Article — Calories Burned Calculator
Calories Burned Calculator
A 70 kg adult walking briskly at 3.5 mph (MET 4.3) burns about 150 kilocalories in 30 minutes. The same adult running at 6 mph (MET 9.8) burns 343 kcal in the same window. The formula behind every honest calories burned calculator is the metabolic equivalent of task (MET) multiplied by body weight in kilograms multiplied by hours.
This page explains where the MET values come from, how the equation behaves across body sizes, and the cases where the estimate is unreliable. It also lists MET values for the most common cardio, strength, mind-body, and daily activities in the calculator.
Calories burned calculator basics
The calories burned calculator takes three inputs: an activity, body weight, and duration. It looks up the MET value from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities (updated in 2024) and runs the standard equation. The result is the gross energy expenditure during the session, in kilocalories.
It also reports a net figure, which subtracts the 1 MET of resting metabolic rate you would have burned by sitting still for the same minutes. Net is the right number to use if you are comparing the workout against doing nothing.
How MET drives calories burned
MET is the metabolic equivalent of task. 1 MET is the energy you burn at rest, roughly 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute by ACSM convention, or about 1 kcal per kg per hour. Higher MET means higher intensity: light is below 3, moderate is 3 to 6, vigorous is 6 to 9, and very vigorous is 9 or more.
Barbara Ainsworth and colleagues built the first comprehensive Compendium of Physical Activities in 1989 and updated it in 1993, 2000, 2011, and 2024. The latest edition lists 1,114 distinct activities, 82 percent with directly measured MET values. The calculator above draws from the 30+ activities most people actually track.
The Compendium uses MET values measured on adults aged 18 to 65, mostly during continuous steady-state activity. Children, older adults, and people with chronic conditions burn slightly more or less. The Compendium also publishes a separate Youth and an Older Adult version for those populations.
Weight and calories burned
The equation is linear in body mass. Doubling weight doubles calories burned for the same activity and duration. A 50 kg person walking briskly for 30 minutes burns about 108 kcal. A 100 kg person doing the same walk burns about 215 kcal. Heavier bodies have to move more mass against gravity, and gravity is the bulk of the metabolic cost in most exercise.
Cardio activities calories burned
Among continuous cardio choices, jump rope, fast running, and vigorous cycling occupy the top of the calories burned table. Running at 8 mph (MET 11.8) is in the same neighbourhood as moderate jump rope. Most people cannot sustain those efforts for an hour, which is why interval work plays a big role in practical training.
- Walking brisk = MET 4.3 (about 150 kcal in 30 min at 70 kg)
- Running 6 mph = MET 9.8 (about 343 kcal in 30 min at 70 kg)
- Cycling 12-14 mph = MET 8.0 (about 280 kcal in 30 min at 70 kg)
- Swimming laps moderate = MET 8.3 (about 290 kcal in 30 min)
- Rowing machine moderate = MET 7.0 (about 245 kcal in 30 min)
- Elliptical moderate = MET 5.0 (about 175 kcal in 30 min)
Strength training, yoga, and pilates calories
Resistance training has lower instantaneous MET than continuous cardio because the work-to-rest ratio is smaller. The Compendium lists about MET 3.5 for light weight lifting and MET 6.0 for vigorous. Circuit training with minimal rest pushes MET higher (around 8) and brings the calorie burn closer to a running session.
Mind-body work covers a wide range. Hatha yoga is MET 2.5, in the light range. Power and vinyasa yoga rise to MET 4.0 because the sequences are continuous. Pilates is MET 3.0. The benefits of these practices are not primarily caloric, so do not let the calorie number drive how often you do them.
For interval training, multiply work-interval MET by the fraction of the session spent working, then add 1 MET multiplied by the fraction spent resting. A 20-minute session of 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off at MET 12 averages roughly MET 6.5 over the full clock.
How accurate are calories burned estimates
The MET equation gives a population average. Real per-person burn varies by 15 to 20 percent above or below the calculator output. A study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise reported nearly threefold variation among 10 people running at the same speed, mostly because of differences in body composition, technique, and aerobic conditioning.
Smartwatch calorie readings combine accelerometer and heart rate data and often disagree with the MET equation by 20 percent or more. Neither is the ground truth. Use whichever source you find most consistent over weeks, and watch what your weight does in response to your intake plan.
Calories burned vs. eating deficit
If your goal is weight loss, calories burned is the input to a daily deficit calculation, not the output. The cleanest setup is to estimate TDEE separately and then choose a deficit (usually 250 to 500 kcal per day). Logging exercise calories on top of that and trying to eat them back tends to inflate intake because exercise burn is over-estimated and food calories are usually under-estimated.
Treat the calories burned figure as one signal among several: training volume, weekly weight trend, performance in workouts, and how you feel. The number is useful for planning. It is rarely precise enough to micromanage on a single day.
kcal = MET x kg x hours 1 MET = 1 kcal/kg/hLight < 3 MET Moderate 3-6Vigorous 6-9 Very vigorous > 9