A walkthrough, end to end.
- 1
Pick the activity that best matches what you did. Each has a published MET (metabolic equivalent) value.
- 2
Enter your weight and the time spent. Calories ≈ MET × weight (kg) × hours.
- 3
The result is an estimate — actual burn varies with fitness, terrain, and effort.
MET method
MET (metabolic equivalent) is a multiple of resting metabolic rate. 1 MET ≈ 1 kcal/kg/hour. Walking briskly is ~4.3 METs; running 6 mph is ~9.8. The Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth) catalogs MET values for hundreds of activities.
What you can do with this.
Calories burned running
At 8 min/mile (~7.5 mph) ≈ 11.5 METs. A 70 kg runner burns ~805 kcal/hour. Pace matters more than terrain on flat surfaces; hills add 5–15%.
Calories burned walking
Brisk walk (3.5 mph) ≈ 4.3 METs. A 70 kg walker burns ~300 kcal/hour. Slower walks burn proportionally less; hills add a lot.
Calories burned cycling
Moderate (12–14 mph) ≈ 8 METs. A 70 kg cyclist burns ~560 kcal/hour. Wattage from a power meter is more accurate (1 W = ~3.6 kJ ≈ 0.86 kcal/hour).
Calories burned weight training
Vigorous lifting ≈ 6 METs. ~420 kcal/hour for a 70 kg lifter. Includes set time and rest; pure work-only METs are higher but typical sessions average out.
Calories burned swimming
Moderate lap swimming ≈ 5.8 METs. A 70 kg swimmer burns ~405 kcal/hour. Freestyle is ~25% more efficient (lower kcal/distance) than breaststroke, so distance matters more than time for fat-loss math.
Calories burned HIIT
True HIIT averages ~8 METs across work + rest. The big benefit is post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) — an extra 6–15% on top of the session burn over 12–24 hours.
Calories burned hiking with a pack
Hiking moderate terrain ≈ 6 METs (~420 kcal/hour at 70 kg); add ~1 MET per 10 lb of pack weight. A loaded backpacking day at 4 mph in hills can hit 9–10 METs sustained for hours.
Calories burned dancing
General dancing 4.8 METs · Aerobic dance class 7.3 METs · Salsa/Latin 5–6 METs. Match the intensity to your effort — 'just moving' is closer to walking, 'sweating hard' is closer to running.
Calorie burn for weight loss
A 500 kcal/day deficit ≈ 1 lb/week of fat loss. Combine ~250 kcal from food, ~250 from movement — easier to sustain than carving 500 from either alone. The calculator helps quantify your activity side.
Calories burned 2026 — what's current
Wearable estimates have improved 2× since 2020 thanks to per-user calibration models, but still over-estimate during steady runs by ~10% and under-estimate strength work by ~20%. Use METs as the unbiased baseline.
Frequently asked.
Within ~10–20%. Trained athletes are more efficient and burn slightly less than the formula predicts. Heart rate × time formulas are similarly accurate for most people.
Be conservative — most people overestimate burn and underestimate intake. Aim to fuel performance; don't try to 'earn' food calorie-for-calorie.
Watches use heart rate × algorithm. They tend to be more accurate for steady-state cardio and less accurate for lifting and HIIT. Use them as relative measures, not absolute.
No — total calorie burn is the same. Fasted training shifts fuel toward fat oxidation but doesn't increase total burn. Performance often suffers above moderate intensity, so train fed for hard sessions.
Both raise burn slightly — cold via shivering thermogenesis, heat via cardiovascular strain. The MET-based estimate doesn't account for either; the 5–10% adjustment is small enough to ignore for most planning.
No. Calculations run entirely in your browser — no server, no analytics on inputs, no cookies.