How many calories do you burn playing Racquetball?
One great thing about racquetball is that it’s an indoor sport, so rain or shine, you will be able to get plenty of exercise. You don’t even have to have an opponent to play the sport, as it can be played with one player or two.
How many calories can be burned while playing racquetball is dependent on a number of things, such as your height, weight, body composition, and whether or not you are playing general racquetball or competitive racquetball.
A person can burn up to 500 calories per hour playing racquetball at a casual pace while burning up to 800 calories by playing competitively. This calculator will give you a realistic idea of how many calories you can burn by adding just a few details to the calculator.
How To Use the Calculator
Using the racquetball calculator is very simple. To calculate how many calories you are burning from playing racquetball, just input your weight and the time that you’ve spent or plan to play racquetball for. Then simply select the type of activity that you plan to perform and then hit “CALCULATE”. It’s just that easy!
Using the calculator step-by-step:
- Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
- Enter your weight and select the amount of time that you will be playing for
- There are two types of racquetball activities that you can choose from. These are going to be for recreational purposes or competitive purposes. Recreational racquetball activities include playing alone, while competitive racquetball activities are performed by playing with a partner competitively.
- Hit “CALCULATE”
How the Calculator Works
Our racquetball calorie calculator uses MET (metabolic equivalent of task) values to find out the number of calories that playing racquetball will burn. This value is determined as set by a convention of 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of body weight each minute while playing racquetball [1].
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MET
Using MET to find out your body’s energy expenditure is what our racquetball calorie calculator is used for. The MET value is the number that determines the energy that it takes to perform various activities, such as leaping in the air to smash balls. This is the ratio that shows the relationship between your active metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate.
The active metabolic rate (AMR) determines the calories that you continue to burn throughout the day, while the resting metabolic rate (RMR) measures the number of calories that you are burning when your body is at rest and not actively digesting.
Activities that have a MET value of 1 will burn as many calories as your RMR, while activities with a MET of 4 will burn 4 times as many calories as your RMR. This means that you expend 4 times as much energy as the activity with only 1 MET.
Formula
The formula that our racquetball calorie calculator uses to determine the number of calories burned per minute is (MET x bodyweight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200.
Examples
An individual weighing 180 pounds will burn approximately 857 calories every hour while playing competitive racquetball. Playing racquetball competitively has a MET of 10 which means that it burns 3.5 times as many calories as your RMR.
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while playing racquetball competitively will look like:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = (81.65 x 10 x 5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 28 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 857 calories per hour
Playing racquetball by yourself will yield different results. People that play alone will likely burn fewer calories than competitive players. An example of what a recreational game of racquetball looks like for a 180-pound person is below:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = (81.65 x 7 x 5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 10 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 600 calories per hour
Calories Burned Playing Racquetball for 1 Hour
| Type of Activity | MET | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|
| Racquetball, general | 7 | 601 |
| Racquetball, competitive | 10 | 859 |
What is Racquetball?
Racquetball is a sport much like tennis but played more aggressively and indoors. It’s played on a court with a rubber ball and you use all four of the court’s walls as well as the floor as your legal playing surfaces.
The sport was created early in the 1900s by combining several popular sports like squash, jai alai, tennis, and handball. It arrived in the United States in the 1920s [2].
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Joseph G. Sobek, a squash player from Greenwich, Connecticut is responsible for the invention of what is known as racquetball today. He worked in a rubber ball factory in the 1940s and designed the first rubber ball that is now used in the sport.
There are now more than 20 million people that compete in the sport today.
Health Benefits of Playing Racquetball
Strengthens Bones and Muscles
Any weight-bearing exercise like racquetball will make your muscles and bones stronger. By playing the sport you can actually slow down bone loss. It helps you develop muscle tone all over your body and helps you to maintain it [3].
Burns Calories and Fat
You can burn upwards of 800 calories in one hour while having fun at the same time. Over time, playing racquetball will help you to decrease fat levels and maintain healthy body weight.
Improve Flexibility and Balance
There are times through the game that you will be running and dipping low to smash that returning ball. You may stumble at first when you start out, but practice will improve your balance and hand-eye coordination [3]. Racquetball allows you to use a wide range of motions, forcing your body to stretch in ways that it normally doesn’t.
You Get Both Anaerobic and Aerobic Benefits
You build endurance while playing the sport which improves the body’s aerobic capacity while the short sprints will improve the anaerobic capacity.
Improve Mental Agility
In racquetball, you have to be able to make quick and strategic decisions which over time will improve your mental clarity. While playing the sport, you are stimulating the connection between the brain and muscle movements which will, in turn, improve your reflexes.
You Get A Full Body Workout
The great thing about racquetball is that it is working your muscles all over your body, so you get a complete workout. You get improved balance from your core, lower body, and upper body while playing racquetball.
It’s So Much Fun
There is nothing better than finding a workout that is not only effective at burning calories but is a lot of fun to do as well. By truly enjoying the sport, it’s less likely that you will have to drag yourself to go do it and you will be less likely to skip planned sessions of racquetball.
It Helps You Be Social
Getting involved in a sport can be a great way for you to meet new people. There are times that you might want to play by yourself or with a partner but there is also the option of playing in teams or doubles. There are always local racquetball players in your area with whom you can build a social network with.
Reduces Stress
Exercise in general is known to reduce stress in your life. An intense game of racquetball can have you forgetting about the day’s problems pretty quickly, as well as increasing the endorphins to enhance your mood after playing.
The Bottom Line
Finding a sport that you can not only enjoy playing but also burn calories and get fit is a great combination. Racquetball is one of the more aggressive sports, but it’s a lot of fun and it allows you to get in great shape if played consistently. With all the health benefits that come from playing the sport, it can be a great option for those that enjoy playing.
With over 20 million players taking advantage of the sport worldwide, it’s growing even more popular by the day. Grab a friend and start working towards your goals and have an accountability partner while you’re at it.
Using MET to figure out the number of calories you can burn through playing recreational and competitive racquetball will give you a realistic number of what you can expect to burn. With the research supporting the benefits that racquetball can provide, starting a routine of playing racquetball can be a great way to reach your health and fitness goals.
References:
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
- A descriptive analysis of elite-level racquetball. Salmoni AW, Sidney K, Michel R, Hiser J, Langlotz K. Res Q Exerc Sport. 1991 Mar;62(1):109-14. doi: 10.1080/02701367.1991.10607527. PMID: 2028086
- Effect of core strength training on dynamic balance and agility in adolescent badminton players. Ozmen T, Aydogmus M. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2016 Jul;20(3):565-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2015.12.006. Epub 2015 Dec 19. PMID: 27634079 Clinical Trial.
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