Calories Burned Calculator
Compute the calories burned during physical activity using the MET formula — Calories = MET · mass · duration. Choose from over 40 activities, adjust intensity and duration, and see your energy expenditure in kcal plus fat-equivalent and activity-comparison context.
MET is a ratio, not a rate
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task and describes an activity's energy cost as a multiple of resting metabolic rate. 1 MET is the energy you expend sitting quietly — roughly 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg per minute, or about 1 kcal per kg per hour. Walking at 3.5 METs means you're burning 3.5 times the calories you'd burn just existing. Because MET is a ratio, the same activity has the same MET value regardless of your body size — the mass term in the formula accounts for individual differences.
Calories scale linearly with mass
The formula multiplies MET by mass, so a heavier person burns more calories doing the same activity. A 100 kg person walking at 3.5 METs for an hour burns 350 kcal, while a 60 kg person burns 210 kcal. This linear scaling is a good approximation but slightly overestimates for very heavy individuals, because fat tissue is less metabolically active than lean tissue. For very high body masses, using lean body mass instead of total mass gives a more accurate estimate.
Duration is the easiest lever to change
Among the three inputs, duration is the one you control most directly. Doubling exercise time doubles calories burned — no change in intensity or fitness required. This is why walking for 60 minutes at a comfortable pace often burns more total calories than running for 20 minutes at high intensity, even though running has a higher MET value. The key caveat is that very long, very intense sessions become harder to sustain, and the body compensates by reducing non-exercise activity later in the day.
MET values are population averages
The Compendium of Physical Activities assigns MET values based on pooled measurements across many people. Your actual MET for a given activity may differ by 10–20% depending on fitness level, technique, terrain, and effort. A trained cyclist may ride at 6 METs while an untrained rider on the same route averages 9 METs. Use the MET formula as a reasonable estimate, not a precise measurement. For research-grade accuracy, use indirect calorimetry or a validated heart-rate monitor.
How to Use This Calculator
The MET formula links activity intensity, body mass, and exercise duration. Pick what you want to compute, choose an activity, and read your calorie burn.
1. Choose what to solve for
Usually you'll solve for calories. You can also solve for the MET value implied by known calories and duration, or the duration needed to burn a target number of calories at a given MET.
2. Enter your body mass
Use your current weight in kilograms. Presets cover 55–110 kg. The hint shows the equivalent in pounds. Calories scale linearly with mass, so accuracy here matters.
3. Select an activity (MET value)
Presets include common activities: walking (3.5), cycling (8.0), running (9.8), swimming (8.3), yoga (5.0), and jump rope (12.3). Or enter a custom MET from the Compendium of Physical Activities.
4. Enter the duration
Enter active exercise time in minutes. Warm-ups, cool-downs, and rest intervals should be entered separately at their own MET values, or excluded for a conservative estimate.
5. Read the result and verdict
The result card shows calories in kcal, plus context (light, moderate, vigorous activity) and a food-equivalent comparison. The verdict badge classifies the session intensity.
6. Switch to Advanced for depth
Advanced mode adds a calories vs. MET chart, a sensitivity check, and companion metrics including time to burn common foods, weekly burn at this rate, and MET-minutes per week.
What This Tool Offers
Built around the standard MET formula Calories = MET · mass · duration, the most widely used method for estimating energy expenditure from physical activity.
Three-way solving
Solve for calories, MET value, or duration. The calculator rearranges the formula for whichever variable you choose.
Live energy schematic
A visual with the three inputs (MET, mass, duration) flowing into the calorie result, plus a MET intensity scale with your value highlighted.
Intensity verdict
Each result is classified from light through moderate, vigorous, and very vigorous, with a food-equivalent comparison for context.
Companion energy metrics
MET-minutes, calories per minute, time to burn common foods, weekly burn projection, and comparison to resting metabolism.
Dual comparison charts
Calories vs. duration at fixed MET and mass, plus an advanced calories vs. MET chart at fixed mass and duration.
Reference tables
MET values for common activities, calorie burn by activity for a 70 kg adult, and a full variable reference table.
Reference Tables & Conversions
MET values for common activities, calorie burn comparisons, and energy unit conversions.
