A 160 lb person who does 1,000 jumps burns about 136 calories
A 160 lb (72.6 kg) person who jumps rope 1,000 times at 110 jumps per minute (a moderate pace) needs 9 minutes 5 seconds and burns about 136 kcal. Of that, 125 kcal is the extra effort of jumping and the other 11 kcal is what the body would burn anyway while resting. Jump for 30 minutes without stopping at the same moderate pace and that person burns about 450 kcal. (A food “Calorie” and a kilocalorie, kcal, are the same unit.)
The calculator above uses the jump rope METs from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Enter any two of jumps, time and jumps per minute and it fills in the third, then picks slow, moderate or fast from your jumps per minute. It also shows calories by jump count, the count needed to reach a calorie goal, what changes if you only change your pace, and how long walking, cycling or running would take to burn the same calories.
When it helps to calculate jump rope calories
- Turning “I did 1,000 jumps today” into calories: people usually log jump rope by count, but calories depend on the time you spend jumping and your body weight, not the count. Enter the count and your pace and you get the time and the calories together.
- Matching your day’s calories to your diet: the goal rows show how many jumps and how many minutes it takes at your current pace to burn anywhere from 100 to 1,000 kcal.
- Logging a workout without a watch: type in the count and time from a rope counter or app and the calculator works out your jumps per minute and intensity too, so you can note them with the session.
- Checking your weekly activity: at every pace jump rope is above 6 METs, which the WHO 2020 guidelines count as vigorous activity, and one vigorous minute counts as two moderate minutes. Eleven minutes a day for a week adds up to 77 vigorous minutes, which covers the 75 minutes a week at the low end of the vigorous range.
Calories are only part of what jumping rope gives you. In an 8-week randomized trial, 59 healthy adults were split into two jump rope groups and a group that did not exercise. One group jumped in intervals (2 minutes hard and 1 minute easy recovery, repeated 9 times, 3 days a week) and the other jumped for 30 minutes straight (5 days a week). Both groups improved their maximal oxygen uptake (43.8 to 48.4 and 42.2 to 47.2 mL/kg/min), but neither group’s body composition changed (Phongchin et al. 2025).
How to use the calculator
- Enter two figures you know: fill in any two of jumps, time and jumps per minute. The last two you typed are used to work out the third, and its label gets “auto”. The page starts with jumps and pace entered and time calculated. If you type a time, the pace stays put and the jump count follows.
- Leave out your rests: enter only the time you were actually jumping. If you did 2 minutes of jumping and 1 minute of rest five times, your jumping time is 10 minutes.
- Enter your weight: calories scale in direct proportion to weight. Use pounds or switch to kilograms. Your weight is not saved or added to the address.
- Read the result: the big number is the total burned while you jump. The bar below splits it into the extra burned by jumping and the resting burn. The rope on the right turns at your pace, and “Watch 10 s” counts how many times it turns in 10 seconds.
- Try other numbers: tap a row in the count or goal lists to recalculate with that value. “Change only the pace” compares what the same count or the same time gives at slow, moderate and fast paces.
How the calories are calculated
Calories (kcal) = MET × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × minutes jumped
A MET tells you how many times more energy an activity uses than sitting at rest. The Compendium defines 1 MET as 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. At about 5 kcal per liter of oxygen, calories per minute come out as MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200. That is the same as the common shortcut MET × weight (kg) × hours × 1.05 (3.5 × 60 ÷ 200 = 1.05). To use pounds, divide your weight by 2.205 first.
| Intensity | Jumps per minute | MET Compendium code | 160 lb, 1 min | 160 lb, 10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slow | under 100 | 8.3 (15552) | 10.5 kcal | 105 kcal |
| Moderate | 100–120 | 11.8 (15551) | 15.0 kcal | 150 kcal |
| Fast | 120–160 | 12.3 (15550) | 15.6 kcal | 156 kcal |
In the source data the moderate band (100 to 120 jumps per minute) and the fast band (120 to 160) overlap at 120. This calculator counts up to 120 jumps per minute as moderate and 121 and above as fast. The Compendium describes the slow band as a “rhythm bounce” (an extra small hop between turns of the rope) and the moderate band as a “plain bounce” (one jump per turn).
