Calories Burned Playing tennis doubles at 55 kg — 248 kcal per Hour
Playing tennis doubles at 55 kg (110-132 lb) burns about 248 kcal per hour. That figure comes from the activity's MET value of 4.5 in the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities, multiplied by body weight: 4.5 × 55 kg × 1 hour = 248 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.
Tennis doubles means two players a side, each covering half the court, with a partner to share the running and the decisions. The rallies are often shorter and the points more tactical than in singles — net play, poaching and positioning matter as much as raw speed — and that changes the workout completely. The Compendium gives doubles 4.5 METs, a moderate figure barely more than half the singles value, and that gap surprises people who assume any tennis is hard exercise.
At 55 kg that means 248 kcal per hour — a moderate burn, comparable to playing volleyball or a brisk walk, and far less than the 440 kcal per hour of singles at the same weight. Doubles is the social form of tennis, and its value is in the company, the tactics and the longevity: it is the version of the sport that people keep playing into their seventies and eighties, precisely because it is gentler.
Calculate your own numbers
Use the Calorie calculator to work out your own burn for playing tennis doubles 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 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 4.5 METs therefore uses 4.5 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 playing tennis doubles: 4.5
- Body weight: 55 kg (the midpoint of the 50-60 kg band, 110-132 lb)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Calculation: 4.5 × 55 × 1 = 248 kcal
For a 30-minute session the same calculation is 4.5 × 55 × 0.5 = 124 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 | 4.5 × 55 × 0.25 | 62 kcal |
| 30 minutes | 4.5 × 55 × 0.5 | 124 kcal |
| 45 minutes | 4.5 × 55 × 0.75 | 186 kcal |
| 60 minutes | 4.5 × 55 × 1 | 248 kcal |
| 90 minutes | 4.5 × 55 × 1.5 | 371 kcal |
That is about 4.1 kcal per minute of playing tennis doubles at this weight. A short session still counts: even 15 minutes burns 62 kcal, and three 15-minute sessions across a day add up to the same 186 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 | 248 kcal | 124 kcal |
| 65 kg | 292 kcal | 146 kcal |
| 75 kg | 338 kcal | 169 kcal |
| 85 kg | 382 kcal | 191 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 playing tennis doubles compares
Here is playing tennis doubles against four other activities at the same 55 kg, all using the same MET formula:
| Activity | MET | Calories per hour at 55 kg |
|---|---|---|
| Playing tennis doubles | 4.5 | 248 kcal |
| Playing badminton socially | 4.5 | 248 kcal |
| Playing volleyball | 4.0 | 220 kcal |
| Playing golf while walking the course | 4.8 | 264 kcal |
| Cycling at a leisurely pace (under 10 mph) | 4.0 | 220 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 playing tennis doubles into your week
| Sessions per week | 30 minutes each | 60 minutes each |
|---|---|---|
| 2 sessions | 248 kcal | 496 kcal |
| 3 sessions | 372 kcal | 744 kcal |
| 5 sessions | 620 kcal | 1240 kcal |
A doubles match usually lasts 60 to 90 minutes: two players a side, each covering half the court, with a partner to share the running. At 4.5 METs, playing tennis doubles counts as moderate 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 playing tennis doubles alone takes about 121 minutes at 55 kg, and 1,000 kcal takes about 242 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 playing tennis doubles in practice:
- How much you poach and move at the net: an active net player works far harder than a partner who stays glued to the baseline.
- Rally length: doubles rallies are usually shorter than singles, which is the main reason the MET value is lower.
- Your partner's level: a strong partner covers more court and lets you rest, while a weak partner leaves you covering for two.
- Court surface: clay lengthens rallies and raises the burn, while fast hard courts keep points short.
Practical tips for this activity:
- Communicate with your partner on every point — calling 'mine' or 'yours' avoids collisions and the hesitation that wastes energy.
- Practise volleys and overheads, not just groundstrokes: doubles is won at the net, and net play is where the movement happens.
- Wear proper tennis shoes with lateral support, even for a gentle social game — the side-to-side movement is the same as in singles.
- If you want a bigger workout from doubles, play with a weaker partner or agree to cover more court; the format is flexible, and the effort is yours to choose.
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 — 248 kcal per hour here against 382 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. 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. Doubles at 4.5 METs is one of the lowest figures for any racket sport, and it is honest about why: half the court each, a partner to share the work, and frequent pauses between points. The figure also hides the variation between a gentle social game and a competitive doubles match, where the net play is fierce and the burn rises sharply. And it says nothing about the shoulder and elbow load, which is similar to singles even though the running is less — tennis elbow does not care whether you play singles or doubles. 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 do I burn doing playing tennis doubles for 30 minutes at 55 kg?
About 124 kcal. The maths is 4.5 METs × 55 kg × 0.5 hours = 124 kcal. That is an estimate from the Compendium average — your real burn depends on your fitness, your pace and the conditions. If you weigh more or less than 55 kg, use the weight table above to read your own figure.
Is playing tennis doubles good for weight loss?
It can help, but only as part of an overall calorie deficit. At 55 kg, an hour of playing tennis doubles burns about 248 kcal, which is a useful contribution — roughly the energy in a modest meal — but weight loss still comes from the total balance of food and activity across the week, not from one session. 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.
How does playing tennis doubles compare with playing badminton socially?
At 55 kg, playing tennis doubles burns about 248 kcal per hour against 248 kcal for playing badminton socially. If the number is higher, playing tennis doubles is the more intense activity; if it is lower, playing badminton socially burns more. The best choice is usually the one you will actually do several times a week — consistency matters more than a small difference in the hourly rate.
Does the calorie burn change if I weigh more or less than 55 kg?
Yes, directly. Calories = MET × weight in kg × hours, so the burn scales with body weight. At 55 kg the same hour of playing tennis doubles burns about 248 kcal; at 85 kg it burns about 382 kcal. The MET value itself does not change with weight — it describes the intensity of the activity.
Is tennis doubles enough exercise on its own?
It depends on your goal. At 55 kg, doubles burns about 248 kcal per hour — a moderate figure that contributes to the 150 minutes of weekly activity recommended for adults, but on its own it is unlikely to drive weight loss. Pair it with brisk walking, cycling or a singles session if you want a bigger burn, and judge doubles by what it is best at: keeping you active, social and playing tennis for decades.
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.