Despite the wide variety of ab exercises, most ab workouts fall into one of two broad categories. Concentrated ab workouts build strength and tone on your ab muscles, while ab-centered aerobics tone your stomach muscles and provide a strong cardiovascular workout. How many calories you burn in a session of either type depends on which kind of workout you choose.
Calorie Basics
A calorie is a unit of measure for energy just as a mile is a measure of unit for distance. One source of confusion with calorie counting is that scientists and nutritionists use the same word for different amounts of energy. The scientific definition of a calorie is the amount of energy it takes to heat 1 g of water by 1 degree Celsius. When nutritionists use the word, they actually mean "kilocalorie," which is 1,000 calories as referred to in the scientific sense. It takes 3,500 of these kilocalories to make up 1 lb. of body fat.
Ab Calisthenics
Ab calisthenics, like situps and crunches, are a body-weight resistance exercise. They build and tone your muscles using the weight of your body to increase the load on your abs. Because they're resistance exercises, they do more to improve your strength than burn calories for weight loss. According to health resource website HealthStatus.com, a 170-lb. person will burn about 175 calories in a 30-minute session of ab calisthenics.
Ab Cardio
An ab cardio workout focuses on repeated movement to raise your heart rate. Cardio workouts burn calories faster than resistance training, and are thus better for weight loss. HealthStatus.com reports that a 170-lb. person will burn about 270 calories in 30 minutes of ab cardio.
Variations
Counting carbs is not an exact science. It's an estimate based on averages between people with different metabolic rates and exercise habits. Heavier people will burn more calories in a session of ab workouts, and lighter people will burn fewer. Other factors that might increase or reduce your calorie burn include the temperature, when you last ate, and even your mood during the workout.
References
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willett, et. al; 2004
- HealthStatus: Calories Burned Estimator
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