Calories burned
rope jumping
801 kcal / hour Rope jumping burns approximately 801 calories per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and 401 calories in 30 minutes. Across the normal adult weight range the hourly figure runs from about 572 to 1,373 kcal.
It carries a MET value of 10.9 in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, which lists 4 measured variations of this activity from MET 8.3 to 12.3.
Calories burned rope jumping by body weight
Energy cost scales with the mass you move, so body weight changes the answer more than anything else.
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 143 | 286 | 429 | 572 | 858 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 172 | 343 | 515 | 687 | 1,030 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 200 | 401 | 601 | 801 | 1,202 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 229 | 458 | 687 | 916 | 1,373 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 258 | 515 | 773 | 1,030 | 1,545 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 286 | 572 | 858 | 1,145 | 1,717 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 315 | 629 | 944 | 1,259 | 1,888 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 343 | 687 | 1,030 | 1,373 | 2,060 |
Figures in kilocalories (the "calories" on food labels). The highlighted row is the 70 kg reference adult used in the headline figure; the highlighted column is one hour.
Every official intensity of rope jumping
The Compendium lists 4 separate rope jumping entries, each with its own measured MET value — from 8.3 to 12.3. Most calculators collapse all of this into one number. Pick the row that matches what you actually did.
| Variation | MET | kcal/hr at 70 kg | kcal/hr at 90 kg | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| slow pace, < 100 skips/min, 2 foot skip, rhythm bounce | 8.3 | 610 | 784 | 15552 |
| double under or more | 10 | 735 | 945 | 15554 |
| moderate pace, general, 100 to 120 skips/min, 2 foot skip, plain bounce | 11.8 | 867 | 1,115 | 15551 |
| fast pace, 120-160 skips/min | 12.3 | 904 | 1,162 | 15550 |
Codes are 2024 Adult Compendium activity codes. A dash means the code could not be read unambiguously from the published table, so it is left blank rather than guessed — the MET value and description are unaffected.
What 801 calories an hour actually means
At MET 10.9, rope jumping counts as very vigorous activity — it uses about 10.9 times the energy your body burns sitting still. For a 70 kg adult that works out to roughly 13 kcal per minute, or 801 kcal across a full hour.
Within sports, that ranks 6th of 91 activities by energy cost, a little below judo (MET 11.3) and above floorball (MET 10.5).
Put differently: one hour of rope jumping costs about the same energy as 163 minutes of ordinary walking.
On the food side, a medium banana (about 105 kcal) takes roughly 8 minutes of rope jumping to offset at that body weight. That framing is useful for scale, but it is worth saying plainly: exercise and diet are not a ledger that cancels neatly, and appetite tends to rise with activity.
Questions
How many calories does rope jumping burn per hour?
About 801 kcal per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, using the Compendium MET value of 10.9. A 90 kg adult burns closer to 1,030 kcal in the same hour, because energy cost scales almost directly with body mass.
How many calories does 30 minutes of rope jumping burn?
Roughly 401 kcal at 70 kg, 343 kcal at 60 kg and 572 kcal at 100 kg. Halving the time halves the calories — the relationship is linear.
What is the MET value of rope jumping?
10.9, taken as the median of the 4 rope jumping entries in the 2024 Adult Compendium, which range from 8.3 to 12.3 depending on intensity. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, so MET 10.9 means 10.9 times that rate.
Is this an exact number of calories?
No, and no calculator can give you one. MET values are population averages measured in laboratory conditions; your own figure varies with fitness, technique, terrain, temperature and body composition. Treat these numbers as a solid estimate for planning, not a precise measurement — and treat any device or site claiming three-digit precision with suspicion.
Related activities
Three more from sports, and three with a similar energy cost from elsewhere in the Compendium.
MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (activity code 15552). Calories computed as MET × 3.5 × weight kg ÷ 200 per minute. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.