Calories Burned Calculator

Estimate how many calories you burn during exercise and daily activities.

Free to use. Runs in your browser.

Enter an activity, your weight, and duration to estimate calories burned. Based on MET (metabolic equivalent) values from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities.

Use the calculator below to estimate exercise energy burn from MET values.

Calculate Calories Burned

Age

Gender

Male

Female

Weight

lbs

Activity

Duration (minutes)

Educational Estimates Only: These calculations are approximations based on population-level formulas and may not accurately reflect your individual health status. Body composition varies significantly due to factors like muscle mass, bone density, hydration, and ethnicity. This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized assessment, diagnosis, or treatment decisions.

Methodology and sources

Formula or method

Uses MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities and applies the standard equation: calories burned = MET x body weight in kg x duration in hours.

Basis and assumptions

MET values estimate activity energy cost relative to rest.
Weight is converted to kilograms and duration to hours before calculation.
The result does not adjust for technique, fitness level, terrain, temperature, or exact intensity.
This is non-regulated arithmetic using the cited MET basis, not a clinical measurement.

What this tool does not decide

Exercise safety, weight-loss prescriptions, or nutrition targets. Consult a GP, physiotherapist, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional.
Your actual energy expenditure from wearable sensors, lab testing, or indirect calorimetry.

Sources

2011 Compendium of Physical Activities, as named in this tool
Standard MET arithmetic: MET x kg x hours

Last checked: 2026-06-05

How Many Calories Does Your Workout Really Burn?

Gym machines lie. That treadmill saying you burned 500 calories? It's probably 30 to 40% too high. The watches and fitness trackers? Overestimate by 20 to 90% depending on the brand and activity.

The most reliable method scientists have for estimating calorie burn is MET values, Metabolic Equivalents of Task. MET is a standardised measure of how much energy an activity costs compared to sitting still. Walking at 3 mph is about 3.5 METs (3.5 times your resting burn). Running at 6 mph is about 10 METs. Sitting on the sofa is 1 MET.

This calculator uses the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research database maintained by Arizona State University that catalogues MET values for over 800 activities. It's the same source used by the NHS, WHO, and most fitness research.

Calories Burned by Activity (Per 30 Minutes)

This reference table shows approximate calories burned during 30 minutes of common activities for a 70 kg (154 lb) person. Your individual burn depends on your weight, heavier people burn more.

Activity	MET	Calories (30 min)	Intensity
Walking (3 mph)	3.5	123	Light
Cycling (moderate)	8.0	280	Moderate
Running (6 mph)	10.0	350	Vigorous
Swimming (moderate)	7.0	245	Moderate
Weight training	6.0	210	Moderate
Yoga	3.0	105	Light
HIIT	12.0	420	Very vigorous
Housework	3.5	123	Light

What this means for you: A 30-minute jog burns roughly the same as a pint of beer (200 calories). Two biscuits with your tea equals about 20 minutes of swimming. These comparisons aren't meant to make you feel guilty about food, they're to give you realistic expectations about exercise as a weight management tool.

The Afterburn Effect (EPOC): Extra Calories After Your Workout

When you finish a hard workout, your calorie burn doesn't stop immediately. Your body continues burning extra calories for hours afterwards, repairing muscle tissue, replenishing energy stores, and returning to its resting state. This is called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), or the "afterburn effect."

How much extra? It depends on intensity. A light 30-minute walk produces negligible EPOC. A hard HIIT session or heavy weight training workout can elevate your metabolism by 50 to 200 extra calories over the next 24 to 48 hours.

The practical takeaway: High-intensity exercise and strength training burn more total calories than steady-state cardio, not just during the session, but for hours after. This is one reason why weight training is so effective for fat loss, even though the calorie burn during the workout itself looks lower than running.

Why You Shouldn't Use Exercise to "Earn" Food

The "I ran 5K so I can have pizza" mindset is one of the most common traps in fitness. Here's why it doesn't work:

A 5K run burns roughly 300 to 400 calories. A medium Domino's pizza has about 2,000 calories. You'd need to run a half marathon to "earn" that pizza. The maths simply doesn't support using exercise as a licence to eat freely.

Exercise is brilliant for health, fitness, mood, sleep, and muscle building. But for pure weight management, your diet does the heavy lifting. Use our TDEE Calculator to find your daily calorie target and our Macro Calculator to plan your nutrition. Let exercise be the bonus, not the foundation of your calorie budget.

Worked MET Example

The calculator uses the same structure for every activity: MET value times body weight in kilograms times duration in hours. A 75 kg person cycling at 8 METs for 45 minutes is calculated as follows:

8 MET x 75 kg x 0.75 hours = 450 kcal

If the same person cycles for 30 minutes instead, the duration becomes 0.5 hours and the estimate becomes 300 kcal. If the activity intensity changes, the MET value changes too.

Change	Effect on estimate
Higher body weight	More energy is required to move the body
Longer duration	Calories rise in direct proportion to time
Higher MET activity	The activity costs more energy per minute

Why Estimates Vary in Real Life

Intensity Drift

The same listed activity can be easy, moderate, or hard. Walking uphill costs more than walking on the flat, even if the activity label is similar.

