Calories Burned Calculator

About the Calories Burned Calculator

How many calories does a 30-minute run burn? Is an hour of cycling worth more than an hour of swimming? How much does gardening or housework count? Knowing roughly how much energy different activities use helps with weight management, with fuelling for sport, and with choosing activities that fit your goals.

This calories burned calculator estimates the calories you burn in 27 common activities — walking, running at several speeds, cycling, swimming, gym work, sports, yoga, dancing and household tasks — from your body weight and the duration. It uses MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities, the standard research reference, and shows both total calories and the net calories above what you would have burned at rest. You can also enter your own MET value for any activity not listed.

How to Use the Calories Burned Calculator

Enter your body weight and choose kg or lb.

Choose the activity from the list.

Enter the duration in minutes.

Optionally, enter a custom MET value to override the activity.

The Formula

  calories (kcal) = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours)

  net calories    = (MET − 1) × body weight (kg) × duration (hours)

One MET, or metabolic equivalent, is the energy used sitting quietly — about 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. An activity of 8 METs uses eight times as much.

Step-by-Step Example

A 70 kg person running at 6 mph (10:00 per mile) for 30 minutes.

  MET for running at 6 mph:  9.8
  Calories: 9.8 × 70 × 0.5 = 343 kcal
  Net:     (9.8 − 1) × 70 × 0.5 = 308 kcal
  Rate:    11.4 kcal per minute, 686 kcal per hour

That is roughly one and a half chocolate bars, or nearly four bananas.

MET Values for Common Activities

  Activity                              MET
  Yoga, hatha                           2.5
  House cleaning                        3.3
  Walking, 3 mph (moderate)             3.5
  Weight lifting, general               3.5
  Gardening                             3.8
  Walking, 4 mph (brisk)                5.0
  Elliptical, moderate                  5.0
  Swimming, light to moderate           5.8
  Hiking                                6.0
  Basketball                            6.5
  Rowing machine, moderate              7.0
  Tennis                                7.3
  Cycling, 12–14 mph                    8.0
  Circuit training / HIIT               8.0
  Running, 6 mph                        9.8
  Running, 8 mph                       11.8
  Jumping rope, moderate               11.8

Calories per Hour by Body Weight

Because calories scale with body weight, the same activity burns more for heavier people. For brisk walking at 5 METs, a 60 kg person burns about 300 kcal an hour, a 70 kg person 350 kcal, and a 90 kg person 450 kcal. For running at 6 mph (9.8 METs) the figures are about 590, 690 and 880 kcal. This is one reason exercise tends to have a larger effect on energy balance for heavier people starting an exercise programme.

Total or Net Calories?

The total includes the energy your body would have used anyway during that time. For a 70 kg person, 30 minutes of rest burns about 35 kcal. For weight management the net figure — the extra caused by exercise — is the fairer one to add to a food diary, and it matters most for low-intensity activities: for yoga at 2.5 METs, net calories are 40% lower than the total.

How Accurate Are MET Estimates?

MET values are averages measured in groups of adults. Your own burn can differ by 20% or more depending on fitness, efficiency, technique, body composition and how hard you actually work. A trained runner uses less energy at a given speed than a beginner; an intense spin class burns more than a gentle ride at the same average speed. Treat the result as a reasonable estimate. For cycling, a power meter gives much better figures; for running and walking, the ACSM equations used in the walking calorie calculator take speed and incline into account directly.

Calories and Weight Loss

A commonly quoted rule is that 7,700 kcal equals about 1 kg of body fat, or 3,500 kcal per pound. It is a rough guide — the body adapts, and early weight loss includes water — but it shows the scale: burning an extra 300 kcal a day through exercise works out at roughly 1 kg a month if food intake stays the same. In practice, combining activity with modest changes to diet is more effective than exercise alone, because it is easy to eat back the calories burned.

Fuelling Long Sessions

Knowing the burn rate also helps with fuelling. A 70 kg cyclist riding at a moderate 8 METs uses about 560 kcal an hour, and the body can store only around 400 to 500 g of carbohydrate as glycogen, or roughly 1,600 to 2,000 kcal. For sessions longer than about 90 minutes, endurance athletes typically eat 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate an hour to keep going. For everyday exercise of an hour or less, normal meals are enough and extra snacks are rarely needed.

Understanding Your Result

The headline gives total calories burned.

The net line gives calories above your resting burn.

The rate line gives calories per minute and per hour.

The activity line confirms the activity and MET value used.

The food equivalent line compares the total with familiar foods.

When Should You Use This Calculator?

Use it to estimate calories for a workout, class, match or sport.

Use it to compare different activities for weight management and fitness.

Use it to plan fuelling and snacks for long training sessions.

Use it to check the estimates from a fitness tracker or gym machine display.

Common Mistakes

Adding total calories to a food diary. Use the net figure to avoid double counting.

Choosing a harder activity than you did. Pick the closest match for your pace and effort.

Treating estimates as exact. Individual variation is large.

Eating back more than you burned. Exercise calories are easy to overestimate.

Using the wrong weight unit. Choose kg or lb before entering your weight; entering pounds as kilograms more than doubles the result.