Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Calories Burned Deadlifting Are Calculated
Calories burned deadlifting is the energy you spend pulling a loaded bar from the floor to standing, lowering it, and recovering between sets, counted in kilocalories (kcal). It is estimated from your body weight, how long your sets and rests last, and a MET value, which says how many times harder an activity is than sitting still.
What the Deadlift Calorie Estimate Measures
It gives a gross figure, so the energy you would burn at rest anyway is included. By default it counts only the time the bar is moving; you can switch on your rest between sets as well. It does not measure strength or muscle gain, and it adds nothing for extra burn in the hours after training.
The Formula
Calories (kcal) = MET x body weight (kg) x time (hours)
Lifting time = sets x reps per set x seconds per rep
Rest calories (optional) = 1.3 x body weight (kg) x (sets minus 1) x rest per break (hours)
Body weight (kg) = body weight (lb) x 0.45359237
The MET values come from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, where 1 MET is about 1 kcal per kg of body weight per hour¹.
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Enter your age group, weight (lb or kg), effort level, sets, reps per set and seconds per rep, plus rest between sets if you want it counted. Seconds per rep starts at 3, a lab pace of 1.5 seconds up and 1.5 down². To check yours, time one set and divide by your reps.
Rest is off by default, and the result is labeled "Active time only". Turn on "Include rest between sets" to add each break at 1.3 METs, the compendium value for standing quietly³; nothing is added after your last set. Totals below 50 kcal are rounded to the nearest whole kcal, larger ones to the nearest 5. You also see calories per minute, per set, per rep and above resting. At 60 or older you get a result with a note that it may run high; under 18, youth values differ, so no result is shown.
What Your Result Means
The compendium has no deadlift-only value. One row names deadlifts, and it is shared with squats⁴. The other two options borrow general lifting rows. For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult:
Effort level | Code | MET | Per minute of lifting | Per 3 second rep |
Light (warm-up or technique sets) | 02054 | 3.5 | 4.1 kcal | 0.20 kcal |
Standard working sets (names deadlift) | 02052 | 5.0 | 5.8 kcal | 0.29 kcal |
Heavy or powerlifting style | 02050 | 6.0 | 7.0 kcal | 0.35 kcal |
Here is how common deadlift workouts come out:
Workout | Active time only, 70 kg | With rest, 70 kg | With rest, 90 kg |
3 x 5 light, 3 s reps, 1 min rest | 3 kcal | 6 kcal | 8 kcal |
3 x 10 standard, 3 s reps, 2 min rest | 9 kcal | 15 kcal | 19 kcal |
5 x 5 heavy, 4 s reps, 3 min rest | 12 kcal | 30 kcal | 38 kcal |
5 x 3 heavy, 5 s reps, 4 min rest | 9 kcal | 33 kcal | 42 kcal |
Why Rest Between Sets Changes the Number
A deadlift set may last only 15 to 40 seconds, but your breathing stays high well after you drop the bar². In one study, 10 trained men did 3 sets of 10 deadlifts at 75% of their one rep max with 2 minute rests. Their oxygen use, averaged over the sets and the rests together, was 18.9 mL per kg per minute⁵. That is about 5.4 METs, close to the compendium rows above.
This tool is more cautious. For the same workout it gives about 5.0 METs while the bar moves, and with rest switched on it averages about 2.3 to 2.4 METs, because each break is treated as standing still³. So for fast, short-rest sessions, the real figure is likely higher than ours.
In a study that measured the full cost of deadlift sets, only about 24% came from oxygen used during the set, 33% from anaerobic energy (fuel used without oxygen) and 43% from extra oxygen used in recovery².
Do Deadlifts Burn More Than Squats or Bench Press?
About the same as squats, and more than pressing. In the study of trained men above, the squat averaged 19.6 and the deadlift 18.9 mL of oxygen per kg per minute, the two highest free weight lifts tested⁵. In a second study, at the same mechanical work (weight times distance moved), the deadlift cost more than the squat, and both cost more than the incline bench press². It had only three deadlift sets, all from men, so treat that gap as a hint.
