How many Calories does Paddleboarding Burn?

You can easily burn calories by Paddleboarding as not only is it considered fun and engaging sport, but it can completely transform your body (fitness-wise). What’s more, you’ll not only be working out in the midst of several other sweaty people, you’ll be surrounded by a serene environment where birds are singing and chirping, you get loads of fresh air, excellent vitamin D supplement from the sun, and picturesque views from mother nature.

But that’s not what you’re here to read, you want the truth about how many calories will you be burning if you go out paddling compared to maybe even a simple swim, or a going to a CrossFit gym. Well, on average, paddleboarding burns between 500 to 800 calories in one hour. And that’s not all, the number can go up significantly if you partake in the exercises more efficiently

What will determine the number of Calories

You won’t be burning the same calories every time you do these SUP workouts since it doesn’t work like clockwork.

SUP fitness Facts

Certain elements influence how much or how little calories are burned per session. Let’s have a look at what these variables are.

  • Body Weight – the more you weigh, the more calories you will burn since you’re exerting a lot of pressure to paddle.
  • Percent of Body Fat – you certainly can burn fat that isn’t there or can’t be broken down.
  • Age – as you become older and older, your ability to burn fat reduces since you’re not exerting the same pressure and tension as a young person would.
  • Sex – with an unbiased point of view, men tend to lose more calories than women.
  • The intensity of Paddling – different paddleboard strokes will exert a different form of challenge or intensity into the workout.
  • Conditioning Level – variables like water and wind can play a significant role since they can pose difficulty as you paddle therefore causing you to use much more energy and therefore burning more calories.
  • Metabolism – the lower your rate of metabolism, the fewer calories you will burn out.
  • Paddling experience – as you’ve read above, stand up paddleboard racing cuts down the most number of calories, but you can only engage in racing if you’re advanced. Beginners can’t partake in that activity.
  • The efficiency of movement or Technique – this goes hand in hand with your paddling experience. With time and practice, you will be able to learn the much-needed techniques for a more efficient workout.
  • Environmental conditions when paddling- are there constraints in your workout? These can also affect the calories burn you will experience.

These are only but a few factors that affect how much calories you will be burning regardless of the type of stand up paddle boarding you will be doing.

The Different Paddleboarding Types & Calories Burned

There are many types of workouts you can do while on a SUP, and even off-board. From the surfing point of view to paddleboard racing, touring, and even cruising – what most consider to be recreational paddling; you can burn almost the same calories in an hour as it gets you doing cardio in the gym. So you might want to hold off paying your next membership.

What’s great about this type of exercising, you can burn calories even as a beginner, as an elderly, athlete, child, and simply people of all ages and sizes because of it’s low impact. What’s crucial with this type of calorie burning is that you will be training on endurance and strength needed to paddle the water.

As you burn out your core’s abs or oblique muscles, you’re also working your psoas muscles, tricep muscles, among many other muscles in the body.

1. Calories Burned SUP Surfing

Surfing is the number one stand up paddleboarding activities numerous people come to partake in. It offers cross-training since you’re burning out calories from your thighs as much as you’re burning calories in your upper body.

This type of activity usually has one working against waves, where if you’re moving with bigger or rougher waves, you’ll be exerting more energy, hence, burning more calories.

For about an hour of surfing with subtle waves, you can burn approximately 623-735 calories. The best thing about this type of paddleboarding is that it gives you a full-body workout.

And most people surf an average of two hours to two and a half hours. In total, that’s 1,470 calories burned in just one session of paddleboarding.

2. Calories Burned SUP Racing

Nowadays, there are numerous paddleboarding races – short and long distances. It offers the most intense paddleboarding because not only are you trying to maintain your balance and stability, your fighting to keep your speed. Most of the workouts in this category will affect the core muscle, but you’ll also be experience burnouts in your chest area with your heart rate and cardiovascular system at full throttle.

For a typical five-mile race, you can burn a total of 710 to 1125 calories in under an hour, since this is one of the short distance races. The race is estimated to take about 45 to 55 minutes depending on various other factors like what stroke was used? What was the stroke speed or intensity? What were the environmental conditions? Was the water steady or rocky?

