Calories Burned Jumping on a trampoline at 75 kg — 262 kcal per Hour

calories burned jumping on a trampoline 75kg — the short answer is 262 kcal per hour. That figure is for a 75 kg (165 lb) person jumping on a trampoline at the intensity the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities assigns to it, and this page works the number out in full so you can check it, scale it to any session length, and see how it compares with other activities at the same body weight.

The headline number is an estimate, not a measurement of your body. Two people of the same weight doing the same activity for the same hour will burn different amounts, because fitness, technique, temperature, and how hard they actually push all move the real figure. What the formula gives you is a fair, standardised comparison — the same method researchers use when they rank activities by energy cost — and that is exactly what it is useful for: comparing options, planning a week, and setting a realistic expectation before you start.

Jumping on a trampoline — often called rebounding when done on a small home mini-trampoline — is a low-impact way to bounce: the mat absorbs the landing, so the joints take less force than running on pavement. The Compendium rates it at 3.5 METs, a light-to-moderate effort, which surprises people who expect a bigger number. The reason is that the bounce does some of the work for you, and most trampoline sessions are gentle, rhythmic bouncing rather than all-out jumping.

Work out your own number

Use the calorie calculator to get your own daily figure: it combines your basal metabolic rate with your activity level and your goal, so a single activity session slots into a full-day picture instead of floating on its own. If you want the activity alone at your exact weight rather than the 75 kg worked example on this page, the running calorie calculator takes any weight and duration and applies the same MET method. Both tools show their working, and both label their results as estimates.

The formula, shown and cited

The calculation comes from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011; 43(8):1575–1581), which assigns every activity a MET value — a multiple of your resting metabolic rate. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly. The formula is:

Calories per hour = MET × body weight (kg)

For this page the MET value for jumping on a trampoline is 3.5, which makes it a moderate-intensity activity by the usual classification (under 3 METs is light, 3 to 6 is moderate, above 6 is vigorous). The worked example uses the midpoint of the 70-80 kg band, 75 kg:

3.5 MET × 75 kg = 262 kcal per hour

For any other duration, multiply by the hours: calories = MET × weight (kg) × hours. A 30-minute session is half the hourly figure, a 90-minute session is one and a half times it, and the table below does that arithmetic for the common session lengths so you do not have to.

Your numbers at 75 kg

Session length Calculation Calories burned
15 minutes 3.5 × 75 × 0.25 66 kcal
30 minutes 3.5 × 75 × 0.50 131 kcal
45 minutes 3.5 × 75 × 0.75 197 kcal
60 minutes 3.5 × 75 × 1.00 262 kcal
90 minutes 3.5 × 75 × 1.50 394 kcal
120 minutes 3.5 × 75 × 2.00 525 kcal

A useful way to read the table is backwards: to burn roughly 500 kcal from jumping on a trampoline alone at 75 kg you would need about 115 minutes. Three one-hour sessions a week come to about 786 kcal a week from this activity, and five 45-minute sessions come to about 982 kcal a week. Those weekly totals are the numbers that matter for weight management, because a single session is a small fraction of a week's energy balance — consistency across weeks is what moves body weight, not one heroic session.

Note also that the table scales linearly with weight. A heavier person burns more doing the same activity for the same time, because there is more body to move; a lighter person burns less. That is not a judgement about fitness — it is physics, and it is why every calories-burned figure on this site states the weight it was calculated at. If you weigh 10 kg more than the 75 kg example, add roughly 35 kcal per hour; 10 kg less, subtract the same.

How jumping on a trampoline compares at 75 kg

Activity MET kcal per hour kcal per 30 minutes
Jumping on a trampoline 3.5 262 131
Fishing 3.5 262 131
Playing golf using a cart 3.5 262 131
Mopping 3.5 262 131
Walking at a moderate pace (3 mph) 3.3 248 124

The comparison is the honest way to choose between activities. A higher MET is not automatically better: an activity you enjoy and repeat three times a week beats a harder one you quit after a fortnight, and joint-friendly options matter more than raw burn for anyone with knees or a back that complain. Use the table to see the trade-offs — for example, swapping a lower-MET activity for a higher one for the same 30 minutes — and then choose on enjoyment and sustainability, not on the biggest number.

How to use the result

The 3.5 MET value covers general recreational bouncing. A gentle bounce barely raises the heart rate, while vigorous jumping with high knees and arm movements costs more — but even a hard trampoline session rarely matches a run. If your goal is a big burn, the trampoline is a fun supplement rather than the main event.