| Step | Calculation | 160 lb · 1,000 jumps · 110 per minute |
|---|---|---|
| Time jumped | jumps ÷ jumps per minute | 1,000 ÷ 110 = 9.09 min (9 min 5 s) |
| Intensity | chosen by jumps per minute | Moderate, 11.8 MET |
| Calories per minute | MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200 | 11.8 × 3.5 × 72.6 ÷ 200 ≈ 15.0 kcal |
| Total burned | per minute × minutes | 15.0 × 9.09 ≈ 136 kcal |
| Extra from jumping | (MET − 1) × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200 × minutes | ≈ 125 kcal |
| Resting burn | 1 × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200 × minutes | ≈ 11 kcal |
| Fat equivalent | extra ÷ 7.7 | ≈ 16.2 g |
Calories by number of jumps
The table shows total calories burned at 110 jumps per minute (a moderate pace) without stopping. At that pace 500 jumps take 4 minutes 33 seconds, 1,000 take 9 minutes 5 seconds, 2,000 take 18 minutes 11 seconds, 3,000 take 27 minutes 16 seconds and 5,000 take 45 minutes 27 seconds.
| Weight | 500 jumps | 1,000 jumps | 2,000 jumps | 3,000 jumps | 5,000 jumps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb (54.4 kg) | 51 kcal | 102 kcal | 204 kcal | 307 kcal | 511 kcal |
| 140 lb (63.5 kg) | 60 kcal | 119 kcal | 238 kcal | 358 kcal | 596 kcal |
| 160 lb (72.6 kg) | 68 kcal | 136 kcal | 272 kcal | 409 kcal | 681 kcal |
| 180 lb (81.6 kg) | 77 kcal | 153 kcal | 307 kcal | 460 kcal | 766 kcal |
| 200 lb (90.7 kg) | 85 kcal | 170 kcal | 341 kcal | 511 kcal | 852 kcal |
Calories by time jumped
Total calories burned at a moderate pace (11.8 MET) without stopping. For the same weight and pace, calories grow in direct proportion to the time you jump.
| Weight | 10 min | 20 min | 30 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb (54.4 kg) | 112 kcal | 225 kcal | 337 kcal | 674 kcal |
| 140 lb (63.5 kg) | 131 kcal | 262 kcal | 393 kcal | 787 kcal |
| 160 lb (72.6 kg) | 150 kcal | 300 kcal | 450 kcal | 899 kcal |
| 180 lb (81.6 kg) | 169 kcal | 337 kcal | 506 kcal | 1,012 kcal |
| 200 lb (90.7 kg) | 187 kcal | 375 kcal | 562 kcal | 1,124 kcal |
Do you burn more calories if you jump faster?
For the same time, a faster pace burns a little more. For the same number of jumps, not necessarily. In one experiment, 19 men and 11 women jumped for 5 minutes each at 125, 135 and 145 jumps per minute. Oxygen uptake was 41.1, 42.0 and 42.5 mL/kg/min and energy use was 58.6, 59.4 and 60.3 kJ per minute, with no difference by pace, and the MET values were 11.7 to 12.5 (Town et al. 1980). Video of two of the jumpers suggested that at faster rates they jumped less high, so the work stayed similar. In another study at 120, 140 and 160 jumps per minute, the men’s oxygen uptake did not rise over a wide range and went up only at a very fast pace (Quirk and Sinning 1982).
| 160 lb | Same 1,000 jumps | Same 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Slow · 80 per minute | 12 min 30 s · 132 kcal | 800 jumps · 105 kcal |
| Moderate · 110 per minute | 9 min 5 s · 136 kcal | 1,100 jumps · 150 kcal |
| Fast · 140 per minute | 7 min 9 s · 112 kcal | 1,400 jumps · 156 kcal |
Because the Compendium gives one value for each of three bands of jumps per minute, the calculated figure jumps like a staircase at the band edges. For 1,000 jumps at 160 lb, 99 jumps per minute comes out at about 106 kcal and 100 jumps per minute at about 150 kcal. That does not mean your body really changes by that much with one extra jump a minute. It means the source data is split at that edge. When you compare sessions, compare them within the same band.
