Paddle Boarding or SUP, is one of the fastest growing water sports in the world. This is because paddle boarding is not only fun but also is a fantastic full body workout. Due to this, it benefits people of all age groups, body shapes, and sizes. And because of this one of our most commonly asked questions to us at Paddle Board Nation is ” How Many Calories Does Paddle Boarding Burn?”
So in this blog we are going to walk you through how many calories each different type of paddle boarding activity burns on average.
- How Many Calories Does SUP Surfing Burn?
- How Many Calories Does Paddle Board Racing Burn?
- How Many Calories Does Paddle Board Touring Burn?
- How Many Calories Does SUP Yoga Burn?
- How Many Calories Does Recreational Paddle Boarding Burn?
- Calories Burned Paddle Boarding Per Hour vs Other Sports
- Conclusion
- How Many Calories Does Paddle Boarding Burn Infographic:

In order for you to find out how many calories does paddle boarding burn, will need to go over each of the various paddling activities/categories to give you the estimated best estimate for calories burned paddle boarding.
How Many Calories Does SUP Surfing Burn?
One of the most popular forms of paddle boarding is SUP Surfing. Just like surfing, Paddle Board surfing is one of the best cross-training workouts that you can think of.
Although this obviously depends on the intensity of the waves as well as the board you are riding. The rougher and bigger the waves, the harder you need to work to negotiate which means higher calories burned.
With that being said, an average day with light winds with head high waves, a person paddle surfing will burn between 623 to 735 calories per hour.
How Many Calories Does Paddle Board Racing Burn?
SUP Racing or Paddle Board Racing is the most intense workout of the different paddle boarding activities that we are going to look at. This is because in Paddle Board Racing you are not slowing down and are continuously chasing your competitor.
Your calorie-burning in this category though will still be greatly based on stroke form, stroke intensity, water conditions, and wind speed.
On average paddle board racing can burn anywhere between 713 to 1125 calories per hour.
How Many Calories Does Paddle Board Touring Burn?
When Paddle Board Touring, tourers will paddle for a several miles at a slow to moderate pace without any rest or stops in between. This means that the paddleboarder will continuously keep their heart rate at a high level. With that being said Paddle Board Touring will burn an average of 615 to 708 calories.
How Many Calories Does SUP Yoga Burn?
Yoga on the paddleboard is a very calming and meditative experience. At the same time, it can be equally intense and exhilarating as well for the body, mind, and spirit.
With such an energetic yoga session you can easily burn an average of 416 to 540 calories per hour.
If you want to learn more about paddle board yoga, check out our blog “What Is Paddle Board Yoga“.
How Many Calories Does Recreational Paddle Boarding Burn?
This is the most common type of paddle boarding activity is recreational paddle boarding. This typically involves paddling in calm water at a slow pace. But what is great about recreational paddle boarding is that at a usual pace of 2.5 mph as well you can burn twice the number of calories you burn walking at a medium pace.
It has been shown that recreational paddle boarding burns 305 to 430 calories per hour.
Calories Burned Paddle Boarding Per Hour vs Other Sports

Paddle Boarding burns between 300 to 1125 calories (taking the lowest intensity paddling calories burned range as the lowest and the highest intensity paddle racing calories burned range as the highest)
- Surfing: 412 calories
- Biking: 483 calories
- Running: 650 calories
- Swimming: 840 calories
Conclusion
When you look at a paddle boarding across the board you will see that paddle boarding can help you burn a lot of calories in a relatively short time.
So now that you know how awesome of a workout paddle boarding is, pick up your board and go paddle boarding today to burn some extra calories!
How Many Calories Does Paddle Boarding Burn Infographic:
