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 Doing Pilates Are Calculated
Calories burned doing Pilates is the energy your body uses while you hold controlled positions, move through each exercise and breathe through the class. Your body weight, the length of the session and the style of Pilates make the biggest difference.
What Pilates Calorie Estimates Measure
The result is the full energy cost of your Pilates session, including what your body would burn at rest anyway (a gross figure). It does not measure strength gains, flexibility or posture, which are the main reasons most people do Pilates.
The Formula
Calories (kcal) = MET x body weight (kg) x time (hours)
1 MET = about 1 kcal per kg of body weight per hour
A MET tells you how much harder an activity is than sitting still. This calculator uses Pilates values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, a reference list of energy costs for adults aged 19 to 59¹.
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Choose your age group and Pilates style, enter your weight in pounds or kilograms, then add your time. The 30, 45 and 60 minute buttons fill in common class lengths. The tool then converts pounds to kilograms, takes the MET for your Pilates style, and multiplies it out. Your Pilates calories are rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, with the MET to one decimal place.
Pilates style | Compendium code | MET |
Mat Pilates, traditional | 02103 | 1.8 |
Pilates class, general (reformer, studio or mixed) | 02105 | 2.8 |
These are the compendium's only two standard Pilates entries. It has no reformer entry, so reformer classes use "general"¹. Pound (8.5), a drumstick cardio class that borrows Pilates moves, is left out because it is not standard Pilates¹.
You also see calories per hour and per 30 minutes, and a table of both styles at your weight. There is no result for anyone under 18, since youth values are different. At 60 and over, a note says your burn may be lower.
What Your Result Means
The result tells you what that Pilates class used, not what you should aim for. For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, a Pilates session burns:
Pilates style | 30 minutes | 50 minutes | 60 minutes |
Mat Pilates, traditional | 65 kcal | 105 kcal | 125 kcal |
Pilates class, general | 100 kcal | 165 kcal | 195 kcal |
A 90 kg (198 lb) adult burns about 160 kcal in an hour of traditional mat Pilates and about 250 kcal in an hour of general Pilates. These numbers are low next to walking or lifting, and that is normal for Pilates.
Beginner, Advanced, Mat and Reformer: What the Studies Found
Few studies have measured a real Pilates class, and they show how much level and pace matter.
Study session | Calories per minute | Per session |
Mat, mostly inactive women² | 1.9 kcal | 95 kcal |
Reformer, same women² | 2.6 kcal | 130 kcal |
Beginner mat, 50 minutes³ | 3.6 kcal | 175 kcal |
Advanced mat, 50 minutes³ | 5.6 kcal | 254 kcal |
In a study of 18 young women, a reformer session used about a third more energy than a mat session, and heart rate stayed in the very light range for both². In a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, 15 women with Pilates experience did a 50 minute beginner and advanced mat routine. Their per-minute figures are for the 40 minute main workout, while the session totals also include the warm-up and cool-down³. The researchers compared the beginner routine to walking at about 2 mph and the advanced routine to walking at 3.5 to 4 mph³.
So the two options fit a typical or slower class. A fast, advanced class can burn more than either shows.
Pilates Is Built for Strength, Posture and Flexibility
Pilates was not designed to burn calories. It aims to train the deep trunk muscles, posture, control of movement and flexibility. In a 12 week trial of 50 active middle-aged adults, those who did two 1 hour mat classes a week improved their abdominal endurance, hamstring flexibility and upper body muscle endurance compared with a control group⁴. Posture and balance did not improve in that trial⁴. Both energy studies found that Pilates stayed below the heart rate range used for cardio fitness training² ³.
If calorie burn is your main goal, pair Pilates with walking, cycling or another cardio activity. If you want a stronger trunk, more muscle endurance and better flexibility, Pilates does that job well.
Pilates Compared With Yoga, Walking and Weight Lifting
Pilates and other activities for 60 minutes, based on 2024 Adult Compendium values¹:
Activity (code) | MET | 70 kg (154 lb) | 90 kg (198 lb) |
Mat Pilates, traditional (02103) | 1.8 | 125 kcal | 160 kcal |
Pilates, general (02105) | 2.8 | 195 kcal | 250 kcal |
Yoga, Hatha (02150) | 2.3 | 160 kcal | 205 kcal |
Yoga, Vinyasa (02185) | 2.7 | 190 kcal | 245 kcal |
Walking, 2.8 to 3.4 mph (17190) | 3.8 | 265 kcal | 340 kcal |
Weight lifting, vigorous (02050) | 6.0 | 420 kcal | 540 kcal |
Pound class, not standard Pilates (02107) | 8.5 | 595 kcal | 765 kcal |
A general Pilates class burns about the same as Vinyasa yoga and less than a steady 3 mph walk. Vigorous weight lifting burns about twice as much per hour. The compendium has no entry for barre, so it is not in the table.
Calories Burned in Measured Pilates Sessions
What studies measured in real mat and reformer sessions. Switch between calories per minute and per session.
Show data table
| Session | Calories per minute (kcal/min) |
|---|---|
| Mat, mostly inactive women | 1.9 |
| Reformer, same women | 2.6 |
| Beginner mat, 50 minutes | 3.6 |
| Advanced mat, 50 minutes | 5.6 |
A Note on Accuracy
Pilates is hard to pin down with one number because classes range from slow, careful mat work to fast reformer flows. Measured sessions run from about 1.9 to 5.6 kcal per minute depending on the level² ³. Experience matters too: the same routine can cost a beginner and a practiced student different amounts. For a typical Pilates class, the result is a fair estimate, not an exact count.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories does a 50 minute Pilates class burn?
A 70 kg (154 lb) adult burns about 105 kcal in 50 minutes of traditional mat Pilates and about 165 kcal in a general or reformer class¹. Fast, advanced classes can burn more: about 254 kcal in 50 minutes in one study³.
Does reformer Pilates burn more calories than mat Pilates?
A little, in the one study that compared them: reformer sessions used about 2.6 kcal per minute against 1.9 kcal on the mat².
Is Pilates good for weight loss?
Pilates burns fewer calories per hour than walking or weight lifting, so on its own it does little for weight loss¹ ³. Its proven gains are muscle endurance and flexibility⁴, so if weight loss is the goal it works best alongside cardio.
How accurate are Pilates calorie estimates?
They are averages for a typical class. Measured sessions vary from about 1.9 to 5.6 kcal per minute with level and pace, so your own burn may be higher or lower² ³.
Sources
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, Herrmann et al., 2024
Energy Expenditure of Apparatus and Mat Pilates Sessions, Andrade et al., 2020
ACE Pilates Study, Spilde and Porcari, 2005
Pilates for Muscle Endurance, Flexibility, Balance and Posture, Kloubec, 2010