The calculated values come out slightly higher than the measurements. Those jumpers weighed about 150 lb (68 kg) on average (2.79 L/min ÷ 41.1 mL/kg) and used 14.0 to 14.4 kcal per minute (Town et al. 1980). Their 125 to 145 jumps per minute fall in this calculator’s fast band (12.3 MET), which gives about 14.6 kcal per minute at that weight, 1 to 4% above the measured values.
If you took breaks, add up only the jumping time
People often jump in sets because they run out of breath. If a workout lasted 20 minutes from start to finish but you rested for 5 of them, enter 15 minutes. Applying the jump rope MET to your rests as well would overstate the calories. Standing quietly is 1.3 MET in the Compendium (code 07040), so a 160 lb person resting on their feet for one minute burns about 1.7 kcal.
For example, take 9 rounds of 2 minutes jumping and 1 minute standing rest. That is 27 minutes in all but 18 minutes of jumping. For a 160 lb person at a moderate pace, the 18 minutes of jumping come to about 269.8 kcal and the 9 minutes of standing to about 14.9 kcal, around 285 kcal in total. If you record a pace, enter the pace with the rests taken out.
Why it differs from a watch or another calculator
- Total burn versus active calories: the big number here includes the resting burn. The “active calories” on a watch are closer to the extra from jumping. In the 1,000-jump example, that is 136 kcal against 125 kcal.
- Same formula, different MET: many calculators use MET × weight × hours × 1.05, so the formula matches and the difference is which MET they pick. Besides the rows this calculator uses, the Compendium has “rope skipping exercise, general” at 11.0 MET (02068) and “rope jumping, double under or more” at 10.0 MET (15554).
- How it is measured: a watch estimates from heart rate and wrist motion. Devices calculate differently, so the same workout can give different values.
Common mistakes
- Entering the whole workout time: including rest time inflates the calories. Enter only the time you actually jumped.
- Treating a jump count as a fixed number of calories: 1,000 jumps is about 102 kcal at 120 lb and about 170 kcal at 200 lb, roughly two thirds more.
- Dividing the count by the whole set time: rests pull your jumps per minute down and make you pick the slow band by mistake. Count your jumps for 30 seconds while jumping and double it.
- Mixing in double unders: a double under, where the rope passes twice per jump, has its own Compendium value and differs from this calculator’s basis.
- Reading the fat equivalent as weight lost: 7.7 kcal per gram is an estimate. The 3,500 kcal per pound rule is roughly right for people with obesity who start with more than 30 kg of body fat, but it overstates the deficit needed for leaner people. Weight lost is not only fat but also lean mass, so the deficit needed per unit of weight lost depends on starting body fat (Hall 2008).
Limits and cautions
- A MET is an average across many people. At the same pace, your real burn changes with how high you jump, the weight of the rope and your skill.
- The Compendium is a table for adults. For ages 8 to 18, energy cost per kilogram is higher than in adults and changes with pubertal stage, so adult METs do not fit them well (Harrell et al. 2005). Treat a child’s result as a rough guide only.
- The calculation fixes 1 MET at 3.5 mL/kg/min, so people whose resting metabolism differs from the average (older adults, people with more body fat) can differ from the result.
- It only covers 50 to 160 jumps per minute. Paces above 160 are outside the source data.
- The same-calories comparison matches only the energy used. It does not mean the effect on heart and lung fitness, muscle or bone is the same.
Checked on The jump rope, walking, cycling, swimming and running METs in the 2024 Adult Compendium and the WHO 2020 guidelines were checked on 2026-10-19.
