How Many Calories Does Sex Burn? The Real Numbers

I'll admit it - I've been in the middle of a particularly vigorous session and thought "this has to count for something, right?" Turns out, scientists have actually studied this question. And the answers are interesting, if slightly less impressive than gym-skip-worthy.

The Research Says...

The most-cited study on this topic comes from researchers at the University of Montreal. They had young couples wear activity monitors during sexual activity and measured their energy expenditure. Here's what they found:

Men burned an average of 101 calories per session (about 4.2 calories per minute).

Women burned an average of 69 calories per session (about 3.1 calories per minute).

For comparison, running at a moderate pace burns about 10-12 calories per minute. So sex is definitely less intense than running, but it's not nothing.

The study also found significant variation between individuals and between sessions. Some encounters burned over 300 calories; others barely hit 20. The range is huge.

What Affects Calorie Burn

Those averages hide a lot of variation. Several factors determine where any particular session falls:

Duration

This is obvious but worth stating: longer sessions burn more calories. The average sexual encounter lasts 5-7 minutes from penetration to finish (not including foreplay). But that's an average - some are much shorter, some much longer. The couple who burned 300 calories probably wasn't finished in five minutes.

Intensity

There's a significant difference between slow, lazy sex and athletic, vigorous sex. The more you're moving, the more muscles you're engaging, the faster your heart rate - the more calories you burn. A gentle, connected session burns fewer calories than an energetic one.

Positions

Positions that require more physical effort burn more calories. Being on top requires more muscular effort than being on the bottom. Standing positions burn more than lying down. Positions requiring you to hold yourself up or maintain unusual angles increase the burn.

Body Weight

Heavier bodies burn more calories during any physical activity, including sex. This is true for all exercise - it takes more energy to move more mass.

Who's Doing the Work

The more active partner burns more calories. If one person is doing most of the thrusting, holding positions, or generally moving more, they're burning more. This is partly why men in the study averaged higher numbers - they were typically the more active partner in the positions used.

Including Foreplay

Studies that only measure penetrative sex miss a chunk of the activity. Foreplay - kissing, touching, oral sex, manual stimulation - burns calories too. A longer buildup means more overall energy expenditure.

Sex vs. Other Activities

To put things in perspective, here's how sex compares to other physical activities (calories per minute, approximate):

• Walking (3 mph): 3-4 calories
• Sex (average): 3-4 calories
• Yoga: 3-5 calories
• Cycling (moderate): 7-8 calories
• Swimming: 8-10 calories
• Running (6 mph): 10-12 calories
• HIIT workout: 10-15 calories

Sex lands around the same intensity as walking or gentle yoga. It's definitely movement. It's not a replacement for dedicated cardiovascular exercise.

Can You Count Sex as Exercise?

Here's my honest take: sex provides some physical activity, but it's not a substitute for regular exercise.

The reasons:

Duration is usually short. Even a 20-minute session is less than what's typically recommended for meaningful cardiovascular benefits (30+ minutes of elevated heart rate).

Intensity is inconsistent. Unlike a structured workout where you maintain a target heart rate, sexual intensity fluctuates - sometimes a lot.

It doesn't happen daily. The average couple has sex 1-2 times per week. That's not enough frequency to maintain fitness.

You're not targeting specific fitness goals. Sex doesn't build endurance, strength, or flexibility in the systematic way targeted exercise does.

That said, sex is physical activity. It's better than sitting on the couch. And if you're having particularly active, extended sessions regularly, you're getting some genuine movement in.

How to Make Sex More Active

If you want to maximize the physical benefits of sex (while still enjoying it, obviously), here are some approaches:

Extend the Session

Take your time. More foreplay, more build-up, more time in different positions. The longer you're active, the more you burn.

Choose Active Positions

Positions where you're moving more, supporting your body weight, or engaging more muscles burn more calories. Being on top, standing positions, positions requiring flexibility or strength - these are more demanding.

Switch Positions More Often

Rather than staying in one position the whole time, moving between several positions keeps more muscles engaged and prevents any one area from resting.

Be the Active Partner

If you're used to being more passive, try taking a more active role. The person moving more burns more.

Add Movement Outside Penetration

Use your hands more. Lift your partner. Get into more physically demanding foreplay. The penetration part isn't the only opportunity for activity.

The Other Health Benefits

Calories aside, sex has health benefits that make it valuable beyond exercise:

Stress reduction. Sexual activity triggers endorphin release and reduces cortisol. Lower stress is good for overall health in countless ways.

Better sleep. The relaxation and hormonal changes after sex often lead to better sleep, which affects everything from immune function to weight management.

Cardiovascular health. Regular sexual activity is associated with better heart health in several studies, even accounting for other factors.

Immune function. Some research suggests people who have sex regularly have higher levels of certain antibodies.

Pain relief. Those endorphins can actually reduce perception of pain. Some people find sex helps with headaches, menstrual cramps, or other minor pains.

Relationship benefits. For partnered people, regular intimacy strengthens the emotional bond, which has its own cascade of health benefits.

The Honest Conclusion

Does sex burn calories? Yes, absolutely. Enough to skip the gym? Probably not, unless your sessions are marathon-length and highly athletic.

Here's how I'd frame it: sex is a bonus, not a replacement. It provides some physical activity along with pleasure, connection, stress relief, and other benefits. That's valuable on its own terms.

If you're looking to burn calories specifically, dedicated exercise is more efficient. If you're looking for all the things sex provides - of which some calorie burn is a nice addition - then enjoy it for what it is.

And if anyone asks, yes, you can technically count it as light physical activity. The exact number depends on you, your partner, and what you're doing together. But somewhere in the range of 50-300 calories per session is reasonable for most people most of the time.

Not bad for something you were probably going to do anyway.