Technique and Efficiency

Experienced athletes often use less energy for the same pace because movement is more efficient. Beginners may burn more at the same external workload.

Environment

Heat, wind, uneven ground, and load carried can raise effort. Indoor machines may also use different assumptions from MET tables.

Compensation

Some people move less later in the day after hard exercise. That can reduce the total daily deficit even when the workout estimate is reasonable.

Use the result as a planning number. For weight change, compare several weeks of body-weight trend against your food intake and adjust the plan gradually.

Safe Ways to Apply the Number

Avoid eating back every estimated exercise calorie if your TDEE already includes activity.
Use lower estimates when planning a deficit, especially if activity intensity was uncertain.
Pair calorie burn with recovery signals such as sleep, soreness, resting heart rate, and mood.
If exercise causes chest pain, dizziness, fainting, or unusual breathlessness, stop and seek medical advice.

Calorie Burn Review Checklist

A MET result is most useful when the activity entry matches the workout you actually performed.

Choose the closest activity intensity rather than the most flattering one.
Use elapsed active time, not the full time spent at the gym or on the route.
Recalculate after a significant body-weight change.
Compare estimates with weight trend before changing food intake.

Related Health & Fitness Tools

TDEE CalculatorFind your total daily calorie burn Weight Loss CalculatorPlan your calorie deficit Pace CalculatorCalculate your running pace Heart Rate ZonesFind your training heart rate zones Macro CalculatorPlan your protein, carbs, and fat BMR CalculatorCalculate your resting metabolic rate

Part of a workflow

Health & Fitness Workflow

Body baseline → Calories → Nutrition → Training → Progress. 13 tools free.

How to use this tool

Enter your weight and choose an activity

Enter the duration in minutes

Calculate the MET-based calorie estimate

Common uses

Estimating calories burned during a workout
Comparing walking, running, cycling, swimming, and other activities
Planning an exercise contribution to a calorie deficit
Understanding how body weight changes energy burn
Adding context to fitness tracker calorie estimates

Share this tool

Frequently Asked Questions

How are calories burned calculated?

Using MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) values from the Compendium of Physical Activities. The formula is: Calories = MET x weight (kg) x duration (hours). A MET of 1 equals your resting burn; running at 6 mph is 10 METs, you burn 10 times more than sitting still.

What is a MET value?

MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. It's a standardised measure of energy cost compared to rest. Walking at 3 mph is 3.5 METs, cycling at moderate effort is 8 METs, and HIIT is about 12 METs. The higher the MET, the more calories you burn per minute.

Why does weight affect calories burned?

Heavier people move more mass, which costs more energy. An 80 kg person running for 30 minutes burns roughly 30% more calories than a 60 kg person doing the same run at the same pace. This is why the calculator asks for your weight.

Are these estimates accurate?

MET-based estimates are typically accurate to within 10 to 20%. They don't account for your fitness level, body composition, or exact exercise intensity. But they're far more reliable than gym machine displays, which overestimate by 30 to 40% on average.

How can I burn more calories during exercise?

Increase intensity (HIIT burns 12 METs vs 3.5 for walking), extend duration, or choose activities that engage more muscle groups. Compound exercises like rowing and swimming burn more than isolation exercises. Strength training also increases post-exercise calorie burn (EPOC) for up to 48 hours.

What is the afterburn effect (EPOC)?

EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) is the extra calories your body burns after a workout, repairing muscle, replenishing energy stores, and returning to baseline. High-intensity and strength training produce the biggest afterburn, adding 50 to 200 extra calories over 24 to 48 hours after the session.

Does muscle burn more calories than fat?

Yes. Muscle burns roughly 6 calories per pound per day at rest, compared to 2 for fat. This is why strength training is so valuable for weight management, building muscle increases your resting metabolic rate permanently.

How many calories does 10,000 steps burn?

Roughly 300 to 500 calories depending on your weight, pace, and terrain. For a 75 kg person walking at a moderate pace, 10,000 steps covers about 8 km and burns approximately 400 calories. That's on top of your resting metabolic rate.

Do fitness trackers accurately count calories?

Not very well. A Stanford study found that fitness trackers overestimate calorie burn by 20 to 90% depending on the brand and activity type. They're useful for tracking relative effort (today vs yesterday) but shouldn't be trusted as absolute calorie counts.

Should I eat back the calories I burn exercising?

If you've calculated your TDEE at the correct activity level, exercise is already accounted for, don't eat extra. Only eat back exercise calories if you selected 'sedentary' in your TDEE calculation and track workouts separately. Double-counting exercise calories is one of the most common reasons people don't lose weight.

Which exercise burns the most calories per minute?

HIIT and running are among the highest at 12 to 15 calories per minute for a 75 kg person. Swimming, cycling, and rowing are also excellent at 8 to 12 calories per minute. Yoga and walking burn 3 to 5 per minute. But the best exercise is the one you'll actually do consistently.

Does exercising in the cold burn more calories?

Slightly. Your body uses extra energy to maintain core temperature. But the effect is modest, roughly 5 to 10% more calories in cold conditions. The bigger factor is that cold weather can reduce how long and hard you're willing to exercise. Don't rely on cold exposure for meaningful calorie differences.

Results are for general informational purposes only and should be checked before use. They are not professional advice. See our Disclaimer and Terms of Service.