Playing badminton burns an average of 475-525 calories per hour socially, and 500-675 calories per hour competitively. This varies by weight and intensity; a 200-pound person burns 668 calories, and a 150-pound person burns 394 calories per hour.
The sport of badminton incorporates features of volleyball and tennis while adding in many other aspects and rules of the game that make it a fun and exciting game to play.
The most common form of the game is played in a one-on-one format of individual players competing against each other on one court. Badminton is also played in doubles and is played at the Summer Olympics every four years.
One of the great parts of badminton is that it can be played by anyone of any age and skill level. It’s also a non-contact sport, meaning there is a low risk of sustaining a physical injury while playing the sport. Badminton can also burn some serious calories when played with high intensity.
At the highest levels of badminton competition, the sport requires excellent aerobic capacity, agility, strength, speed, and skill. Badminton matches can also go on for long periods of time depending on the score, and having exceptional conditioning is crucial for badminton players who want to advance to higher levels of play.
How To Use The Calculator
Using the calculator to determine how many calories you’ll burn while playing badminton is easy and only requires a few steps. To calculate the number of calories that you’ll burn, just input your weight and the time that you’ve spent or plan to spend playing badminton. Then select the type of badminton and intensity and hit CALCULATE.
Using the calculator step-by-step:
- Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
- Enter your weight in the corresponding unit of measurement
- Find the badminton play style you are using
- Enter the number of minutes you are playing badminton for
- Hit “CALCULATE”
How the Calculator Works
Our calculator uses MET values to give you an accurate estimate of how many calories you can expect to burn while playing badminton and doing various activities. The higher the MET value, the more calories you will burn.
MET
MET stands for metabolic equivalent of task, and MET values allow us to give you an estimated expenditure of energy for many different activities, such as playing badminton.
A MET value is a ratio between the working metabolic rate and the resting metabolic rate [1], which is the rate of energy that is used relative to the duration of time spent doing activities like playing badminton.
So a MET value of 1 is the equivalent of the amount of energy you expend while at rest, and a MET value of 5 means you are expending 5 times as much energy compared to being at rest.
Almost all activities that you can think of have MET values assigned to them. Some activities with MET values are common, and some are not so common. For example, there are MET values assigned to activities like playing video games, hunting, and even painting!.
Most activities come with varying levels of intensity and have different MET values assigned to them. For instance, playing badminton socially in singles or doubles has a MET value of 5.5, and playing badminton competitively has a MET value of 7.
Formula
The formula that our badminton calculator uses to determine the number of calories burned per minute is (MET x bodyweight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200.
Examples
A person weighing 175 pounds will burn approximately 456 calories per hour from playing badminton socially in singles or doubles. This activity has a MET of 5.5, which means that it burns over 5 times as many calories as you would at rest.
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while playing badminton will look like for a 175-pound individual at a MET value of 5.5.
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 79.4 x 5 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 6 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 456 calories per hour
Playing badminton at a competitive level will burn even more calories, as competitive badminton has a MET value of 7. Below is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while playing badminton will look like for a 175-pound individual at a MET value of 7.
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 79.4 x 7 x 5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 7 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 582 calories per hour
What is Badminton?
Badminton is a sport that involves one or more players using racquets to hit an object called a “shuttlecock” across a net. Scoring a point in badminton is done by landing the shuttlecock on the opponent’s side of the court and preventing them from returning it back over the net.
There are many rules that players of badminton must abide by to play the game legally and to be successful. One of the rules that are important when playing badminton is that a player on each side of the court can only hit the shuttlecock one time before it goes over the net, and play ends once the shuttlecock hits the floor or there has been a fault.
Badminton-type games have been played for centuries across the world, but the modern form of badminton we know today didn’t evolve until the 1860s.
The earliest forms of the shuttlecock were made using rubber and lead, while shuttlecocks today are very lightweight and are typically formed by using feathers or plastic embedded into a rounded cork.
On the surface, badminton might seem like an easy game to master. However, the sport can be very complex when being played at the highest levels. Badminton takes plenty of practice to be successful and will surely use a lot of energy and burn calories in the process.
What Muscles Does Badminton Work?
Since badminton is such an active sport, you will certainly be working plenty of muscles while playing for fun or competitively. The muscles that badminton works most are in the lower body.
The quadriceps are one of the muscles that you can expect to work the most since you are forced to change directions quickly in order to run and return the shuttlecock to the other side of the court.
Badminton is also a great core workout. If you look at the movements that top-tier badminton players do, you will see that it involves constant rotation of the core muscles to launch the shuttlecock over the net. You will also be working your arms and lower back muscles by swinging the racquet while playing.
Other muscle groups that are worked through playing badminton include:
How can I burn more calories playing badminton?
Many factors like increasing the intensity of the physical activity and increasing the length of time doing the physical activity would increase the calorie burn playing badminton. If you were playing badminton daily, you could burn between 300-500 calories daily.
This would mean you can lose 2 pounds a week easily and healthily burn fat when coupled with a good diet and great rest and recovery to lose weight and obtain the look you want.
Benefits of Badminton
Since badminton burns plenty of calories when being played casually or competitively, there are going to be plenty of benefits that come with playing the sport.
Some of the main benefits that you will see through playing badminton include:
- Weight loss
- Muscle tone
- Increased endurance
- Improved aerobic capacity
- Improved hand-eye coordination
In addition to the physical benefits of badminton, the sport is known for being very social and can allow you to meet other people with similar interests. Badminton will enhance your social skills which will elevate your mood and overall well-being.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does badminton build muscle?
Badminton is a great way to build muscle, especially in the lower body. Playing the sport will build and tone your quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings. Badminton also will work your core, arms, and back muscles since you are constantly rotating your body and swinging to launch the shuttlecock over the net.
Is badminton good for belly fat?
Badminton is a great way to burn calories and to lose weight. By burning calories, you are reducing your body fat percentage as long as you can stay in a caloric deficit. While you aren’t able to spot reduce certain areas of your body, playing badminton and burning calories will help you lose belly fat.
Is badminton safe to play?
Badminton is an intense sport that requires speed, agility, and strength to be successful and beat your opponents. Since there are many complex movements involved in playing badminton, there is a risk of injury. However, the risk of injury playing badminton is much lower than other sports like American football, rugby, and basketball.
Is playing badminton better than doing cardio?
Playing badminton can be a great form of cardio when played correctly. The sport involves plenty of short bursts of sprinting which helps to build strength in your lower body. Since badminton is a form of cardio, it can be an effective replacement for cardio if you are looking to switch up your normal routine.
Conclusion
Badminton is a great sport to lose belly fat and burn calories. Badminton is a great lower body exercise as well, and a fun, simple game that anyone can get their hands on. You can burn 475-525 calories per hour on the badminton court playing non-competitively, which is perfect for getting the health benefits of healthy weight loss and exercise.
The calories you burn do depend on your effort, and the lifestyle you live outside of exercising. So if you like this sport and want to reduce weight and burn more than half the calories you need to actually lose weight, have fun on your badminton journey. Use this calorie calculator as a tool to improve your health and track the calories you burn so you can track your calories properly, and get the body you want!
References:
- Badminton, Wikipedia, 2022-12-31, Retrieved 2022-01-19
- Jetté, M.; Sidney, K.; Blümchen, G. (1990-08). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical Cardiology. 13 (8): 555–565. doi:10.1002/clc.4960130809.
Additional References:
- Compendium of physical activities: Arizona State University
- WHO global recommendations on physical activity: https://www.who.int
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