Calories Burned Calculator by Activity
Calories burned = METs × body weight in kg × hours. Running at 6 mph is 9.8 METs, so a 70 kg person running for 30 minutes burns about 9.8 × 70 × 0.5 = 343 calories.
Calories burned
343 kcal
Per hour
686 kcal
Estimates from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Your actual burn depends on intensity, fitness and body composition.
Show the math
- 1
Look up the activity's MET value
Running, 6 mph (10 min/mile) = 9.8 METs
A MET compares an activity to sitting at rest. 9.8 METs means about 9.8 times the energy you use sitting still.
= 9.8 METs
Read the steps as text
- Look up the activity's MET value. Running, 6 mph (10 min/mile) = 9.8 METs A MET compares an activity to sitting at rest. 9.8 METs means about 9.8 times the energy you use sitting still.
- Calories = METs × weight (kg) × hours. 9.8 × 70 kg × 0.5 h = 343 kcal 1 MET is roughly 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour, so heavier people burn more doing the same thing.
How METs work
A MET (metabolic equivalent of task) compares an activity's energy use to sitting quietly, which is 1 MET. Brisk walking is about 4.3 METs, so it uses roughly 4.3 times the energy of sitting. One MET is close to 1 calorie per kilogram of body weight per hour, which gives the simple formula: calories = METs × kg × hours.
The MET values here come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research catalog used by exercise scientists. Because the formula scales with weight, a heavier person burns more doing the same activity for the same time.
Making sense of the number
The result is total calories during the activity, including what you'd have burned anyway at rest. For the extra calories the exercise itself added, subtract 1 MET's worth (your weight in kg × hours).
Real burn depends on how hard you actually work, your fitness and your body composition. A fitness tracker with a heart rate monitor may be closer for you personally, but MET estimates are a solid, consistent way to compare activities.
Frequently asked questions
- How many calories does walking burn?
- Walking at 3 mph is about 3.5 METs. An 80 kg person walking for an hour burns about 3.5 × 80 × 1 = 280 calories.
- What burns the most calories?
- High-intensity activities like running fast, jumping rope and vigorous cycling have the highest MET values, often 10 or more. But the best exercise is one you'll keep doing.
- Why do heavier people burn more calories?
- Moving more body mass takes more energy, so the same activity for the same time burns more calories at a higher weight.
- Are fitness tracker numbers more accurate?
- Trackers that use heart rate can adapt to you, but they also vary by device. Treat any figure as an estimate.