often burn around 450 to 600 calories per hour. This aligns better with a load around 6.8 METs and the average physiological load described in padel research.
Competitive player
If you play intensely, fast, and with little downtime, your calorie consumption can increase to 600 to 700+ calories per hour, especially with a higher body weight. This is particularly plausible when the intensity approaches the 8.0 MET zone of competitive racket sports. This is a reasonable inference based on the Compendium values, not a universally fixed figure for every padel match.
Why do you burn quite a few calories playing padel?
Padel combines multiple physical stimuli simultaneously. During a match, you use speed, coordination, reaction time, strength, and endurance. The review on padel match play specifically describes repeated high-intensity running actions such as accelerations, decelerations, and changes of direction, and characterizes the sport as intermittent with an average load that is not extreme, but certainly not light either.
This makes padel interesting for people who want to get fitter without always doing a classic endurance workout.
Is padel good for losing weight?
Yes, padel can help with weight loss, but only if it fits within your overall energy balance. In other words: calorie consumption on the court helps, but nutrition and your overall activity pattern remain crucial. The WHO recommends that adults get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 to 150 minutes of high-intensity activity per week. Regularly playing padel can perfectly fit into that.
How can you burn more calories during padel?
Those who want to expend more energy on the court usually benefit most from:
- playing more often
- longer sessions
- more active footwork
- less downtime between points
- playing against opponents who force you to move more
That's not a magic hack, just common sense: the higher the effective intensity and the longer you are active, the higher your total consumption.
Summary
How many calories do you burn playing padel?
For most players, a realistic estimate is about 300 to 700 calories per hour. Lighter and recreational players are usually at the lower end of that range, heavier or more intense players at the higher end. The best way to honestly describe this is not with a single fixed number, but with an estimate based on weight and intensity. This approach aligns better with current MET data and what research on padel load shows.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about Calorie Burn in Padel
How many calories do you burn with 1 hour of padel?
Usually around 300 to 700 kcal per hour, depending on your weight and how intensely you play.
Do you burn more calories with padel than with fitness?
That depends entirely on the workout. Padel can be in the same broad intensity zone as other moderate to intense sports, but an exact comparison depends on the type of workout and duration.
Is padel good for fitness?
Yes. Research describes padel as a sport with repeated intensive movement actions and a moderate to fairly high load.
How often should you play padel to get fitter?
Playing regularly helps, and it can contribute to the WHO guideline of 150–300 minutes of moderate or 75–150 minutes of intense activity per week.