How Many Calories Do You Burn Boxing?: A FightCamp Case Study

Overview/Goal

How many calories does boxing burn? In an effort to answer this question and get an estimation for the number of calories that are burned boxing, we gathered exercise data from 14 FightCamp participants over the course of seven (7) days. We tracked the number of calories burned, maximum heart rate, average heart rate, number of punches thrown, and output*. This preliminary data gives us insight into what we can expect for the number of calories burned during a typical 8-round FightCamp boxing workout.

Let’s start with the takeaways and we’ll get into the details.

Key Takeaways on Calories Burned

• Participants burned an average of calories 482 during the 8 round FightCamp workout
• Males burned about 40% more calories than females (38%)
• Males burned an average of 595 calories during the workout
• Females burned an average of 369 calories during the workout
• On average, males burned between 564 and 612 calories during the workout
• On average, females burned between 349 and 382 calories during the workout

How are calories burned calculated?

Our participants all wore heart rate monitors which served to report their heart rates during the workout as well as the number of calories they burned. The devices use an equation that takes into account the wearer’s gender, heart rate, weight, and age to calculate the calorie burn rate. For more specific information on calories burned calculations, see MyZone and Wahoo sites.

Logistics of the FightCamp Calories Burned Case Study

We knew that it was important to keep as many factors controlled as possible. To accomplish this, we selected and identified the following as our controls:

Workout

We assigned the same 8-round FightCamp workout to participants to complete for 5 out of 7 days during the course of the study.

Age Range

We selected FightCamp participants between the ages of 30-39. This represents the median age of our customer base which would allow our findings to be relevant for the largest cohort of people. [The percentage of people between 30-39 is roughly 50% of all users].

Gender

We selected 7 females and 7 males to participate. This way we had a broad enough sample from which to extract data.

Experience/Athleticism

We sourced candidates who reported working out at least twice a week using FightCamp. Because participants would be completing a rigorous regimen for our case study, we wanted to ensure they were familiar with FightCamp workouts and would be able to make it through 5 days of workouts with 2 rest days.

Number of Active vs. Rest Days

Participants had to complete the same workout for 5 days out of 7. We did not mandate the exact days that participants had to complete the workouts, but requested that they pre-select their 2 rest days ahead of time. This would allow time for recovery and any prior commitments. Participants also had to agree not to partake in any other exercise program or workouts during the course of the study.

Time of Day

Participants had to complete their workouts before 12pm in their respective time zones. This was to ensure that participants would be as “fresh” as possible. Additionally, most of our users workout in the morning, and it served as motivation for participants to complete the workouts each day.

Tracking Devices

In order to measure the number of calories burned and the average and maximum heart rates of participants, we used heart rate monitors. All participants used the FightCamp punch trackers to record the number of punches thrown and their output (link to output calculation or footnote on what that refers to). We had participants use chest strap monitors instead of wrist monitors as we wanted to get the most accurate data. Ten participants used Wahoo devices to track their heart rates and calories burned, three participants used MyZone, and one participant used a Garmin chest strap.

The following were variable factors that we did not specifically control:

Height

We did not collect the heights of our participants prior to their selection.

Weight

We did not collect the weights of our participants prior to their selection, thus we did not control this factor in our study.

Nutrition

We did not conduct any research or dictate the diets and nutrition of the participants. We recommended that they follow proper nutrition guidelines pre- and post- workout to ensure that they were adequately hydrated and nourished to perform the workouts, but did not control the number of calories consumed per day.

Adherence to Protocol

We did not have any way to ensure that participants were correctly attaching their monitoring devices nor correctly wearing them. We requested that they practice strapping on their heart rate monitors and familiarize themselves with the devices prior to starting the program.

Workout

8-Round Burnout Workout with Tommy Duquette

Participant Information

We selected participants between the ages of 30 and 39, who did not report any injuries, and who work out two or more times per week with FightCamp.

