Paddling Calorie Calculator
Estimate calories burned kayaking, canoeing, or SUP paddling using MET values, body weight, duration, and stroke rate.
Inputs
Results
Total calories burned
386
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your body weight in lbs.
- Set the total paddling duration in minutes for your session.
- Choose the activity intensity: leisure, moderate, vigorous touring, whitewater, SUP, or racing.
- Enter your typical stroke rate in strokes per minute (leisure ~30, moderate ~40, racing ~70+).
- Read Total Calories Burned and Calories per Minute to plan your fueling and post-paddle nutrition.
- Check Recommended Water (L) to stay properly hydrated throughout the session.
How the result changes with Body weight (lbs)
| Body weight (lbs) | Total calories burned |
|---|---|
| 95 | 215 |
| 208 | 472 |
| 343 | 778 |
| 455 | 1,032 |
What each input means
- Body weight (lbs)
- Your body weight in pounds.
- Paddling duration (minutes)
- Total paddling time in minutes.
- Activity Intensity
- Paddling intensity level.
- Strokes per minute
- Paddling cadence. Leisure ~30, moderate ~40, racing ~70+.
What each result means
- Total calories burned
- Estimated total caloric expenditure for the session.
- Calories per minute
- Average burn rate per minute of paddling.
- Effective MET
- Metabolic Equivalent adjusted for stroke rate.
- Total strokes
- Estimated total paddle strokes during the session.
- Estimated fat burned (g)
- Approximate grams of fat metabolized (varies by individual).
- Recommended water (L)
- Suggested water intake to stay hydrated during the session.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersBody weight (lbs) = 170, Paddling duration (minutes) = 60, Activity Intensity = 2, Strokes per minute = 40 = 4 input(s) provided
- Calculate Total calories burnedTotal calories burned = effectiveMet * weightKg * durationHrs386 = 386
- Calculate Calories per minuteCalories per minute = totalCalories / durationMin6.4 = 6.4
- Calculate Effective METEffective MET = met * max(0.8, min(1.3, strokeAdjustment))5 = 5
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.
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