The number of calories burned during a set of situps and crunches varies from one person to the next. Results are at least partly based on the intensity and duration of your workout. The more vigorous and lengthier the activity, the more energy you expend, increasing calories burned. But the calories you burn during any physical activity are also influenced by your body weight. The more you weigh, the more energy it takes to complete one repetition, causing the body to burn even more calories.
Exercise
Due to the nature of these activities, the amount of calories burned is rather limited. Both situps and crunches focus more on strength training than cardiovascular fitness. For example, a 155-lb. man burns roughly 9 calories per minute during a vigorous set of situps or crunches. This number is reduced to only 5 calories per minute when decreasing the intensity to a more moderate pace.
Duration
While burning 9 calories per minute --- or even 5 calories, for that matter --- is nothing to sneeze at, you'd need to perform the situps or crunches for a greater length of time than what's likely possible to make an impact on your weight. Let's say you work at a moderate pace for 30 minutes, which is a relatively long time to do either of these exercise. You'll burn a total of almost 160 calories, which is about the same as walking at a pace of 4 mph for 30 minutes.
Caloric Deficit
If the ultimate goal of the situps and crunches is to lose weight, you're probably not making as much headway as you may think. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb. of fat. You'd need to do situps and crunches 30 minutes a day for 22 days to lose a single pound of weight. This isn't to say you shouldn't include these exercises in your workout routine, but you're better served, especially in regard to weight loss, by incorporating more cardio-based activities into your program.
Misconception
One of the biggest misconceptions involving situps, crunches and other abdominal exercises is that these activities target belly fat. No amount of exercise selectively reduces fat along a specific area of the body, explains the American Council on Exercise. Launching into countless repetitions of situps or crunches can strengthen and tone your abdominals, but doesn't burn the layer of subcutaneous fat around your midsection.
References
- National Institutes of Health; Tips for Losing Weight; Oct. 2009
- American Council on Exercise; Why Is the Concept of Spot Reduction Considered a Myth?; Cedric Bryant; Jan./Feb. 2004
- Harvard Health Publications; Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People of Three Different Weights; July 2004
- Health Status: Calories Burned Estimator
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