How do heart monitors calculate calories burned?

Every heart rate monitor uses a slightly different formula in order to calculate the number of calories burned. These formulas take into account certain constants (Gross Metabolic Rate), gender, heart rate, age, weight, and height. For more specific details, please reference information for the applicable tracking device used. (MyZone and Wahoo)

Data

In order to collect data, we requested that participants take a screenshot of their workout data and text it to us each day. This would include data from their calorie and heart rate tracking devices as well as data from their punch trackers. Here is a sample:

Diving further into the data collected, we calculated the average values for the number of calories burned, punches thrown, output, average heart rate, and maximum heart rate for participants for each day. We calculated these for the entire group as a whole as well as males and females separately to distinguish between genders.

Calories Burned

• Participants burned an average of calories 482 during the 8 round FightCamp workout
• Males burned about 40% more calories than females (38%)
• Males burned an average of 595 calories during the workout
• Females burned an average of 369 calories during the workout
• On average, males burned between 564 and 612 calories during the workout
• On average, females burned between 349 and 382 calories during the workout

Punches Thrown

• The average number of punches thrown during the workout was 2836
• Females threw approximately 6% more punches than males
• Males threw an average of 2746 punches during the workout
• Females threw an average of 2926 punches during the workout
• On average, males threw between 2603 and 2892 punches during the workout
• On average, females threw between 2675 and 3118 punches during the workout

Output*

• The average output of participants for the workout was 429
• Males had a higher output than females, approximately 20% higher (18%)
• The average output of our male participants for the workout was 472
• The average output of our female participants for the workout was 385
• On average, male output ranged from 442 to 498
• On average, female output ranged from 371 to 392

*Output is calculated based on the total measure of max velocity, quickness and volume of punches thrown in a workout. It increases in the following ways:
- Higher Max Velocities = Higher Output
- Quicker Punches (short time of starting and stopping the motion) = Higher Output
- Higher Volume = Higher Output

Average Heart Rate

• For the most part, the average heart rates recorded were consistent across both genders at 145
• On average, participants’ average heart rates ranged from 139 to 147

Maximum Heart Rate

• For the most part, the maximum heart rates recorded were consistent across both genders at 180
• On average, participants’ maximum heart rates ranged from 173 to 184

We condensed the data into 5 days to show the “active days” and eliminated the individual “rest days” that the participants chose at random. This way, for each of the days, we had the data from all 14 participants.

Findings/Takeaways/Conclusions

Our participant sample is not large enough to fully make a conclusive statement about the number of calories burning boxing, however, we are able to generalize some of the results.

• In general, Output seems to have a greater correlation with the number of calories burned that Punches Thrown. This is likely due to the fact that Output is calculated taking into account factors such as resistance and power, whereas Punches Thrown does not.
• Although females consistently threw more punches than males, their Output was less. This could be part of the reason that the number of calories burned for males is higher. Other factors do come into consideration, such as weight, height, and heart rate, but it appears that the punches that males threw had more power and resistance, as a result of more energy being expended per punch.

Wrapping It Up

Boxing is an extremely effective workout in terms of the number of calories burned in a 30-minute session. Even more so, this study shows that people are able to box at home without the need for a gym or professional trainer in order to reap the benefits of a boxing workout.

Our participants were all experienced FightCamp users and reported that they worked out 2 or more times per week using FightCamp. The experience level of a participant would also factor into the number of calories burned during the workout, as would the intensity of the workout. In general, this is a typical 8-round 30-minute boxing workout that is accessible to all levels.

If you are looking for a full-body calorie burning workout that you can do from home in just 30 minutes, FightCamp and boxing in general are excellent options.

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The Author: Sarah Pitman is the Blog Coordinator at FightCamp. In addition to writing for various fitness and health blogs, she manages several social media and digital marketing accounts for clients and companies in the industry. She is an avid runner, yogi, and traveler. She is a certified yoga instructor and has studied personal training through ACE.