Estimate calories burned in a cold plunge or ice bath from body weight and minutes in the water, optionally adjusted for water temperature and shivering.
Cold Plunge Calorie Burn Formula
Use the following formula to calculate calories burned during a cold plunge.
- BW = body weight in kilograms
- M = minutes in the water
- F = cold plunge factor
The basic calculator uses a typical cold plunge factor of 3.5. The “Water temperature and shivering” option changes the factor based on those two inputs.
What Is a Cold Plunge?
A cold plunge is a short immersion in cold water, commonly around 37 to 59°F or 3 to 15°C. Most sessions last 2 to 15 minutes, and calorie burn rises as body weight, exposure time, and cold intensity increase.
How to Calculate Calories Burned During a Cold Plunge
- Enter your body weight.
- Enter your cold plunge duration in minutes.
- Keep “Typical cold plunge or ice bath” for a quick estimate, or choose “Water temperature and shivering” to add those details.
- Multiply body weight in kilograms by minutes, the cold plunge factor, and 0.0175.
Typical Cold Plunge Calories
The values below use the basic calculator’s typical cold plunge setting.
| Body Weight | 5 Minutes | 10 Minutes | 15 Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 lb | 21 kcal | 42 kcal | 63 kcal |
| 180 lb | 25 kcal | 50 kcal | 75 kcal |
| 200 lb | 28 kcal | 56 kcal | 83 kcal |
Example Calculation
For a 180 lb person doing a 10-minute cold plunge with the typical setting:
That works out to about 5 calories per minute during the session.