Energy unit conversion lookup
MET Values for Common Activities
Selected MET values from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Values are for moderate effort unless noted.
| Activity | MET | Intensity | Cal/h at 70 kg | Cal/h at 90 kg |
|---|
Calories Burned in 30 Minutes by Activity (70 kg adult)
Estimated calories for common activities at typical effort levels.
| Activity | MET | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walking (slow, 3 km/h) | 2.8 | 49 | 98 | 147 | 196 |
| Walking (brisk, 5.6 km/h) | 4.3 | 75 | 151 | 226 | 301 |
| Jogging (8 km/h) | 8.3 | 145 | 291 | 436 | 581 |
| Running (10 km/h) | 9.8 | 172 | 343 | 515 | 686 |
| Running (12 km/h) | 11.8 | 207 | 413 | 620 | 826 |
| Cycling (moderate, 20 km/h) | 8.0 | 140 | 280 | 420 | 560 |
| Swimming (freestyle, moderate) | 8.3 | 145 | 291 | 436 | 581 |
| Yoga (hatha) | 2.5 | 44 | 88 | 131 | 175 |
| Weight training (moderate) | 3.5 | 61 | 123 | 184 | 245 |
| Rowing machine (moderate) | 7.0 | 123 | 245 | 368 | 490 |
| Jump rope | 12.3 | 215 | 431 | 646 | 861 |
| Elliptical trainer | 5.0 | 88 | 175 | 263 | 350 |
Variable Reference
| Symbol | Meaning | Typical range | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | Total energy burned | 20 – 2000 | kcal |
| MET | Metabolic equivalent of task | 1 – 20 | dimensionless |
| m | Body mass | 40 – 150 | kg |
| t | Duration | 0.1 – 5 | hours |
| RMR | Resting metabolic rate | 1200 – 2200 | kcal/day |
| MET-min | MET-minutes per week | 500 – 3000 | MET·min |
What Does Calories = MET · mass · duration Measure?
The MET formula estimates the number of calories your body burns during physical activity by multiplying three quantities: the activity's metabolic equivalent (MET), your body mass, and the duration of the activity. It is the standard method used in exercise science and public health to estimate energy expenditure from activity, and it underlies most fitness trackers, exercise apps, and clinical exercise prescriptions. While not perfectly precise — individual metabolism varies — it captures about 80–90% of the true variation in calorie burn and is far better than guessing.
MET Formula
The defining relationship is:
Rearranged to solve for the other two unknowns:
duration (h) = Calories / (MET · mass)
The relationship between MET and oxygen consumption:
Weekly activity guidelines expressed in MET-minutes:
MET Formula Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | Energy burned | In kilocalories (food Calories) |
| MET | Metabolic equivalent of task | Ratio of activity metabolism to resting metabolism |
| m | Body mass | In kilograms; use current weight |
| t | Duration | In hours; divide minutes by 60 |
| RMR | Resting metabolic rate | Energy used at rest; ~1 kcal/kg/h |
How Each Variable Affects Calories Burned
Calories burned scale linearly with all three inputs. Doubling body mass doubles calories; doubling MET doubles calories; doubling duration doubles calories. This linearity makes the formula easy to reason about: if you want to burn 50% more calories, you can walk 50% longer, run 50% harder, or — less practically — gain 50% more body mass. In practice, duration and intensity are the levers you control, and they trade off against each other.
The MET value itself is a population average. Your individual MET for a given activity may differ by 10–20% due to fitness level, technique, terrain, and environmental conditions. A trained cyclist rides at a lower MET for the same speed than an untrained rider because their cardiovascular system is more efficient. Conversely, exercising in heat, at altitude, or on soft terrain increases the MET for the same nominal activity. For most people, the formula's estimate is within ±15% of true expenditure.
Calories Burned Calculation Examples
duration in hours = 45 / 60 = 0.75 h
Calories = 9.8 × 70 × 0.75 = 514.5 kcal
MET = 400 / (65 × 1) = 6.15
This corresponds to moderate cycling or jogging.
duration = 300 / (3.5 × 80) = 300 / 280 = 1.07 h = 64 min
MET-min per session = 10 × 30 = 300
Weekly = 300 × 3 = 900 MET-min/week (well above the 500–1000 guideline)
Frequently Asked Questions
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. It is the ratio of your metabolic rate during an activity to your metabolic rate at rest. By convention, 1 MET is defined as the rate of oxygen consumption while sitting quietly — approximately 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute, which corresponds to roughly 1 kcal per kg per hour. So walking at 3.5 METs means you are consuming oxygen (and burning calories) 3.5 times faster than at rest. The MET scale runs from about 0.9 (sleeping) through 1.0–1.5 (sedentary) to 20+ (elite sprinting).
The MET formula typically estimates calorie expenditure within ±15% of the true value measured by indirect calorimetry. Accuracy is best for steady-state aerobic activities at moderate intensities — walking, jogging, cycling on flat terrain. Accuracy is worse for anaerobic activities (sprinting, heavy lifting), intermittent activities (team sports, interval training), and very low or very high intensities. Individual factors like fitness, age, sex, and body composition introduce additional error. For most people, the estimate is good enough for tracking and planning — just don't treat a single number as exact.
