Jogging on a treadmill or taking a step aerobics class can help you get in shape, but don't dismiss the health benefits of team sports. Sports such a volleyball not only allow you to interact with other fitness-minded individuals, but can create a steady burn to help you build a fitter body. The calories you'll burn playing volleyball depend on the setting and intensity.

Boost Your Pace for a Better Burn

As you bump, set and spike your way through a game of volleyball, the physical effort required during the game provides a low to moderate calorie burn. Harvard Health Publications reports that a 185-pound person burns 133 calories in 30 minutes of noncompetitive volleyball. If the intensity of the game escalates to a competitive pace, the same person burns 178 calories in 30 minutes.

Volleyball in Other Settings

Volleyball doesn't just take place in the gym. Take the sport outdoors, either to a swimming pool or beach, and you have two new ways to burn calories. Water volleyball is an entertaining way to pass the time during a pool party, but doesn't burn calories rapidly. A 185-pound person burns 133 calories in 30 minutes of water volleyball. In the sand, however, the calorie burn is much quicker. The same person burns 355 calories in 30 minutes of beach volleyball.