Calories Burned Taekwondo at 55 kg — 566 kcal per Hour
Taekwondo at 55 kg (121 lb) burns about 566 kcal per hour. That figure comes from the activity's MET value of 10.3 in the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities, multiplied by body weight: 10.3 × 55 kg × 1 hour = 566 kcal. This page works the numbers out in full — for 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes, across all four weight bands, and against four comparable activities at the same weight — so you can plan sessions with real figures instead of guessing.
Taekwondo is the Korean art of kicking: fast, high, spinning kicks delivered from a light, bouncing stance, alongside hand techniques, patterns (poomsae) and sparring. It is famous for the head-height roundhouse kick, and that kick is the heart of the workout — every kick demands balance on one leg, hip mobility, and explosive power from the standing leg, repeated dozens of times a session.
At 10.3 METs, taekwondo is one of the highest-burning activities on this site, level with judo and karate. An hour at this weight burns the figure on this page. The burn comes mostly from the legs: kicking is the most expensive striking technique there is, and a class built around kicking drills will leave your thighs and hips tired in a way that punching never does.
Calculate your own numbers
Use the calorie calculator to work out your own burn for taekwondo at your exact weight and session length. Enter your weight, pick the activity and set the duration, and the tool applies the same MET formula shown below. You can also try the running calorie calculator to see how this session fits into your total daily energy use.
Related pages in this section:
The formula, shown and cited
The standard way to estimate the energy cost of an activity is the MET formula from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011; 43(8): 1575–1581):
Calories (kcal) = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours)
One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly at rest — about 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. An activity rated at 10.3 METs therefore uses 10.3 times as much energy as resting. The Compendium's MET values come from published studies that measured oxygen use during each activity, so they are measured averages, not guesses. The value used here is the one recorded for this activity in the FitCalc activity data, taken from the Compendium.
Worked through for this page:
- MET for taekwondo: 10.3
- Body weight: 55 kg (the midpoint of the 50-60 kg band, 110-132 lb)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Calculation: 10.3 × 55 × 1 = 566 kcal
For a 30-minute session the same calculation is 10.3 × 55 × 0.5 = 283 kcal. Nothing else is hidden in the maths — if your weight or duration changes, only those two numbers change.
Your numbers at 55 kg
| Duration | Calculation | Calories burned |
|---|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 10.3 × 55 × 0.25 | 142 kcal |
| 30 minutes | 10.3 × 55 × 0.5 | 283 kcal |
| 45 minutes | 10.3 × 55 × 0.75 | 425 kcal |
| 60 minutes | 10.3 × 55 × 1 | 566 kcal |
| 90 minutes | 10.3 × 55 × 1.5 | 850 kcal |
That is about 9.4 kcal per minute of taekwondo at this weight. A short session still counts: even 15 minutes burns 142 kcal, and three 15-minute sessions across a day add up to the same 425 kcal as one 45-minute session.
How the burn changes with body weight
The MET value stays the same — it describes the activity, not the person — but the calorie total scales with weight, because a heavier body costs more energy to move:
| Body weight | Calories per hour | Calories per 30 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 566 kcal | 283 kcal |
| 65 kg | 670 kcal | 335 kcal |
| 75 kg | 772 kcal | 386 kcal |
| 85 kg | 876 kcal | 438 kcal |
Two people doing the same activity for the same time can therefore burn quite different amounts, and that is expected — it is physics, not a mistake in the formula. If your weight sits between two rows, your figure sits between the two values.
How taekwondo compares
Here is taekwondo against four other activities at the same 55 kg, all using the same MET formula:
| Activity | MET | Calories per hour at 55 kg |
|---|---|---|
| Taekwondo | 10.3 | 566 kcal |
| Kickboxing | 10.3 | 566 kcal |
| Judo | 10.3 | 566 kcal |
| Running at 7 mph | 11.0 | 605 kcal |
| HIIT workout | 8.0 | 440 kcal |
Use this table to choose, not to judge. A higher number means a harder session, not a better one: the activity you enjoy and repeat three times a week beats the activity that burns more per hour but that you quit after a fortnight. Mixing intensities across the week — one harder session, two easier ones — is usually more sustainable than doing the hardest activity every time.
Fitting taekwondo into your week
| Sessions per week | 30 minutes each | 60 minutes each |
|---|---|---|
| 2 sessions | 566 kcal | 1132 kcal |
| 3 sessions | 849 kcal | 1698 kcal |
| 5 sessions | 1415 kcal | 2830 kcal |
A typical taekwondo class lasts 60 to 90 minutes: warm-up and stretching, kicking drills on pads, patterns, then sparring — often with electronic scoring vests in sport taekwondo. A 60-minute class at this weight burns the figure on this page. Because the kicks are explosive and the stance is always moving, the class feels like interval training: bursts of maximum effort, short recoveries, repeat. At 10.3 METs, taekwondo counts as vigorous activity, so it contributes directly towards the widely used target of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week for adults. To burn 500 kcal from taekwondo alone takes about 54 minutes at 55 kg, and 1,000 kcal takes about 107 minutes — spread across the week, that is far more realistic than trying to do it in one session. Build up gradually — add 10% to your weekly total at most, and keep at least one rest day.
How to use the result
What changes the burn for taekwondo in practice:
Kicking volume: the more kicks, the higher the burn. A class of pad drills — roundhouse, axe and spinning kicks in combination — costs far more than a patterns-only class, because every kick is a full-body explosive movement.
