Activity calories · 2024 Compendium METs

Calories burned on a rowing machine

Quick answer

A 70 kg (154 lb) person burns about 256 kcal in 30 minutes of on a rowing machine (General, vigorous), and about 511 kcal in an hour. That is 7.3 METs.

30 minutes: 256kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 511kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 438kcal; 60 kg (132 lb)
1 hour: 584kcal; 80 kg (176 lb)

Rowing on an ergometer uses the legs, back and arms together, and the Compendium rates it by power output in watts. A relaxed row under 100 watts and a hard session at 200 watts or more are far apart, so pick the band that matches your monitor.

Calculate calories burned on a rowing machine

Starts at 70 kg (154 lb) for 30 minutes of on a rowing machine at 7.3 METs; enter your own weight and time.

Calories burned on a rowing machine by weight and time

Kilocalories for on a rowing machine at 7.3 METs (General, vigorous), by body weight and minutes. Read across from your weight; the pace table below shows the other rows.

Calories burned on a rowing machine at 7.3 METs, by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	30 min	45 min	1 hour	1.5 hours	2 hours
50 kg (110 lb)	91	183	274	365	548	730
60 kg (132 lb)	110	219	329	438	657	876
70 kg (154 lb)	128	256	383	511	767	1,022
80 kg (176 lb)	146	292	438	584	876	1,168
90 kg (198 lb)	164	329	493	657	986	1,314
100 kg (220 lb)	183	365	548	730	1,095	1,460
110 kg (243 lb)	201	402	602	803	1,205	1,606

On a rowing machine: calories by pace or effort

The Compendium rates on a rowing machine on 5 lines, from 5 METs (Under 100 watts, moderate) up to 14 METs (200 watts or more, very vigorous). Each row below is one of those codes with the calories it works out to.

Calories burned on a rowing machine by pace or effort
Pace or effort	Compendium code	METs	30 min, 60 kg (132 lb)	30 min, 70 kg (154 lb)	30 min, 80 kg (176 lb)	1 hour, 70 kg (154 lb)
Under 100 watts, moderate	02071	5	150	175	200	350
General, vigorous	02070	7.3	219	256	292	511
100 to 149 watts, vigorous	02072	7.5	225	263	300	525
150 to 199 watts, vigorous	02073	11	330	385	440	770
200 watts or more, very vigorous	02074	14	420	490	560	980

The Compendium’s own wording for each code: 02071, “Rowing, stationary ergometer, general, <100 watts, moderate effort”; 02070, “Rowing, stationary ergometer, general, vigorous effort”; 02072, “Rowing, stationary, 100 to 149 watts, vigorous effort”; 02073, “Rowing, stationary, 150 to 199 watts, vigorous effort”; 02074, “Rowing, stationary, >= 200 watts, very vigorous effort”.

What changes the number for on a rowing machine

Pace is the biggest lever. The hardest listed way of on a rowing machine (200 watts or more, very vigorous) is rated at 14 METs, 2.8 times the 5 METs of the gentlest (Under 100 watts, moderate). For a 70 kg (154 lb) person that is 980 kcal an hour against 350 kcal.

Body weight is the second: the same 7.3 METs of on a rowing machine for 30 minutes comes to 183 kcal at 50 kg (110 lb) and 402 kcal at 110 kg (243 lb). To reach 100 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) takes about 12 minutes at the starting pace.

Laid out in half-hour terms for 70 kg (154 lb): under 100 watts, moderate is 175 kcal; general, vigorous is 256 kcal; 100 to 149 watts, vigorous is 263 kcal; 150 to 199 watts, vigorous is 385 kcal; 200 watts or more, very vigorous is 490 kcal.

How the calories are worked out

The formula is calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET compares an activity with sitting quietly, which is 1 MET and is taken as roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. That equivalence is an approximation, which is why every figure is rounded and called about.

For on a rowing machine at 7.3 METs, a 70 kg (154 lb) person for 30 minutes: 7.3 × 70 × 0.5 = 256 kcal. This is a gross figure: it includes the energy your body would spend at rest in the same time.

The MET values are those of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024), read from its activity list on 2026-10-23 and copied with their codes. They are averages for adults; see how we calculate.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does a 70 kg person burn on a rowing machine in 30 minutes?

About 256 kcal at 7.3 METs (General, vigorous). The whole range for on a rowing machine on this page runs from 175 kcal (Under 100 watts, moderate) to 490 kcal (200 watts or more, very vigorous) in the same half hour.

How many calories does on a rowing machine burn in an hour?

At 7.3 METs, about 438 kcal for a 60 kg (132 lb) person, 511 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) and 584 kcal at 80 kg (176 lb). Heavier people burn more because they move more mass.

How long does on a rowing machine take to burn 100 calories?

For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, about 12 minutes at 7.3 METs (General, vigorous). At the gentlest listed pace (Under 100 watts, moderate, 5 METs) it takes 17 minutes, and at the hardest (200 watts or more, very vigorous, 14 METs) about 6.

Does the number for on a rowing machine include the calories I would burn anyway?

Yes. Of the 7.3 METs, 1 is the resting cost, about 14% of the total here, so the activity itself adds about 221 of the 256 kcal in 30 minutes at 70 kg (154 lb).

Why would my watch show a different number for on a rowing machine?

A watch uses its own model, often with heart rate, age and sex, while this page uses the Compendium’s average. For on a rowing machine that average already spans 5 entries from 5 to 14 METs, a 2.8-fold range, so a gap between the two is normal.

Which line in the table should I choose for on a rowing machine?

Pick the row that best describes how you did it: this page starts from “General, vigorous”, about 26% of the way up the 5 to 14 MET range. The rows are separate Compendium entries (02071, 02070, 02072, 02073, 02074).

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These are estimates for healthy adults from average MET values. How much you actually burn varies with your fitness, body composition, technique, terrain and conditions, so use the figures as a guide, not a measurement. This is not medical advice.