Sex and Calories – How many calories do you burn during sex?

By Tom On April 23, 2014 In Training No Comments

You do not feel like training, but you are in the mood for sex all of the time. Does this sound like a familiar scenario?

If so, then you will be happy to know that there are several ways that you can benefit from making love.

What The Research Says

There was a study done that examined the sex lives of 21 young, healthy couples. The mean age of the subjects was 23. The purpose of the study was to compare the calories burned during sex to the calories that were burned during other physical activities.

The subjects were first asked to walk on the treadmill for a half hour. This is an activity that is comparable to sex. It can also be done by the vast majority of people. The subjects were also asked to perform one sexual activity every week. Intercourse, foreplay and one orgasm by one partner were classified as sexual activity.

The couples had sex for 10-57 minutes. The average length of intercourse was 24.7 minutes. The results of the study showed that the men burned an average of 101 calories during 24.7 minutes of intercourse. The women burned an average of 69 calories during 24.7 minutes of sex.

The results of this study leave one very important question. How does it compare to walking on a treadmill? Intercourse does not burn as many calories as walking on a treadmill. Men burned an average of 276 calories by walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes. The women burned an average of 213 calories. The researchers concluded by saying that sexual intercourse represents about 38 percent of the energy expenditure and 71 percent of the intensity seen during 30 treadmill walking.

Some Men Burn More

It is important to note that some men burn more calories during intercourse than others. The highest energy expenditure reported during intercourse was 306 calories. This was higher than the average calories burned during treadmill walking.

Additional Benefits

Sex and calories is a hot topic, but it is important to remember that there are several other benefits that can be reaped from having sex. An improved immune system is another benefit that you can potentially reap from having sex on a regular basis. There was a study done that examined 112 college students in America. The students were divided into one of four groups based on how frequently they had sex.

The groups were very frequent, frequent, infrequent or none. Students who had sex more than three times per week were placed in the very frequent group. People who had intercourse one or two times per week were placed in the frequent group. Students were placed in the infrequent group if they had intercourse once a week or less.

The saliva of the students was tested and checked for immunoglobulin A or IgA, which is a type of antibody. The results of the study showed that people who had intercourse frequently had more of this antibody.

Heart Attack Prevention

Getting busy in between the sheets could reduce your chances of having a heart attack. Studies have shown that men who have sex on a regular basis are 45 percent less likely to have a heart attack.

Reduced Risk Of Prostate Cancer

One study showed that men who frequently (21 times per month or more) ejaculate are less likely to develop prostate cancer. It does matter whether you have sex or masturbate.

Fight Depression

Semen may help fight depressive symptoms. One study showed that women who had sex without a condom were less likely to become depressed than women who used condoms or abstained.