How many calories do you burn playing Squash?
The average person weighing 180 pounds burns approximately 626-1029 per hour playing Squash.
Squash is sometimes confused with racquetball, but there are clear differences. Squash is a high-intensity sport that is also a great workout. In addition, it can be fun and social which is the reason that many people enjoy playing squash.
Exercising in general can aid in the prevention of disease and improve your overall health. There is no downside to getting involved in a new sport, and with squash, you can take part in the “healthiest sport” that there is.
The number of calories you will burn from playing squash depends on a number of factors, including your height, weight, time spent playing squash, and the intensity you are playing with. Read on to find out how to determine how many calories you’ll burn playing squash.
How To Use the Calculator
Using the squash calculator to determine how many calories you’ll burn is very easy to do. In order 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 squash. Then select the intensity that you’re playing squash and hit “CALCULATE.”
Using the calculator step-by-step:
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- Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
- Enter your weight in the corresponding unit of measurement
- Find the specific activity of squash that you are doing. You can choose from casual general squash or competitive squash playing styles.
- Select the amount of time you are playing squash for
- Hit CALCULATE
How the Calculator Works
Our squash calculator uses MET (metabolic equivalent of task) values in order to find out the number of calories that playing squash will burn for you. This value is determined by a convention of 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of each minute while doing the specific activity [1].
The calculator has preset levels corresponding to the intensity that playing squash gives you. Using this calculator will give you a realistic idea of how many calories you will burn while playing squash for fun as well as competitively.
MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task)
Using MET to determine your body’s energy output is what this calculator is primarily used for. A MET value is the number that determines the energy it takes to perform various activities, such as playing squash at different levels of intensity. The MET value 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 burn as many calories as your RMR, while activities with a MET of 7 will burn 7 times as many calories as your RMR. This means that you expend 7 times as much energy as the activity with only 1 MET.
Formula
The formula that our squash 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 626 calories from playing general squash at a casual intensity. This activity has a MET of 7.3, which means that it burns 7 times as many calories as your resting metabolic rate.
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while playing squash at a casual intensity will look like for a 180-pound individual:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = (81.65 x 3 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 10.40 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 626 calories per hour
What about playing squash at a competitive intensity? A competitive intensity would be characterized by playing squash at full speed with little to no rest during the game except for brief water breaks if needed.
Squash at a competitive intensity has a higher MET at 12, being the most rigorous squash activity you can perform. This time, we are going to calculate the number of calories burned per hour for a 180-pound individual playing squash at a competitive pace:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = (81.65 x 12 x 5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 17.14 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 1028 calories per hour
What is Squash?
Although racquetball is also a popular sport, squash has been around a lot longer, going all the way back to 1830. It was developed from a sport by London prisoners called “rackets,” which is also similar to tennis.
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Harrow School students discovered that if they punctured racquetballs, that they would “squash” against the wall and even bounce back with a greater force and speed than before. This is how the creation of squash came to be.
The sport originated in England but grew all over the world due to the English military. When troops were stationed in different areas around the world, they would play the game, which was picked up by foreigners.
Health Benefits of Playing Squash
As with most sports, there are a lot of health benefits to playing squash. For example, squash has been proven to improve cardiovascular health due to the intense physical activity that is involved [4]. In addition, this can also increase your flexibility and strength in the back and abdomen.
In order to have the best workout possible, you need to keep your rest periods to only 1-2 minutes at most.
Anyone Can Play Squash
It doesn’t matter what age you are, you can play squash and get all the health benefits that come with it. It’s not a hard sport to learn but to become a master at it is hard to do.
It Targets All Your Major Muscles
The great thing about squash is that it is a complete full-body workout [3]. The lower body also gets worked out as the sport of squash requires players to do short sprints, which needs the fast-twitch muscles to be active all the time.
It’s a Year-Round Exercise
Some sports cannot be played all year round, especially if they are outdoor activities, but that’s not the case with squash. During the cold winter months, it can be hard to get regular exercise, especially if you are used to running outdoors. But with squash, you are able to get regular exercise in any season.
Best Cardiovascular Exercise
Squash is a great cardiovascular workout because it requires a lot of energy to play successfully.
Squash requires you to leap, jump, run and dive for the ball, so it really gets your heart and lungs working hard. While you are playing, blood is pumped to your heart, making it stronger and healthier [2]. All the while, your whole body is getting plenty of oxygen to keep you moving without feeling exhausted.
It’s also a great exercise for someone who wants to be active but does not like going to the gym. You can have a lot of fun while increasing your energy and getting fit.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can you play squash every day?
Squash is a tough sport, especially if you don’t play it often. If you are new to the sport, you might develop soreness, so it’s okay to take a rest day before you go back. But as you develop your game in the sport, there is no reason why you can’t play every day.
Does squash tone your body?
Squash has the ability to give you a full-body workout. Not only will you build endurance, but you will gain core strength as well. The strength it takes to apply force to a ball will help you to tone your arms, legs and abs. You also get the benefits of cardio during a fast-paced game of squash, allowing you to maintain a healthy weight.
Is squash really the healthiest sport?
Forbes Magazine put out a list of the Top 10 Healthiest Sports based on strength, muscle endurance, flexibility, cardio endurance, injury risk and calories burned in 30 minutes, and the sport of squash came out on top.
Wrapping It Up
Playing squash is a high-intensity sport with numerous health benefits. Whether you play the sport at a general or competitive level, it is considered to be the healthiest sport in the world. Not only will it benefit your health, but you can burn a significant amount of calories playing competitively and also at a casual pace.
Squash remains to be one of the most popular sports around the world and can be played by young people all the way up to senior citizens who can enjoy the game.
It’s essential to drink lots of water before, during and after you play squash. Any high-intensity sport is going to have you sweating a lot, and you want to make sure to replenish the water that you lose from playing.
Be sure to check out all of the other calculators that we have to offer to get an idea of how many calories you can burn while doing any activity!
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
- What moves you? Squash, ABC Health and Wellbeing, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Squash. Verow P. Practitioner. 1989 Jun 8;233(1470):876, 878-9. PMID: 2594646
- Arizona State University Healthy Lifestyles Research Center – Compendium of Physical Activities – Winter Activities – Provides MET values for winter activities, including snowshoeing.
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