Calories Burned Calculator
Result Summary
No results yet
Enter your details and hit “Calculate” to see your results.
About Calorie Burn
'How many calories did that burn?' powers every fitness app — and every answer, including lab-adjacent ones, is an estimate built on METs: standardized intensity multiples measured across studies and catalogued in the Compendium. Heavier bodies burn more at the same activity (more mass to move), longer burns more, and intensity multiplies everything.
Pick from 15 common activities (walking through jump rope), enter weight and duration, and get the estimate with its per-hour rate and the MET math shown. Comparing activities honestly — brisk walk vs swim vs weights — is where the tool earns its keep.
Exercise burn joins resting burn in your full daily number — the TDEE Calculator
The MET Formula
One formula covers every activity — only the MET changes:
kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 1 MET = resting metabolism (~1 kcal/kg/hour)
Worked example: running 6 mph (9.8 METs) at 160 lb (73 kg) for 30 minutes: 9.8 × 3.5 × 73 ÷ 200 × 30 ≈ 373 kcal — a ~747 kcal/hour clip. The same half hour walking briskly (4.3 METs) burns ~164: intensity, not sweat, is the multiplier.
Burn Rates by Weight
Calories per 30 minutes at three body weights — all from this calculator's formula:
| Activity (METs) | 130 lb | 160 lb | 200 lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking, brisk (4.3) | 133 | 164 | 205 |
| Yoga (2.5) | 77 | 95 | 119 |
| Weightlifting (3.5) | 108 | 133 | 167 |
| Cycling 12–14 mph (8.0) | 248 | 305 | 381 |
| Running 6 mph (9.8) | 303 | 373 | 467 |
| Jump rope (11.8) | 365 | 450 | 562 |
Read down any column: doubling METs doubles burn. Read across: the same workout costs a 200-lb body ~25% more than a 160-lb one — the physics of moving mass.
Honest Notes on Exercise Calories
Three humility clauses: METs are averages (hills, wind, and technique move real numbers), the formula charges you for the resting calories you'd have burned anyway (a 373-kcal run is ~340 EXTRA), and trackers wrap the same math in sensors — wrist devices routinely miss by 20–40% on strength work especially. Directionally excellent, decimally fictional.
The planning takeaway: exercise calories are easier to eat than to burn — that 373-kcal run un-does one pastry — so weight management leans on the intake side while exercise carries the health load (fitness, muscle, mood, longevity) regardless of the calorie ledger. Counting every burned calorie back as food budget is the classic way to out-eat a training plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories does a 30-minute walk burn?
Brisk (3.5–4 mph): about 133–205 kcal depending on weight (4.3 METs — the table shows three body weights). Casual pace drops it a third; hills raise it meaningfully. Enter your weight above for your figure.
What is a MET?
A multiple of resting metabolic rate: 1 MET is sitting quietly (~1 kcal per kg per hour), 4 METs burns four times that. The Compendium of Physical Activities catalogues measured values for hundreds of activities — this calculator carries 15 of the most-asked.
Which exercise burns the most calories?
Per minute: sustained high-MET work — running fast, jump rope (~11.8 METs each). Per session, sustainability wins: an hour of cycling out-burns ten brutal minutes of anything. Strength work burns modestly during, but builds the muscle that raises burn around the clock.
Are fitness tracker calories accurate?
Same MET-style math plus sensor guesses — studies find heart-rate-based estimates off by 20–40%, worst on strength and interval work. Use any single source (tracker or this page) consistently for trends; trust none of them as an eating license.
Do I burn calories after exercise ends?
Some — EPOC (afterburn) is real but modest: single-digit percentages of the workout for most sessions, a bit more after hard intervals. The bigger post-exercise effect is muscle: each pound added burns a few extra calories around the clock, forever.
Should I eat back the calories I burn?
If your calorie target came from a TDEE that already includes your training, they're pre-counted — eating them back double-dips. Sedentary-based targets can eat back roughly half (estimates run high). Either way, the burn number is the fuzziest line in the ledger — plan around the month's trend, not the workout's readout.
Sources & References
- [1]Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (MET values) — Compendium of Physical Activities
Methodology. This calculator uses formulas and health categories recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is reviewed and maintained by the Vast Calculators editorial team.
Last updated · July 11, 2026
Disclaimer. This tool provides estimates for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your health.