Estimate gross energy from body weight, total active hold time and an explicit intensity assumption. The legacy inversion-style rates are not validated measurements.

Inversion-specific calorie rates are not validated here. The result applies an assumed MET intensity to total active hold time; it is not a measured burn or a recommendation for how long to hold a pose.

Add active holds; exclude rest breaks.

Use a justified value for the actual activity; a pose name alone does not establish its MET.

Yoga Inversion Calories Burned Formula

The calculator uses body weight, active hold time and an assumed activity factor. Legacy inversion-style factors are hypothetical estimates, not validated pose-specific calorie rates.

C = W × T × F
  • C = calories burned
  • W = body weight in the unit matching the factor
  • T = hold time in minutes
  • F = activity factor for the inversion style

Legacy intensity assumptions used by the calculator (rounded equivalent factors):

  • Supported: 0.0159 per lb per minute or 0.0350 per kg per minute
  • Standard: 0.0198 per lb per minute or 0.0438 per kg per minute
  • Active balance hold: 0.0238 per lb per minute or 0.0525 per kg per minute

What Counts as a Yoga Inversion?

A yoga inversion is any pose that places the head below the heart or shifts a large share of body weight upward through the shoulders, arms, or core. Common examples include legs-up-the-wall, supported shoulder stand, headstand prep, forearm stand, and handstand holds.

The legacy supported, standard and active-balance assumptions correspond to 2, 2.5 and 3 MET. They illustrate different assumed intensities; pose names alone do not establish individual energy expenditure.

Calories Burned by Hold Time

The table below applies the legacy standard assumption of 2.5 MET to total active time. It is illustrative and does not recommend continuous hold durations.

Body Weight5 Minutes10 Minutes15 Minutes
120 lb11.923.835.7
150 lb14.929.844.7
180 lb17.935.753.6
200 lb19.839.759.5

How to Calculate Calories Burned from Yoga Inversions

Example: a 150 lb person holds a standard inversion for 6 minutes.

C = (150 × 0.45359237) × 6 × 0.04375

C ≈ 17.9 kcal