Chest Workout Calories Burned (Complete Guide)
Find out how many calories a chest workout burns. Includes bench press, incline, decline, flyes, and machine chest press calorie calculations.
A complete chest day workout burns approximately 150-300 calories, depending on your body weight, effort, and workout duration. This includes all chest exercises like bench press, incline bench, flyes, and machine work.
Understanding calorie burn for each chest exercise helps you plan effective workouts and track your energy expenditure.
Quick Answer: Chest Day Calories
A typical 45-60 minute chest workout burns about 160-315 calories for a 60-90 kg (132-198 lb) lifter at moderate effort. Here's the breakdown, using the Compendium MET of 3.5 for resistance training (rest between sets included):
| Workout Type | Duration | Calories Burned (60-90 kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Short chest day | 30 min | 105-160 cal |
| Standard chest day | 45 min | 160-235 cal |
| Long chest day | 60 min | 210-315 cal |
| High-volume bodybuilding | 75+ min | 265-395 cal |
Hard, heavy training (MET 6.0) burns about 1.7 times as much.
Calories Burned by Chest Exercise
The tables below use the same MET model as our Bench Press Calorie Calculator: MET 3.5 (moderate effort) × body weight × session time, with about 3 seconds per rep and 90 seconds of rest between sets. The columns are the lifter's body weight. The weight on the bar changes the result little, so lifts with the same sets and reps come out the same.
Bench Press (Flat Barbell)
The king of chest exercises - the primary compound movement for chest day.
| Sets × Reps | 60 kg lifter | 80 kg lifter | 100 kg lifter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 10 | 16 cal | 21 cal | 26 cal |
| 4 × 10 | 23 cal | 30 cal | 38 cal |
| 5 × 5 | 25 cal | 34 cal | 42 cal |
Calculate your exact bench press calories
Incline Bench Press
Targets upper chest with similar calorie burn to flat bench.
| Sets × Reps | 60 kg lifter | 80 kg lifter | 100 kg lifter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 10 | 16 cal | 21 cal | 26 cal |
| 4 × 10 | 23 cal | 30 cal | 38 cal |
Incline bench typically uses 10-20% less weight than flat bench.
Decline Bench Press
Targets lower chest, often allows slightly heavier weight.
| Sets × Reps | 60 kg lifter | 80 kg lifter | 100 kg lifter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 10 | 16 cal | 21 cal | 26 cal |
| 4 × 8 | 21 cal | 28 cal | 36 cal |
Dumbbell Bench Press
Uses stabilizer muscles more than the barbell version; for the same sets and reps the calorie estimate is the same.
| Sets × Reps | 60 kg lifter | 80 kg lifter | 100 kg lifter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 10 | 16 cal | 21 cal | 26 cal |
| 4 × 10 | 23 cal | 30 cal | 38 cal |
Chest Press Machine
Machine-assisted movement. The Compendium does not list separate MET values for machines and free weights, so the estimate matches the bench press for the same sets and reps.
| Sets × Reps | 60 kg lifter | 80 kg lifter | 100 kg lifter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 12 | 17 cal | 22 cal | 28 cal |
| 4 × 10 | 23 cal | 30 cal | 38 cal |
Calculate chest press calories
Dumbbell Flyes
Isolation movement focusing on chest stretch and contraction.
| Sets × Reps | 60 kg lifter | 80 kg lifter | 100 kg lifter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 12 | 17 cal | 22 cal | 28 cal |
| 4 × 12 | 24 cal | 32 cal | 40 cal |
Cable Crossovers
Constant tension through full range of motion.
| Sets × Reps | 60 kg lifter | 80 kg lifter | 100 kg lifter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 15 | 18 cal | 25 cal | 31 cal |
| 4 × 12 | 24 cal | 32 cal | 40 cal |
Push-Ups (Chest Focus)
Bodyweight exercise using your own weight as resistance. Our push-up calculator counts about 0.3 kcal per rep for a 70 kg person, scaled with body weight (reps only, rest not included).
