Calorie Burn Calculator

How This Calorie Burn Calculator Works

This calorie burn calculator estimates how much energy you use during a workout based on three main inputs: your weight, the activity you choose, and the duration of the session. Optionally, you can add how many sessions you do per week to see a simple weekly total. The goal is not to give a perfect medical measurement, but to provide a practical estimate you can use to compare activities and plan your exercise routine.

Behind the scenes, the calculator uses standard MET values (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) published in exercise science research. Each activity in the dropdown (for example, Walking – Moderate or Running – 6 mph) has a typical MET value that reflects how much harder it is than sitting at rest. Higher METs mean higher intensity and more calories burned per minute for the same person.

Use your results as a guide to understand how different activities compare, how a longer or shorter workout changes your calorie expenditure, and how your weekly routine adds up over time.

Understanding MET Values

A MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) is a simple way to describe the intensity of a physical activity. By definition, 1 MET is the energy you expend at rest, such as sitting quietly. Activities are then expressed as multiples of this resting level. For example:

• 1 MET: resting, sitting quietly
• 3–4 METs: light to moderate activities, like easy walking
• 5–7 METs: moderate to vigorous activities, like brisk walking or easy jogging
• 8+ METs: vigorous activities, like fast running or intense jump rope

In this calculator, each activity is paired with a representative MET value taken from standard compendiums of physical activities. For instance, Walking – Moderate is lower intensity than Running – 6 mph, so it has a lower MET value and will show fewer calories burned for the same person and the same duration.

The Calorie Burn Formula

To estimate calories burned, the calculator uses a widely accepted MET-based formula. First, your Weight input is converted to kilograms if needed. Then, the formula multiplies the MET value by your weight and by the number of hours you spend doing the activity.

In a simplified form, the relationship looks like this:

Where:

• MET is the intensity of the chosen activity.
• weight is your body weight in kilograms.
• duration is the length of your workout in minutes (Duration (minutes) field).

Because the calculator asks for Duration (minutes), it divides by 60 to convert minutes to hours. This is why you see the division by 60 in the formula. The Weight field and Weight unit selector map directly to the weight term, and the Activity menu determines the MET value.

How to Use the Calculator Step by Step

1. Enter your weight.
   • Type your current body weight into the Weight box.
   • Use the Weight unit dropdown to choose kilograms (kg) or pounds (lb).
   • If you only know pounds, the calculator will convert to kilograms for you internally (1 kg ≈ 2.205 lb).
2. Select an activity.
   • Use the Activity dropdown to choose the option that most closely matches what you are doing.
   • If your exact activity is not listed, pick the one that best reflects your typical intensity (for example, choose Cycling – Vigorous if you usually ride hard enough to breathe heavily and sweat).
3. Enter your workout duration.
   • In Duration (minutes), type how long a single session lasts from warm-up to cool-down.
   • You can use decimals such as 30.5 for 30 minutes and 30 seconds.
4. (Optional) Add sessions per week.
   • In Sessions per week (optional), enter how many times you typically do this activity each week.
   • This allows the calculator to estimate both per-session calories and a simple weekly total for that activity.
5. Run the calculation.
   • Click the Calculate button to see your estimated calorie burn.
   • You can adjust any value and calculate again to compare different scenarios.

Interpreting Your Results

The main output you will see is the approximate calories burned per session for the activity, weight, and duration you entered. If you filled in the optional Sessions per week, you may also see an estimate of total calories burned per week for that same workout pattern.

Treat these numbers as estimates, not as exact measurements. They are most useful for:

• Comparing one activity to another (for example, walking vs. running).
• Seeing how changing the duration affects total calorie burn.
• Getting a rough sense of how your weekly exercise adds up over time.

If you are working toward weight loss or maintenance, you can combine your exercise calorie estimates with information about your daily calorie intake. Over the long term, a consistent calorie deficit tends to be associated with weight loss, while a surplus supports weight gain. However, individual responses vary and many factors besides exercise calories influence your results.

Worked Example

To see how the formula applies in practice, imagine the following scenario:

• Weight: 70 kg
• Activity: Running – 6 mph (about 9.8 METs, depending on the source)
• Duration (minutes): 30
• Sessions per week: 3

Step 1: Convert duration to hours by dividing by 60.

