During sex, most people burn only a modest amount of calories: roughly 3–5 calories per minute, depending mainly on intensity, duration, body weight, and who’s doing the moving.

Quick Scoop

  • Typical per minute burn: about 3–4 calories per minute for most people during moderate‑intensity sex.
  • Study averages:
    • Men: about 4.2 calories per minute.
* Women: about 3.1 calories per minute.
  • “Average” session: many studies report around 5–6 minutes of intercourse, which comes out to roughly:
    • Men: ~20–25 calories.
    • Women: ~15–20 calories.
  • Longer, more active encounters (including foreplay, position changes, etc.) can add up: one 2013 study with ~24‑minute sessions saw:
    • Men: ~101 calories per session.
    • Women: ~69 calories per session.

So, sex does burn calories, but it’s closer to a brisk walk than a hardcore gym workout.

What Affects How Many Calories You Burn?

Several factors change how many calories you burn having sex.

  • Duration : Longer sessions = more minutes at 3–5 calories per minute.
  • Intensity : More movement, higher heart rate, and more active positions push you toward the higher end of that range.
  • Body weight : Heavier bodies generally burn more calories for the same activity.
  • Role/positions : The more physically active partner typically burns more than the more passive partner.

Think of it like this: gentle, slow sex is closer to light walking; energetic, full‑body engagement is more like moderate cardio.

Sex vs Other Exercise

Researchers often compare sex to walking or light–moderate cardio.

  • Sex at typical intensity is roughly similar to:
    • Walking at about 3 mph in terms of calories per minute.
  • It usually burns less than:
    • Running, vigorous cycling, or high‑intensity interval training.

In other words, it’s a nice bonus activity for health and mood, but it usually won’t replace a structured workout if you’re trying to lose weight or significantly boost fitness.

Simple Calorie Estimates (HTML Table)

Here’s a rough, research‑based snapshot assuming moderate intensity and “average” durations.

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Scenario</th>
      <th>Duration</th>
      <th>Men (approx. calories)</th>
      <th>Women (approx. calories)</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Typical quick session</td>
      <td>5–6 minutes</td>
      <td>~20–25 calories[web:1][web:5]</td>
      <td>~15–20 calories[web:1][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Longer, active session (with foreplay)</td>
      <td>~24 minutes</td>
      <td>~100 calories[web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>~70 calories[web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Per‑minute estimate</td>
      <td>1 minute</td>
      <td>~4.2 cal/min[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>~3.1 cal/min[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Mini Reality Check

Despite all the memes and forum jokes about “burning 300–500 calories in bed,” reviews of the research say those big numbers are usually exaggerated unless the session is long and very active (20–30+ minutes at a time). One review specifically called the “100–300 calories per act” claim a myth for typical, short encounters.

That said, sex still offers benefits beyond the calorie burn, including stress relief, bonding, and some cardiovascular upside — just don’t rely on it as your main workout.

TL;DR: For most people, you burn about 3–5 calories per minute during sex, which often adds up to only a few dozen calories per typical session, not hundreds.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.