| Sets × Reps | 60-100 kg |
|---|---|
| 3 × 15 | 12-19 cal |
| 4 × 20 | 21-34 cal |
| 5 × 25 | 32-54 cal |
Sample Chest Workout Calorie Totals
Beginner Chest Day (30-40 min)
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Calories (80 kg lifter) |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Bench Press | 3 × 10 @ 40 kg | 21 cal |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 × 10 @ 12 kg | 21 cal |
| Chest Press Machine | 3 × 12 @ 30 kg | 22 cal |
| Push-Ups | 3 × 10 | 10 cal |
| Total | 12 sets | ~75 cal |
Counting warm-up and changeovers over the full 30-40 minutes at moderate effort: Total ~140-185 calories
Intermediate Chest Day (45-60 min)
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Calories (80 kg lifter) |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Bench Press | 4 × 10 @ 80 kg | 30 cal |
| Incline Bench Press | 3 × 10 @ 60 kg | 21 cal |
| Dumbbell Flyes | 3 × 12 @ 15 kg | 22 cal |
| Cable Crossover | 3 × 15 | 25 cal |
| Decline Push-Ups | 3 × 15 | 15 cal |
| Total | 16 sets | ~114 cal |
Counting warm-up and changeovers over the full 45-60 minutes at moderate effort: Total ~210-280 calories
Advanced Chest Day (60-75 min)
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Calories (80 kg lifter) |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Bench Press | 5 × 5 @ 120 kg | 34 cal |
| Incline Bench Press | 4 × 8 @ 90 kg | 28 cal |
| Decline Bench Press | 3 × 10 @ 100 kg | 21 cal |
| Dumbbell Flyes | 4 × 12 @ 20 kg | 32 cal |
| Cable Crossover | 4 × 15 | 35 cal |
| Chest Press Machine | 3 × 12 @ 70 kg | 22 cal |
| Total | 23 sets | ~173 cal |
Counting warm-up and changeovers over the full 60-75 minutes at moderate effort: Total ~280-350 calories. Treated as vigorous training (MET 6.0), the same session is about 480-600 calories.
Factors Affecting Chest Day Calorie Burn
1. Total Volume
More sets and reps = more calories. A 20-set workout burns roughly twice as much as a 10-set workout.
2. Effort and Body Weight
Heavier weights make each set harder, but the load on the bar changes the calorie total little. Your body weight, your effort (moderate vs vigorous) and the session length drive most of it.
3. Rest Periods
- 30-60 second rest: Higher heart rate, more total calories
- 2-3 minute rest: Lower calorie density but allows heavier weights
4. Exercise Selection
- Compound movements (bench press): Higher calorie burn
- Isolation movements (flyes): Lower calorie burn per set
5. Training Tempo
Controlled, slower movements increase time under tension and calorie burn.
Chest Day vs Other Training Days
| Training Day | Typical Calories |
|---|---|
| Chest Day | 150-250 cal |
| Back Day | 175-300 cal |
| Leg Day | 200-400 cal |
| Shoulder Day | 100-200 cal |
| Arm Day | 75-150 cal |
| Full Body | 250-400 cal |
Chest day falls in the middle range, burning more than arm-focused days but less than leg-intensive workouts.
Maximizing Chest Day Calorie Burn
- Start with heavy compounds - Bench press first when energy is highest
- Superset exercises - Pair chest flyes with push-ups
- Minimize rest between isolation exercises - Keep heart rate up
- Include push-ups as finishers - High rep bodyweight work adds volume
- Add incline/decline variations - More total work across angles
The Afterburn Effect (EPOC)
Chest workouts trigger excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), burning additional calories for hours after training:
- Light chest day: 10-20 additional calories
- Moderate chest day: 20-40 additional calories
- Intense chest day: 40-80 additional calories
Master Your Chest Exercises
Proper technique helps you lift more weight and burn more calories. Check out our technique guides:
- How to Bench Press: Complete Technique Guide - Perfect your form
- Bench Press Muscles Worked - Understand the anatomy
- Bench Press Variations Guide - Flat, incline, decline, and more
- Common Bench Press Mistakes - Avoid these errors
Related Calculators and Guides
- Bench Press Calorie Calculator
- Chest Press Calorie Calculator
- Push-Up Calorie Calculator
- How Many Calories Does Bench Press Burn?
- Bench Press vs Chest Press Calories
- Bench Press vs Push Ups Calories
Conclusion
A complete chest day workout burns approximately 150-300 calories, with the bench press being the highest calorie-burning exercise. While chest day may not burn as many calories as leg day or cardio sessions, the muscle built through chest training increases your daily metabolic rate.
Calculate your exact exercise calories with our Bench Press Calorie Calculator and Chest Press Calorie Calculator.