Sources
- 012024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: SportsRope jumping 15552 slow 8.3 · 15551 moderate 11.8 · 15550 fast 12.3 · 15554 double under 10.0 MET
- 02Herrmann SD, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024;13(1):6-12Definition of MET and values by activity
- 03Compendium: Corrected METs1 MET fixed at 3.5 mL/kg/min and individual correction
- 042024 Adult Compendium: Conditioning ExerciseRope skipping exercise, general, 02068 11.0 MET
- 052024 Adult Compendium: WalkingBrisk walking, 3.5 to 3.9 mph, 17200 4.8 MET
- 062024 Adult Compendium: BicyclingCycling, 10 to 11.9 mph, 01020 6.8 MET
- 072024 Adult Compendium: Water ActivitiesFreestyle, medium speed, 18290 8.0 MET
- 082024 Adult Compendium: RunningRunning, 5.0 to 5.2 mph, 12030 8.5 MET
- 092024 Adult Compendium: InactivityStanding quietly, 07040 1.3 MET
- 10Town GP, Sol N, Sinning WE. The effect of rope skipping rate on energy expenditure of males and females. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1980;12(4):295-298125, 135 and 145 jumps per minute, no difference in oxygen uptake, 11.7 to 12.5 MET
- 11Quirk JE, Sinning WE. Anaerobic and aerobic responses of males and females to rope skipping. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1982;14(1):26-29120, 140 and 160 jumps per minute, oxygen uptake did not rise over a wide range
- 12Phongchin W, et al. Effects of high-intensity interval rope-skipping on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and enjoyment in young adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2025;79(12):1227-123259 adults for 8 weeks, higher maximal oxygen uptake, no change in body composition
- 13Harrell JS, et al. Energy costs of physical activities in children and adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005;37(2):329-336295 children and teens aged 8 to 18, energy cost per kilogram higher than in adults
- 14World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. 2020Adults 150 to 300 minutes of moderate or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity a week, 1 vigorous minute = 2 moderate minutes
- 15Hall KD. What is the required energy deficit per unit weight loss? Int J Obes. 2008;32(3):573-576The 3,500 kcal per pound (about 7,700 kcal per kg) rule fits people with obesity (over 30 kg body fat) but overstates the deficit for leaner people
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does 1,000 jumps with a jump rope burn?
A 160 lb (72.6 kg) person jumping at 110 per minute (a moderate pace) takes 9 minutes 5 seconds for 1,000 jumps and burns about 136 kcal. At the same pace, 120 lb burns about 102 kcal, 140 lb about 119 kcal, 180 lb about 153 kcal and 200 lb about 170 kcal. The same 1,000 jumps at 140 per minute take 7 minutes 9 seconds and come to about 112 kcal for 160 lb.
How many calories does 30 minutes of jumping rope burn?
A 160 lb person who jumps for 30 minutes without stopping burns about 316 kcal at a slow pace (under 100 per minute), about 450 kcal at a moderate pace (100 to 120 per minute) and about 469 kcal at a fast pace (121 to 160 per minute). Leave out the minutes you rested and count only the time the rope was turning.
Do you burn more calories if you jump faster?
For the same time, a faster pace burns a little more. For the same number of jumps, the time gets shorter, so the total can even go down. In an experiment where people jumped for 5 minutes each at 125, 135 and 145 per minute, oxygen uptake was nearly the same at 41.1, 42.0 and 42.5 mL/kg/min (Town et al. 1980).
How many jumps does it take to burn 300 calories?
At 110 per minute, a 160 lb person needs about 2,202 jumps (20 minutes 1 second) and a 130 lb person about 2,710 jumps (24 minutes 38 seconds). The lighter you are, the more jumps the same calories take. The goal rows in the calculator show it for your own weight.
What if I don't know my jumps per minute?
Count your jumps for 30 seconds while jumping at a steady pace and double the number. If a rope counter or app gives you the jumps and the time, enter those two. The jumps per minute field switches to “auto” and is calculated for you.
Does the calculator work for double unders?
It is based on the basic jump, where the rope turns once per jump. The 2024 Compendium lists “double under or more” (code 15554) separately at 10.0 MET, and that value gives about 127 kcal for 10 minutes at 160 lb.
Why is my smartwatch number different?
The big number here is the total, including the resting burn (1 MET). If your watch shows only “active calories”, compare it with the extra from jumping. A watch estimates from heart rate and motion, so different devices can give different values for the same workout.
How long would I have to jump rope to lose a pound of fat?
Taking a pound of body fat as about 3,500 kcal, a 160 lb person would need about 255 minutes (roughly 4 hours 15 minutes) of moderate jumping to cover it with the extra burn alone. That rule fits people with obesity who start with more than 30 kg of body fat but overstates the deficit for leaner people, because lost weight is not only fat (Hall 2008). In an 8-week jump rope study body composition did not change (Phongchin et al. 2025).