Anyone who has been paddleboarding probably already knows the answer to this question.
Or maybe you have been paddleboarding before and really hurt afterwards and wondered
“Is paddleboarding really a full body workout or am I just unfit?”
Well the harsh reality of the statement above is probably both.
Now I am not trying to judge your character and imply you aren’t physically fit, in fact quite the opposite.
You can be the fittest long distance runner on the planet but you would still feel sore after a session of paddleboarding.
Like any sport, paddleboarding requires a different type of fitness and uses different muscles groups.
A marathon runner will likely have strong legs but their upper body would surely hurt after paddleboarding as it isn’t an area they normally work on.
As paddleboarding is for the most part a full body exercise it is fantastic at burning calories.
Using data from 4 of my customers I was able to obtain some numbers regarding calories burnt whilst out on a one hour paddle.
On average a person can expect to burn 388 calories when out on a recreational paddle for one hour, the data used for this average showed calorie expenditures between 330-438.
When compared to a casual stroll this is almost double the calories, and I know what I would rather be doing.
So what if you are more than just a casual paddler.
What if you are more serious or competitive with your paddling.
Well to make this article more rounded I have pulled some research from various sources across the internet to compile a list of calories burned during the most common SUP activities.
These include the following activities.
- SUP Racing
- SUP Touring
- SUP Yoga
- SUP Surfing
Calories Burnt During Recreational Paddleboarding
Recreational paddleboarding is amongst the most popular forms of paddleboarding.
This includes anything from paddling with a friend at a casual pace to getting your sea legs in during your first time trying the sport.
A recreational paddle is often not high intensity and is often quite a slow pace.
The pace is similar to the average walking speed.
The average human walks at a pace of 3pmh and the same can be said for recreational paddleboarding.
How many calories a person burns during exercise is highly specific to each individual and different factors greatly affect the caloric burn rate.
Owning a SUP hire business I have been fortunate in the fact that I have been able to get some feedback from some of my customers regarding how many calories they burnt on their adventures.
Now before I reveal the number average I got it is worth noting that my customers all varied in ability, weight, height and age.
Obviously the more experienced you are at paddleboarding the less effort you have to expend to carry out the task.
In the interest of privacy I obviously can’t disclose their names however these are the calories burnt by each of the customers during a one hour paddle session.
Person 1, Male, 36 Years old = 401 calories
Person 2, Female 29 Years old = 330 Calories
Person 3, Male, 26 years old = 383 calories
Person 4, Male, 48 Years old = 438 Calories
A person out on a recreational paddle for one hour can expect to burn between 330 – 438 calories with an average calorie expenditure of 388
Now admittedly the pool size isn’t large and factors such as height, weight and overall fitness can swing these numbers wildly in both directions, so take these numbers with a pinch of salt.
But I feel this does offer an insight into the type of numbers you can expect to see whilst out for play on a paddleboard.
Calories Burnt During SUP Racing.
SUP Racing has been rising to popularity more and more since paddleboarding has become more mainstream.
As competitive people find themselves falling in love with paddleboarding the next logical step for many is to compete in SUP races.
SUP racing requires a great level of both cardiovascular and anaerobic fitness.
Unlike most racing events paddleboarding requires someone to have tremendous cardiovascular fitness whilst excelling during intense anaerobic spells and muscle fatigue.
SUP Racing is certainly one of the most vigorous forms of paddleboarding and this is reflected when we look at how many calories a person can expect to burn in just one hour of SUP Racing.
Isle surf shop staff competed in a local SUP race called the Dana Ocean Challenge which entails a 5 mile trip and found that on average they burned between 713-1125 calories in an hour.
One of my close friends used to compete in SUP Races here in the UK and was actually crowned British Champion in the over 50’s bracket.
I asked him to have a flick through his old Garmin app to provide some data and he reported that he burnt between 843 – 1160 calories in an hour of SUP Racing
Calories Burnt During SUP Touring
SUP touring is generally reserved for more keen Paddleboarders who usually own their own personal boards and associated gear.
SUP touring involves taking a SUP often long distances to experience or tour the local scenery of the particular area they are paddling in.
A popular destination near me is around the Jurassic coast which includes areas such as Kimmeridge bay and Lulworth cove which features the famous Durdle Door
SUP Touring is much less strenuous than SUP racing and is often completed at a pace that is considered slightly faster than a recreational paddle.
The main differences between recreational paddling and SUP touring is that when touring you generally don’t take any breaks, think of it more as just passing through rather than stopping at each destination to take in the scenery.
Normal speeds of SUP touring is around 4mph which coupled with not taking regular breaks equates to burning more calories when compared to a leisurely paddle.
Having gone on many tours specifically around the Jurassic coast and along the shoreline of Bournemouth beaches it is fair to say that you can expect to burn anywhere between 550-700 calories in an hour.
Calories Burnt During SUP Yoga
This is a discipline of paddleboarding that I see cropping up more and more.
Yoga has been around for thousands of years and every year it seems to evolve.
From bikram yoga, to Hatha Yoga and now on to Paddleboarding Yoga.
Yoga has a large laundry list of benefits which I’m sure you probably know all about anyway.
Performing Yoga is a difficult task at the best of times especially if you are a regular participant of struggle with either flexibility or balance.
Take all those Yoga moves and place them on a paddleboard that moves with the rhythm of the water and you have yourself a serious workout.
Personally I have never taken a SUP yoga class but I would be lying if I said I haven’t tried a few poses when out paddling.
SUP Yoga is extremely challenging but it is as beneficial as it is challenging.
Now having never partaken in SUP yoga I don’t have personal data to throw into the mix on this one.
Isle surf shop (Who I mentioned earlier) reported that when they participated in their friends SUP Yoga class they burned between 415-550 calories.
This figure actually surprised me as it is much lower than I expected it to be.
Now I’m not sure if this is to do with the style of Yoga she teaches in her class as it is more about moving from one pose to another keeping your breath in check.
If there are any Yoga instructors out there I would love to know the calorie expenditure of each type of yoga to see how that number would change if the Yoga type was changed?
Calories Burnt During SUP Surfing
I will be honest I saved my favourite one til last.
Having surfed for over 10 years I relish at the opportunity to catch a few waves towards the tail end of a paddle.
SUP Surfing is some of the most fun I have ever had on a paddle board.
Now admittedly I have nearly always ridden a long board when surfing so the extra inches of the paddleboard didn’t phase me.
Having surfed the last 10 years at the sunny shores of Bournemouth where decent swells are few and far between being out for a paddle and finding a little breaking wave always fill me with joy.
On top of scratching the itch and having something to entertain me inbetween waiting for the next set, SUP surfing actually burns more calories than traditional surfing so it really is a win, win if you are a surfer who lives in an area where the sea gods don’t bless you often.
Surfing on average burns around 412 calories.
SUP Surfing in my experience can burn anywhere between 570 – 785 calories.
Now admittedly the low end of this calorie expenditure was on small days where the waves were more ankle snappers than actual waves. Whereas the days where I was up around the 785 mark were wet, windy and choppy conditions where the going was tough.