3. Calories Burned SUP Touring

With flat water touring, it’s not as intense as the latter above. You will be paddling over long distances and that’s where all the workout goes to. You will also be moving at moderate speed hence the challenging part will be to keep steady and strong the entire time as you maintain balance and stability.

With a non-stop paddle, moving at an average of 3 mph, you can burn about 615 to 708 calories in under an hour. For those who love adventure and simply exploring mother nature, this flatwater cruise is an excellent choice to go out burning calories.

4. Calories Burned SUP Yoga

Another intensive exercise workout is yoga. It’s calming and meditative, but at the same time, it’s intense not only to the physical body but the mind and spirit as well. This exhilaration paddleboarding has one doing all sorts of poses, routines, and workouts like vinyasa, yoga sequences, HIIT cardio workout among other variations.

With such an energetic flow, you can easily burn out 415 to 550 calories in an hour. Well yes, it’s not much compared to the other types of paddleboarding activities,  but it outperforms land yoga – especially with the wind and water in constant motion during your workout session.

5. Calories Burned Recreational Paddling

Last but not least, recreational paddling. It’s considered more relaxed than touring as you’re paddling through calm waters in a slow-motion with light winds. The casual pace of such an activity ranges between two to three mph. The calories burned in this activity is between 305 to 430 in one hour.

This is double the amount of calories you burn on a casual day warning moderately on land.  With additional variables like rocky waters, strong winds, riding waves, among others, you could be burning way more calories than the estimate.

Paddle Boarding Compared To Other Sports

So how about before we wind up, we take a look at how many calories we’re burning with other known sports?

  • Surfing – paddling a typical surfboard can cut you about 412 calories an hour.
  • Biking – you can burn an estimate of 480 calories an hour.
  • Running – one of the most prevalent cardio workouts there. It can burn about 650 calories – what you would be burning with as you’re paddleboard touring.
  • Swimming – for an hour of this workout, you can burn even 850 calories. Ranges the same category as sup racing.
  • Spin Class – similar to cycling except at the gym, you can be out over 741 calories.
  • Walking or strolling down the neighborhood can cur you about 205 calories.
  • Zumba classes will burn out  600 calories
  • Skateboarding – another excellent balance and stability sports activity will burn you an average of 372 calories.
  • Light gardening – burns you just 330 calories per hour.
  • Golf –  cuts you the same 330 calories per hour.

This comparison considers some elements as constant such as the wind and water variables, speed your moving at, plus other factors that either hardens or eases up the workout. Either way, stand up paddleboarding proves again and again that it can really build on your balance, core strength, endurance, plus stability.

Tips to Burn More Efficiently

Let’s now have a look at some tips you should use to ensure you make the most out of every workout to burn as many calories as possible.

  • Check your foam – time and time again, one is advised to use their core muscles rather than the arms. This way you won’t guy tired easily and will be able to work out for longer. You should also ensure that your knees are bent rather than straight to help with balance. Finally, avoid looking down as to sail.
  • Distribute your energy- to already know that paddleboarding is a full-body workout. So you have to build the right momentum to ensure you are equally exercising every muscle in the body as you use up the strength equally as well.
  • Do some warm-ups off-board – the purpose of warm-ups is to get you energized for the task ahead. If you slop this part then you risk hurting your muscles by staining them too much or getting muscle pulls and spasms.
  • Reenergize – workout is workout regardless of your location. Hence, don’t forget to carry some snacks, water, or health drinks to keep you hydrated and energy boosted.
  • Practice Proper Paddling Technique – if you end up doing the wrong stroke or paddling in the wrong way, you will be wasting your energy that otherwise would be used to burn calories. This is why basic instructions will guide you on how to use your body to leverage weight, how to use your torso when changing course, directions, or just turning. Using the right paddling technique will help you do a more efficient workout which then means burning more calories.

Further SUP Ideas & How-tos

The following is a collection of more Stand up paddleboarding ideas and board guides

Paddleboarding

SUP Equipment & Accessories

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