For 10 minutes at each rate (the study row is a whole workout average, rests included):
Activity | MET | 70 kg (154 lb) | 90 kg (198 lb) |
Deadlifts, standard working sets | 5.0 | 60 kcal | 75 kcal |
Deadlifts, heavy or powerlifting style | 6.0 | 70 kcal | 90 kcal |
Deadlift workout measured in a study, 2 min rests | 5.4 | 65 kcal | 80 kcal |
Kettlebell swings | 9.8 | 115 kcal | 145 kcal |
Standing quietly | 1.3 | 15 kcal | 20 kcal |
Kettlebell swings use the same hip hinge with a light weight moved fast, and the compendium rates them almost twice as costly per minute as standard deadlift sets⁴.
What Changes Your Burn During Deadlifts
Bar weight: in 24 adults, oxygen cost rose in a straight line with bar load and with work done (correlations of about 0.91)⁶. The study summary does not say how load was counted, so the tool uses effort level in place of bar weight.
Fuel without oxygen: heavy pulls lean on anaerobic energy, so estimates built from oxygen use may undercount them⁶.
Rep speed: a slow lowering phase adds lifting time, so a 5 second rep counts for more than a 2 second rep.
Rest length: the biggest lever on the "with rest" total, as the workout table shows.
Deadlift Workouts With and Without Rest Counted
Calories at 70 kg (154 lb). Counting rest raises every total, and heavy, low-rep workouts with long breaks more than double.
- Active time only
- With rest
Show data table
| Workout | Active time only (kcal) | With rest (kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 x 5 light, 3 s reps, 1 min rest | 3 | 6 |
| 3 x 10 standard, 3 s reps, 2 min rest | 9 | 15 |
| 5 x 5 heavy, 4 s reps, 3 min rest | 12 | 30 |
| 5 x 3 heavy, 5 s reps, 4 min rest | 9 | 33 |
Where the Energy for a Deadlift Set Comes From
Share of the full cost of deadlift sets, measured in a lab. Oxygen used while the bar moves covers under a quarter; recovery after the set covers the most.
Show data table
| Energy source | Share of total cost (%) |
|---|---|
| Oxygen used during the set | 24 |
| Anaerobic energy (without oxygen) | 33 |
| Extra oxygen used in recovery | 43 |
A Note on Accuracy
The compendium has no deadlift-only MET, so each option borrows a value shared with squats or general lifting. Your result also depends on the pace you enter. Rest, when included, counts as standing still, yet a measured deadlift workout with 2 minute rests averaged about 5.4 METs⁵, so short-rest sessions may be undercounted. For a whole-session figure that applies a lifting rate to your rests too, use the Calories Burned Weight Lifting Calculator. Heavy, low-rep pulls rely on anaerobic energy that oxygen-based values tend to miss, so your real cost may be higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories do deadlifts burn?
For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, 3 sets of 10 comes to about 9 kcal of active time, or 15 kcal with 2 minute rests counted as standing. Ten minutes of nonstop pulling at a standard effort is about 60 kcal⁴.
Do deadlifts burn more calories than squats?
Not by much. In trained men doing 3 sets of 10, squats and deadlifts used almost the same oxygen, 19.6 and 18.9 mL per kg per minute⁵.
How many calories does one deadlift burn?
About 0.3 kcal for a 3 second rep at 70 kg and standard effort. Lab studies that count recovery after each set suggest the true cost per rep is higher².
Is a deadlift calorie calculator accurate?
It gives a fair estimate, not an exact count, because no compendium row covers deadlifts alone. Lab data suggest heavy pulls may cost more than the estimate² ⁶.
Sources
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, Herrmann et al., 2024
Total Energy Cost of Five Resistance Exercises, Knausenberger et al., 2014
Compendium of Physical Activities, Inactivity, Compendium of Physical Activities
Compendium of Physical Activities, Conditioning Exercise, Compendium of Physical Activities
Acute Metabolic Responses to Traditional Resistance, Body-Weight, and Battling Rope Exercises, Ratamess et al., 2015
Prediction of the Oxygen Cost of the Deadlift Exercise, Brown et al., 1994