How many calories does deadlifting burn?

A 30-minute deadlift session burns approximately 150–300 calories for an 80 kg person depending on intensity, rest periods, and variant. Heavy sets (85%+ 1RM) with shorter rest periods burn the most.

Do deadlifts burn more calories than squats?

Deadlifts and squats have similar MET values (5.0–7.0 for vigorous training). Deadlifts may have a slight edge due to greater total muscle recruitment, but the difference in calorie burn for equal duration is minimal.

What is the EPOC afterburn from deadlifts?

Heavy deadlift sessions can produce an EPOC effect of 6–15% additional calories burned in the hours following training. This is due to the metabolic demands of recovering from high-force compound movements.

Which deadlift variant burns the most calories?

Deficit deadlifts have the highest energy demand due to increased range of motion. Conventional deadlifts are close behind. Sumo and RDL variants burn slightly fewer calories per rep due to reduced bar travel.

Deadlift Calories Burned Calculator

Name: Deadlift Calories Burned Calculator
Author: Manish Kumar

Key Takeaways

The Compendium of Physical Activities assigns general resistance training a MET of 6.0, with heavy compound lifts like deadlifts potentially reaching MET 7.0+.^[3]
A significant portion of deadlift session time is rest between sets. This calculator separately estimates active and rest calories for accuracy.
Heavy compound movements like deadlifts create excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), burning additional calories for hours after training.^[4]
Different deadlift variants recruit different muscle groups and have slightly different energy demands — deficit deadlifts are the most demanding, while RDLs are less so.^[5]

Deadlift Variants and Energy Demand

Conventional

Full range of motion hip hinge. The baseline deadlift with the highest overall muscle recruitment.

Sumo

Wide stance, shorter range of motion. Slightly lower MET due to reduced bar travel distance.

Romanian (RDL)

Eccentric-focused hip hinge. Lower peak force but sustained tension — lower MET than conventional.

Trap Bar

More quad-dominant, more upright torso. Slightly higher MET due to combined squat-hinge pattern.

Deficit

Increased range of motion from an elevated platform. The most metabolically demanding variant.

Stiff-Leg

Similar to RDL with less knee bend. Targets posterior chain with reduced quad involvement.

EPOC: The Afterburn Effect

EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) represents the additional calories burned after exercise as your body returns to its resting state. Research shows that heavy resistance training — especially compound movements like deadlifts — produces significant EPOC, with estimates ranging from 6–15% of exercise calories burned in the hours following training.^[4]

This calculator provides an EPOC estimate based on intensity: heavy deadlifts (85%+ 1RM) produce approximately 15% additional calories, moderate sessions around 10%, and light sessions around 6%.

Deadlift in Your Training Program

For deadlift-specific training programming, explore our Deadlift 1RM Calculator and Deadlift Pyramid Calculator. For Romanian deadlift programming, see the Romanian Deadlift Calculator.

For overall daily calorie tracking, combine deadlift sessions with our Daily Energy Requirements Calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

Sedentary Behaviour and Energy Expenditure. Various. PMC (2019)
Health Benefits of Resistance Training. Various. PMC (2016)
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Ainsworth BE et al.. Compendium of Physical Activities (2024)
EPOC and Resistance Training. Various. PubMed (2014)
Muscle Activation in Deadlift Variations. Various. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2019)

Manish Kumar

Certified Personal Trainer & Sports Nutritionist

NASM-CPTCertified Sports Nutritionist10+ Years Experience500+ Clients Coached

NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of hands-on experience helping people build strength, lose fat, and live healthier lives. Specializing in gym-based workouts with a strong focus on lifting technique, biomechanics, and practical exercise science. Through FitLifeRegime, sharing the tools, tips, and insights that have worked for hundreds of clients — helping you start your own fitness journey with confidence and clarity.

Learn more about Manish

NASM Certified

Certified Personal Trainer & Sports Nutritionist from the National Academy of Sports Medicine

This tool is for informational and journaling purposes only.

I am NOT a doctor.

Deadlift Calories Burned Calculator