Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate the calories an activity burns from its MET value, your weight and the minutes spent — walking, running, cycling, swimming, lifting and more.
How many calories that walk, run or ride used up.
How the calories burned calculator works
A MET is the energy cost of an activity relative to sitting still (1 MET ≈ 3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram per minute). The Compendium of Physical Activities lists a MET value for hundreds of activities; multiply MET × 3.5 × weight in kilograms ÷ 200 and you have calories per minute. Running at 10 km/h is about 9.8 METs; brisk walking 4.3; moderate cycling 8.
The figure includes your resting metabolism for the same minutes, so the "extra" burn from exercising is a little lower. Individual efficiency, fitness and terrain shift it by 10–20% either way.
Formula: kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200
Worked examples
| Inputs | Calories burned | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Running 10 km/h, 75 kg, 30 min | 386 kcal | about 386 kcal |
| Brisk walk, 75 kg, 60 min | 339 kcal | about 339 kcal |
| Cycling moderate, 165 lb, 45 min | 472 kcal | 75 kg → 472 kcal |
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is a MET?
Metabolic equivalent of task: how many times harder than resting an activity is. Sitting is 1 MET, brisk walking about 4, running 10 km/h about 10.
Does a heavier person really burn more?
Yes — moving more mass costs more energy. The MET equation scales directly with weight, which is why the same run burns more for a 90 kg runner than a 60 kg one.
Why is this different from my watch?
Watches combine heart rate, pace and their own models; MET values are population averages. Both are estimates, typically within 10–20% of a lab measurement.
Should I count gross or net calories?
For weight management, net (above resting) is the honest extra; for matching intake to a long training day, gross is fine. The calculator shows both.
Where these figures come from
- Riegel PS, "Athletic records and human endurance", American Scientist 1981 — T2 = T1 × (D2 ÷ D1)^1.06
- Cooper KH, "A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake", JAMA 1968 — the 12-minute run test
- Ainsworth BE et al., Compendium of Physical Activities (2024 update) — MET values by activity
- OpenPowerlifting — DOTS coefficients (Tim Konertz, 2019) — the DOTS polynomial used for scoring
- Naismith's rule (1892) as used by UK and Australian walking bodies — 1 hour per 5 km plus 1 hour per 600 m of ascent
- UK Sport — national high-performance body
Last checked: September 2026. Formulas are fixed by their published sources; the MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities.