Singles vs. Doubles Pickleball: Who's Actually Getting the Better Workout?
August 08, 2026
Every group of regulars has this argument. The singles players think doubles is a social hour with a paddle. The doubles players think singles is showing off. The research has an answer, and it's more interesting than either side expects.
The Short Answer
Singles players cover significantly more ground. But their hearts are working at almost exactly the same rate as doubles players.
That combination is the part nobody predicts, and it changes what each format is actually good for.
Curious what that means in raw calories? See the full weight-by-weight calorie breakdown →
| Singles | Doubles | |
|---|---|---|
| Steps per hour | ~3,322 | ~2,791 |
| Average heart rate | ~111 bpm | ~111 bpm |
| Percent of max HR | ~70% | ~71% |
| Time in moderate-to-vigorous zone | 70%+ | 70%+ |
Figures from a 2022 study of 53 recreational players, average age 62, tracked with heart rate monitors and hip-mounted accelerometers during real games.
Why the Step Count Splits But the Heart Rate Doesn't
Singles players cover roughly 19 percent more ground per hour. That part is intuitive: there's no partner, so every ball in the court is yours, and you're responsible for the full width on every single point.
The heart rate result is the surprise. If singles involves that much more movement, why doesn't the cardiovascular load follow?
Because the two formats distribute effort differently. Singles is more continuous: steady court coverage, longer defensive sequences, more time simply moving. Doubles is more punctuated: shorter bursts, sharper reactions at the kitchen line, faster hands exchanges, then a reset. Different rhythms, similar average demand.
Put simply: singles asks your legs for more. Doubles asks your reflexes for more. Your heart ends up in roughly the same place either way.
What This Means for Your Legs
The step count gap is where the practical difference lives, and it's a mechanical story rather than a cardiovascular one.
More steps per hour means more lateral direction changes, more deceleration, more push-off from the outside foot. That load lands on the same structures every time: calves and Achilles on push-off, quadriceps and patellar tendon on deceleration, hips and glutes on lateral drive.
A singles player and a doubles player can finish a session with identical heart rate data and meaningfully different amounts of accumulated tendon load. The cardiovascular monitor won't tell you that. Your legs will, usually the next morning.
Which Format Should You Play?
Play singles if you want maximum conditioning per hour. More ground covered, more continuous movement, greater total mechanical work in the same window of time. It's the more efficient session if you have sixty minutes and want to spend all of them working.
Play doubles if you want a session you can sustain. The punctuated rhythm and shared court coverage make two-hour sessions realistic in a way that two hours of singles generally isn't for most recreational players. Volume over intensity.
Play both if you want the honest answer. They train different qualities. Singles builds the engine and the legs. Doubles sharpens hands, reaction time, and net-play mechanics, and lets you accumulate far more total court time across a week without the same per-hour leg load.
Most players who stay healthy long-term end up doing some version of both, whether or not they ever think about it in those terms.
The Recovery Difference Nobody Accounts For
Here's the practical consequence of everything above: the format you played should change how you recover, and for most players it doesn't.
After singles, the load is concentrated in the lower body: calves, Achilles, quads, hips. Those are the structures that absorbed the extra 500-plus steps and every deceleration that came with them.
After doubles, load distributes differently. More upper body and forearm from fast hands exchanges at the net, more shoulder from reaching and quick resets, generally less accumulated leg volume.
Same sport, same heart rate, different tissue paying the bill. A recovery routine that treats every session identically is going to miss whichever one you actually played.
Recover for the Session You Actually Played
Apply Paddle Pro™ Organic Recovery Balm to the areas that carried the load: legs and calves after singles, forearms and shoulders after a long doubles session. Built for the specific demands of court sports.
Shop Paddle Pro Balm- Singles players cover roughly 3,322 steps per hour compared to 2,791 for doubles, about 19 percent more ground.
- Average heart rate is nearly identical between formats, around 111 bpm, or roughly 70 percent of predicted maximum.
- Both formats keep players in the moderate-to-vigorous intensity zone for more than 70 percent of active play time.
- Singles delivers more conditioning per hour; doubles allows more total court time per week at lower per-hour leg load.
- The mechanical load differs sharply between formats even when cardiovascular data looks the same, so recovery should reflect which one you played.
A 2022 study led by Sandra Webber and published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity tracked 53 recreational pickleball players with an average age of 62. Participants were fitted with heart rate monitors sampling continuously and hip-mounted accelerometers measuring movement independently, then observed during real gameplay sessions of at least one hour.
The study found average heart rates of approximately 111 beats per minute in both singles and doubles play, corresponding to roughly 70 and 71 percent of predicted maximum heart rate respectively, with peak heart rates exceeding 140 bpm. Players spent more than 70 percent of active play time in moderate-to-vigorous intensity zones in both formats. Step counts diverged more sharply, with singles players averaging 3,322 steps per hour against 2,791 for doubles players.
Separately, Apple's Heart and Movement Study, conducted with researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, compared pickleball and tennis workouts using Apple Watch data and recorded average peak heart rates of 143 bpm for pickleball against 152 bpm for tennis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does singles pickleball burn more calories than doubles?
Yes, though less dramatically than most players assume. Singles involves roughly 19 percent more movement per hour, which translates to meaningfully higher energy expenditure. Average heart rate between the two formats is nearly identical though, so the gap comes from total mechanical work rather than cardiovascular intensity.
Is doubles pickleball still a real workout?
Yes. Research tracking recreational players found doubles keeps players in the moderate-to-vigorous heart rate zone for more than 70 percent of active play time, at an average of around 70 percent of predicted maximum heart rate. That is genuine cardiovascular training, not light activity.
Which format is harder on your joints?
Singles generally produces more lower-body mechanical load per hour due to greater court coverage and more direction changes. Doubles distributes load differently, with more demand on shoulders and forearms from fast net exchanges. Neither is categorically safer, they load different structures.
Should I switch to singles to lose weight faster?
Singles burns more per hour, but sustainability matters more than intensity for most players. A player who logs six hours of doubles a week will generally outpace a player who manages two hours of singles. The best format is the one you'll actually play consistently.
How should recovery differ between singles and doubles?
Focus on the tissue that carried the load. After singles, prioritize calves, Achilles, quadriceps, and hips. After doubles, add attention to forearms, wrists, and shoulders. Post-play stretching while muscles are still warm applies to both.
The content in this article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing pain or injury, consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any recovery protocol.
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