Fitness trackers often overestimate calorie burn by 20–40%, partly because they use the MET formula with inflated MET values and partly because they don't account for the body's compensatory responses. After intense exercise, people tend to move less during the rest of the day and may eat more, partly offsetting the calorie deficit. The metabolic rate also stays slightly elevated for hours after exercise (EPOC — excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), but this adds only 5–15% to total burn for typical workouts. Treat tracker calories as a rough upper bound and rely on diet for the bulk of weight management.
Moving a heavier body requires more work — more force to accelerate the mass and more energy to lift it against gravity. The MET formula captures this by multiplying by body mass. But the relationship is not perfectly linear: fat tissue is less metabolically active than lean tissue, so a person whose extra mass is mostly fat burns slightly less than the formula predicts. For most purposes the linear approximation is fine, but for very heavy individuals (>120 kg), substituting lean body mass for total mass gives a more accurate estimate.
A small calorie (cal) is the energy needed to raise 1 gram of water by 1 °C. A large Calorie (Cal, capital C) — also called a kilocalorie (kcal) — is the energy needed to raise 1 kilogram of water by 1 °C, equal to 1000 small calories. Food labels and the MET formula use large Calories (kcal). When someone says they "burned 500 calories," they mean 500 kcal, not 500 small calories. For clarity, many scientific and clinical contexts use kcal throughout. This calculator reports results in kcal, which is what most people mean by "calories."
Yes, but at a lower MET value. If you do 10 × 1-minute sprints with 1-minute rest between them, you should count the sprint intervals at the sprint MET (e.g., 14) and the rest intervals at the recovery MET (e.g., 2.0 for slow walking or 1.5 for standing still). Averaging the whole session at a single MET will over- or underestimate depending on how you handle it. For most people, an easy approximation is to use the average MET for the session, but if you want precision, break the session into segments. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) also produces a larger EPOC effect, so the total burn is slightly higher than the sum of the segments suggests.
Weight loss depends on the total energy balance across the day, not on exercise calories alone. A common rule of thumb is that a 500 kcal daily deficit produces about 0.45 kg (1 lb) of weight loss per week. Exercise can contribute to that deficit, but diet typically contributes more because it's easier to eat 500 fewer calories than to burn 500 extra. Current guidelines recommend 150–300 minutes of moderate activity per week (about 500–1000 MET-minutes) for general health, and more for weight loss or weight maintenance. The MET formula helps you see how different activities contribute to that total.
Variables
| Symbol | Quantity | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | Calories burned | kcal |
| MET | Metabolic equivalent of the activity | |
| mass | Body mass | kg |
| duration | Duration of activity | hours |
What it means
The MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) formula estimates the calories burned during a physical activity. One MET is the energy cost of sitting quietly (≈1 kcal/kg/h). MET values are assigned to various activities (e.g., walking: 3.5, running: 8.0). The formula multiplies MET by body mass (kg) and duration (hours) to get kcal. It is used in exercise physiology, fitness apps, and clinical settings to estimate energy expenditure. It helps individuals understand the caloric impact of different exercises and to plan activity for weight management. However, individual variations exist. Understanding this formula aids in choosing activities that meet caloric goals.
Worked example
Calories Burned (MET Formula) – Two Detailed Examples
Real‑World| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| MET | 8 |
| mass (kg) | 70 |
| duration (hr) | 0.5 |
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| MET | 3.5 |
| mass | 60 |
| duration | 1 |
Common mistakes
- MET: Metabolic equivalent – 1 MET = 3.5 mL O₂/kg/min.
- Mass: In kilograms – not pounds.
- Duration: In hours – if using minutes, divide by 60.
- MET values: Use the correct MET for the activity (e.g., walking ~3‑4, running ~8‑12).
- Calories burned: This is an estimate – individual differences in efficiency exist.
Applications
The MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) formula estimates calories burned during exercise by multiplying the MET value of an activity by the individual's weight (kg) and duration (hours). This provides a practical method for quantifying energy expenditure for a wide range of activities. Fitness professionals, nutritionists, and researchers use it to design weight loss programmes, to compare the energy costs of different exercises, and to monitor physical activity. By using MET values from compendiums, individuals can estimate the calorie burn of their workouts and plan accordingly. This formula is also used in health promotion and in clinical settings to assess physical activity levels. Understanding calorie expenditure helps people achieve fitness and weight goals.
- Calorie expenditure tracking for weight management
- Design of exercise programmes for specific energy targets
- Comparison of activities for fitness planning
- Research on physical activity and health outcomes
- Clinical assessment of energy balance
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