Calories Burned Calculator

Energy expenditure during exercise is most accurately estimated using MET values (Metabolic Equivalent of Task), published in the Compendium of Physical Activities. One MET equals the energy cost of sitting quietly: roughly 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour.

The standard formula used here is: kcal/min = (METs × 3.5 × body weight in kg) / 200. So a 70 kg person running at 6 mph (9.8 METs) burns about 12 kcal/min, or 720 kcal per hour. Heavier people burn more for the same activity because moving more mass takes more energy.

These estimates are population averages. Real expenditure varies with age, sex, fitness level, technique, and even environmental conditions like temperature and altitude. For more accurate personal data, use a chest-strap heart rate monitor or a recent VO₂max test.

Calories burned during exercise depend primarily on body weight, intensity and duration. The MET (metabolic equivalent) system quantifies activity intensity as a multiple of resting energy expenditure. Walking briskly is 3.5 METs, jogging is 7 METs, cycling vigorously is 10+ METs. Calories per minute equals METs × body weight in kg × 0.0175. This calculator uses MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities, the standard exercise-physiology reference.

Exercise-only calorie estimates are notoriously inflated. Cardio machines (treadmills, ellipticals, rowers) typically overstate calorie burn by 20–40%. Heart-rate-based estimates from wearables are more accurate but still imperfect, with median errors of 10–25%. Use any number you see as a rough guide, not a license to eat back exactly that many calories — the most common reason exercise fails to drive weight loss is overestimation of burn followed by overcompensation in eating.

EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) is the small extra calorie burn that continues after intense exercise. It is real but smaller than fitness marketing suggests — typically 6–15% of the workout's calories, mostly in the first hour after. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) produces more EPOC than steady-state cardio, which is one reason short HIIT workouts can be reasonably effective despite the lower total work performed during the session itself.

Resistance training burns fewer calories per minute than cardio but builds lean mass that raises baseline metabolism. Every pound of muscle burns roughly 6 calories per day at rest — modest individually, but cumulative across decades. The strongest case for resistance training is functional, hormonal and preventive (bone density, insulin sensitivity, sarcopenia prevention), not acute calorie burn. The best fat-loss program combines a sensible diet, resistance training and regular cardio.