Sparring: free sparring is the hardest part of taekwondo: you must attack, defend and score while bouncing on the balls of your feet for the whole round. The heart rate in sparring is typically higher than in any other part of the class.
Patterns (poomsae): patterns are controlled and rhythmic, closer to moderate work. They build balance, memory and control, and they burn fewer calories per minute than sparring — but they are also the part of the art you can practise alone at home.
Flexibility demands: high kicks need hip and hamstring mobility, and the stretching that supports them is part of the training load. Tight hips make every kick cost more energy and raise the injury risk, which is why the warm-up matters so much.
Practical tips for this activity:
Stretch after class, not just before it — warm muscles lengthen more safely, and ten minutes of stretching after training does more for your kicks than ten minutes before.
Master the roundhouse kick before the spinning kicks; the basics pay for everything else, and a clean roundhouse is worth more than a sloppy 360.
Wear proper taekwondo shoes or train barefoot on a matted floor — street shoes on a hard floor are how ankles get twisted.
Start with two classes a week: at 10.3 METs the hips and legs need recovery, and flexibility improves faster with rest days between sessions.
Use the numbers on this page to set realistic expectations rather than to chase a daily total. If you are tracking food as well, add the session's calories to your total daily energy expenditure for that day, and remember that the figure is an estimate with roughly 10–20% uncertainty. Do not eat back every calorie the calculator shows: activity trackers and MET estimates both tend to overstate slightly, and a small margin keeps a weight-loss plan on track. If you are aiming to lose weight, keep the deficit modest — 300–500 kcal a day is a common, sustainable range — and keep your total intake above the safety floors of 1,200 kcal a day for women and 1,500 kcal a day for men unless a healthcare professional advises otherwise.
A note at 55 kg
At 55 kg you sit at the lighter end of the four weight bands on this site, and that shapes how the numbers feel in practice. Your absolute burn is the lowest of the four bands — 566 kcal per hour here against 876 kcal at 85 kg — but your burn per kilogram of body weight is identical, because the MET formula is linear: every kilogram costs the same. In practical terms that means duration and frequency matter more for you than for a heavier person doing the same activity if you are lighter, and less if you are heavier. Two 45-minute sessions will usually serve you better than one 90-minute session, because you accumulate the same total with less fatigue in each outing, and you are less likely to run into the joint and muscle soreness that long sessions cause. If you are tracking weight loss, remember that a smaller body also means a smaller total daily expenditure, so a 300–500 kcal deficit is a larger share of your day than it is for someone heavier — keep the deficit at the modest end of that range and let the activity do its work over weeks, not days.
What the number does NOT tell you
The MET formula is honest about what it measures and silent about the rest. It does not account for your fitness level: a fit person burns fewer calories doing the same activity than an unfit person, because their body is more efficient. It does not account for body composition — two people at 55 kg with different amounts of muscle and fat will burn slightly different amounts. It does not include the afterburn (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) that follows hard sessions, it does not measure strength, flexibility or balance gained, and it says nothing about how the activity affects your appetite, sleep or mood. Taekwondo's 10.3 METs is an average across patterns, drills and sparring. A patterns-only session burns less; a sparring-heavy session burns more. The figure does not account for your flexibility — tight hips make kicking less efficient and more tiring — or for the style, since traditional taekwondo and Olympic sport taekwondo train quite differently. It also says nothing about the impact of repeated jumping and spinning kicks on the knees and ankles. Taekwondo is a superb leg workout and a genuine martial art, but anyone with a hip, knee or heart condition should start with patterns and drills and get clearance before sparring. Use the calorie figure as a planning estimate, and judge the activity by how you feel doing it and whether you keep doing it.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does taekwondo burn per hour?
At this weight, about 566 kcal per hour, from 10.3 METs × weight × 1 hour. Thirty minutes burns about 283 kcal, 45 minutes about 425 kcal and 90 minutes about 850 kcal. A sparring-heavy class sits at the top of that range and a patterns-only class at the bottom — the mix of the session decides the real figure.
Does taekwondo burn more calories than karate?
At the Compendium level they are rated the same: both taekwondo and karate are listed at 10.3 METs, so the hourly burn at the same weight is identical. The real difference is in the training: taekwondo emphasises kicks, karate balances hands and feet. Both are vigorous workouts, so choose the one whose classes you will actually attend three times a week.
Is taekwondo good for weight loss?
It can help, but only as part of an overall calorie deficit. At this weight an hour of taekwondo burns about 566 kcal, which is a large contribution — but weight loss comes from the total balance of food and activity across the week. Aim for a gradual loss of 0.5–1% of body weight per week, and never drop below 1,200 kcal a day (women) or 1,500 kcal a day (men) without medical supervision.
Will taekwondo improve my flexibility?
Yes — it has to. High kicks demand hip and hamstring mobility, and regular classes plus post-class stretching improve both steadily over months. Most adults notice a real difference in six to twelve weeks of consistent training. Stretch when warm, never force a stretch into sharp pain, and remember that flexibility is specific: it improves fastest in exactly the positions you practise.
Is taekwondo hard on the knees?
It can be. Jumping, spinning and landing on one leg all load the knees, and poor landing technique is the usual culprit. Good coaching on how to land softly, proper footwear or a matted floor, and building leg strength between sessions all reduce the risk. If you have a knee condition, start with patterns and pad drills and get clearance before sparring.
Estimates only, not medical advice. Minimum safe intakes: 1,200 kcal/day women, 1,500 kcal/day men — consult a healthcare professional before a very-low-calorie diet.