Start with the session you can actually repeat. If you are new to jumping on a trampoline, two or three 30-minute sessions a week (131 kcal each at 75 kg) is a sensible first month, adding 10 minutes a session each week rather than jumping straight to hour-long efforts. If you already do it regularly, the 60- and 90-minute rows are your planning numbers: block them into your week the way you would any other appointment, and track the sessions rather than the calories, because sessions are what you control.

For weight loss, the activity calories sit on top of your daily food intake, and the safe frame is a deficit of roughly 300–500 kcal a day, aiming for 0.5–1% of body weight per week. Never let the activity numbers talk you into eating far less: the safety floors are 1,200 kcal a day for women and 1,500 kcal a day for men, and any intake below those needs medical supervision. A 262-kcal session does not "earn" an extra meal of the same size, either — the body compensates, appetite rises after hard sessions, and the deficit that matters is the weekly average, not a single day's maths.

Practical tips specific to jumping on a trampoline: Bounce in the centre of the mat with knees slightly bent, and keep the jumps low until your balance is confident. Use a trampoline with a safety enclosure outdoors, and only one person at a time — most trampoline injuries come from collisions, not from the bouncing itself. Hold a support bar or keep your arms out for balance when you start; the wobble is part of the balance training.

What the number does NOT tell you

MET values are population averages, and the error on any single person is real. The Compendium value was measured on a sample of adults, not on you, and it assumes a standard intensity: a relaxed game, a steady paddle, a moderate slope. If you push harder than the standard, you burn more; if you coast, you burn less. Heart-rate monitors and power meters estimate the same thing from different signals and disagree with each other by 10 to 20% on a good day, so treat every figure — including this page's — as accurate to roughly that band, not to the single calorie.

The figure also counts gross energy, which includes the calories you would have burned sitting still during that hour anyway. The extra burn above rest is the gross figure minus your resting rate for that hour (roughly 75 kcal for a 75 kg person at 1 MET), so the net cost of an hour of jumping on a trampoline is about 187 kcal, not 262. That distinction matters when you add activity calories to a daily total that already includes your resting metabolism — counting gross calories on top of a full BMR double-counts the resting hour.

Finally, the formula knows nothing about your body composition, fitness, or health. Muscle burns more than fat at rest, trained people are more efficient at a familiar activity (and therefore burn slightly less for the same work), and illness, heat, altitude, and medication all shift the real number. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or take medication that affects heart rate or metabolism, treat this page as background information and talk to a clinician before building a training or weight-loss plan around it.

Related pages

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does jumping on a trampoline burn in 30 minutes at 75 kg?

About 131 kcal. The calculation is 3.5 MET × 75 kg × 0.5 hours = 131 kcal, from the 2011 Compendium value of 3.5 METs. It is an estimate: your real figure depends on how hard you push, and a relaxed session will come in lower.

Is jumping on a trampoline good for weight loss?

It can help, because at 262 kcal an hour it is a moderate-intensity activity that makes a real contribution to a weekly deficit — three hour-long sessions are about 786 kcal a week. But weight loss is decided by the weekly energy balance, not by one activity, so the food side matters at least as much. Keep daily intake at or above 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) unless a clinician supervises a lower intake.

How long do I need to jump on a trampoline to burn 500 calories?

About 115 minutes at 75 kg at the standard intensity. Splitting it across days is fine — two 45-minute sessions and one shorter one add up to the same total, and shorter, more frequent sessions are easier to sustain.

Is jumping on a trampoline good exercise?

It is decent light-to-moderate exercise: it raises the heart rate, works the leg muscles and trains balance, and it is gentle on the joints. It is not a high-burn activity, though — at 3.5 METs an hour burns far less than running or cycling, so pair it with something harder if calorie burn is the goal.

Does rebounding really detox your body?

No — that claim is not supported by evidence. The lymphatic system does benefit from movement in general, but there is no special detox effect from bouncing, and no activity can cleanse the body in the way those claims suggest. Judge the trampoline on its real benefits: movement, balance and fun.

Can I count jumping on a trampoline towards the weekly activity guidelines?

Yes — at 3.5 METs it counts as moderate-intensity activity, so it contributes to the guideline of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. Five 30-minute sessions would give you 150 minutes of moderate activity; two or three longer sessions can reach the same total.

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.