Calories Burned Calculator
Calories burned by activity, weight and time.
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How many calories did that workout burn? This calculator uses MET values — a standard measure of exercise intensity — to estimate your energy expenditure from the activity, your body weight, and how long you exercised.
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Calories Burned — The Quick Answer
Calories burned = MET × body weight (kg) × time (hours). Higher-MET activities and heavier bodies burn more. A 70 kg person jogging for 30 minutes burns roughly 300 kcal.
Shortcut
Calories = MET × weight (kg) × hours
MET values for common activities
| Activity | MET | kcal/min (70 kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Walking (brisk) | 4.3 | 5.3 |
| Jogging (8 km/h) | 8.3 | 10.2 |
| Running (10 km/h) | 9.8 | 12.0 |
| Cycling (moderate) | 8.0 | 9.8 |
| Swimming | 7.0 | 8.6 |
| Weight training | 6.0 | 7.4 |
| Yoga | 2.5 | 3.1 |
One MET is the energy you use at rest — roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. So an 8-MET activity uses about eight times your resting energy.
How It Works
The Formula
The MET equation
Formula
Calories = MET × weight (kg) × time (hours) per minute: MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200
Variables
Metabolic equivalent
A measure of exercise intensity relative to rest. Sitting is 1 MET; running is around 10.
Body weight
In kilograms. Heavier bodies burn more calories for the same activity, since moving more mass takes more energy.
Duration
How long the activity lasted. Calories scale linearly with time.
Note: MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research reference. They're averages — your actual burn depends on fitness, effort, and technique.
Worked Example: 30 Minutes of Jogging at 70 kg
Using the MET calorie formula
Find the activity's MET value
Jogging (8 km/h) ≈ 8.3 MET
Calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200
8.3 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 10.2 kcal/min
Multiply by the duration
10.2 × 30 min ≈ 305 kcal
Sanity-check with MET × kg × hours
8.3 × 70 × 0.5 ≈ 290 kcal (same ballpark)
Reference Guide
| Activity | MET | 30 min at 70 kg |
|---|---|---|
| Walking (brisk) | 4.3 | ~158 kcal |
| Jogging (8 km/h) | 8.3 | ~305 kcal |
| Running (10 km/h) | 9.8 | ~360 kcal |
| Cycling (moderate) | 8.0 | ~294 kcal |
| Swimming | 7.0 | ~257 kcal |
| Yoga | 2.5 | ~92 kcal |
How Reliable Is the Calorie Number?
What MET estimates can and can't tell you
MET values reliably rank effort — running burns more than walking, swimming more than yoga. That ordering is trustworthy even when the exact calories aren't, so use the tool to compare options and plan.
Best for: Choosing between activities and planning sessions
MET values are population averages that ignore your fitness, efficiency, and body composition. Fitness trackers add heart-rate data but still estimate, and studies find they can be off by 20% or more. Read '347 kcal' as 'roughly 300-something'.
Best for: Tracking trends rather than counting to the calorie
Because estimates tend to run high, treating a workout as licence to eat an exact matching amount is a classic way to stall fat loss. For body composition, overall weekly energy balance matters far more than any single session's burn. Not medical or dietary advice.
Best for: Using the figure as a guide, not a food credit
What Is a MET, and How Are Exercise Calories Estimated?
A MET (metabolic equivalent of task) measures how hard an activity works your body relative to sitting at rest — 1 MET is your resting rate, and an 8-MET activity uses about eight times that energy. Calorie burn is estimated as MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200 per minute, so the three inputs are the activity's intensity, your weight, and the duration. Heavier bodies burn more for the same activity because moving more mass costs more energy. The MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research reference — they're solid averages, which makes these figures good for comparison and planning, but estimates rather than precise measurements.
Key Features
💡 Pro Tips
- →Use the tool to compare activities rather than to count exact calories — the ranking is far more reliable than the absolute number.
- →Enter your real body weight; it's a direct multiplier, so guessing low understates your burn and vice versa.
- →If you're using burn figures for weight loss, lean on your weekly weight trend to calibrate rather than trusting any single session's estimate.
- →Pair this with your resting burn (BMR/TDEE) for the full daily picture — exercise is often a smaller slice than people expect.
Common Mistakes
Trusting the calorie figure to the exact number
MET estimates are population averages and can be off by 20% or more for an individual. They're best for comparing activities and tracking trends, not for precise calorie accounting.
Eating back every 'burned' calorie
Because the estimates tend to run high, matching food to them exactly often erases a deficit. Weekly energy balance drives body composition, not a single workout's number.
Ignoring body weight's effect
Weight is a direct multiplier in the formula. Two people doing the identical workout burn different amounts, so a generic figure that ignores weight is misleading.
Research & Citations
Sources and standards referenced for the factual claims on this page
- [1]
Ainsworth, B. E., et al. (2011). 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(8).
The standard reference for the MET values used here.
View source - [2]
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) (2021). ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Metabolic equations and energy expenditure methodology.
View source
This calculator is a reference tool, not a substitute for professional advice. Verify important health, financial, legal, or safety decisions with a suitably qualified professional.
Last updated: October 7, 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate calories burned during exercise?
Multiply the activity's MET value by your body weight in kilograms and the duration in hours. For example, running at 10 METs for 0.5 hours at 70 kg burns 10 × 70 × 0.5 = 350 kcal.
What is a MET?
A MET, or metabolic equivalent of task, is a measure of how much energy an activity uses relative to sitting at rest. One MET equals about 1 kcal per kg per hour. An activity rated 8 METs uses roughly eight times your resting energy.
How many calories do I burn walking?
Brisk walking is about 4.3 METs. At 70 kg, that's roughly 5.3 kcal per minute, or about 160 kcal for a 30-minute walk. Slower walking is around 2.8 METs.
Are calorie burn estimates accurate?
They're reasonable estimates, not precise measurements. Real burn varies with fitness, muscle mass, intensity, and efficiency. Fitness trackers often over- or under-estimate too — treat these figures as a guide for planning, not exact numbers.