30 minutes ÷ 60 = 0.5 hours

Step 2: Multiply MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours).

9.8 × 70 × 0.5 = 343 calories (per session, approximately)

Step 3: If you run three times per week at this pace and duration:

343 calories per session × 3 sessions per week = 1,029 calories per week (approximately)

You could compare this to another plan. For example, a 30-minute brisk walk at about 4.3 METs for the same 70 kg person would burn fewer calories per session, but might be easier to sustain more often. The calculator lets you experiment with these trade-offs.

Example Comparison of Activities

The table below shows approximate calories burned in a 30-minute session for three common weights and several representative activities. These values are based on typical MET estimates and are rounded for clarity. Your actual results may differ.

These values come from applying the same formula used in the calculator. For example, for a 60 kg person doing vigorous cycling (8.0 METs) for 30 minutes:

8.0 × 60 × (30 ÷ 60) ≈ 240 calories.

Use the table as a quick reference, then plug your own details into the calculator for a more personalized estimate.

Factors That Influence Calorie Burn

MET-based formulas assume an average person, but real calorie burn can differ substantially between individuals. Some important factors include:

• Body composition: People with more muscle mass often burn more calories than those with more body fat at the same weight and activity level.
• Sex and age: On average, younger adults and males tend to have higher energy expenditure, but there is wide individual variation.
• Fitness level: As you become fitter, your body can become more efficient. For the same pace, you might burn slightly fewer calories than when you were less fit, or you may choose to work out at a higher intensity.
• Technique and form: Efficient movement patterns can reduce energy cost, while less efficient technique can increase it.
• Environment: Heat, cold, terrain, and altitude can all affect how hard your body has to work.
• Health conditions and medications: Some conditions or medications can influence heart rate, metabolism, and how your body responds to exercise.

Because of these factors, two people with the same weight doing the same activity for the same duration can burn different amounts of calories. The calculator provides a standardized estimate that is useful for planning and comparison, but it cannot account for every individual difference.

Limitations & Assumptions

This tool relies on simplified assumptions to keep it easy to use. It is important to understand what it can and cannot tell you.

• Standard MET values: The calculations use published MET estimates that represent typical energy costs for average adults. Your personal MET value for a given activity may be higher or lower.
• Weight as the only input: The formula adjusts only for Weight. It does not directly consider age, sex, body fat percentage, or fitness level, even though all of these influence energy expenditure.
• Steady intensity assumed: The formula assumes a relatively steady intensity for the full Duration (minutes), not intervals that vary between very hard efforts and complete rest.
• No medical or nutritional advice: The estimates are for general information and planning. They are not intended as medical, nutritional, or training advice, and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or manage any health condition.
• Best for comparisons: The calculator is most useful for comparing activities or planning approximate totals over time. Do not expect it to match perfectly with wearable devices, laboratory tests, or other tools, which use different methods and assumptions.

If you have specific health concerns, are managing a medical condition, or are planning a major change to your exercise routine or diet, consider speaking with a qualified healthcare or fitness professional for individualized guidance.

Using Results in Your Fitness Planning

Once you understand how many calories you burn per session and per week for a given activity, you can start to align your workouts with your broader goals. Here are a few practical ways to use the information from this calculator:

• Balancing intake and expenditure: If you roughly know your average daily calorie intake, you can see how much your regular exercise adds to your total daily energy use.
• Adjusting workout frequency: Use the Sessions per week estimate to decide whether you want to exercise more often for smaller sessions, or less often for longer or more intense workouts.
• Mixing activities: You might discover that combining lower-impact activities (like moderate walking or swimming) with occasional higher-intensity sessions (like running or jump rope) gives you a sustainable routine that still burns a meaningful number of calories over the week.
• Monitoring changes over time: As your weight or fitness changes, you can update the Weight field and recalculate to keep your estimates current.

Remember that progress in fitness is not only about calories. Strength, endurance, mobility, sleep quality, and enjoyment of activity are all important outcomes that this calculator does not measure directly.