Calories Burned Calculator

What is a calories burned calculator?

A calories burned calculator estimates how much energy you use during an activity. This free online calories burned calculator covers more than 40 activities – walking, running, cycling, swimming, yoga, gym workouts, sports and even household chores – and works from just two numbers: your body weight and how many minutes you were active. It then compares your activity with others, so you can see at a glance how many calories you burn walking versus running, cycling or doing yoga.

How are calories burned calculated?

The calculator uses MET values (metabolic equivalent of task) from the Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference list used by exercise scientists. One MET is the energy you burn sitting quietly, about 3.5 ml of oxygen per kg per minute, or roughly 1 kcal per kg per hour. An activity with a MET of 7 burns about seven times as much energy as resting.

Calories burned = MET × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × minutes

• MET = the intensity value for the activity (from the table below)
• weight = your body weight in kg
• minutes = how long you did the activity

A quick shortcut is calories ≈ MET × weight (kg) × hours, which gives nearly the same answer.

Worked example: calories burned running

A 70 kg person runs at 9.7 km/h (6 mph, MET 9.8) for 30 minutes: 9.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 = 360 kcal. Brisk walking at 5.6 km/h (MET 4.3) for the same 30 minutes burns 4.3 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 = 158 kcal. Running therefore burns well over twice as many calories per minute – but walking for an hour still burns a respectable 316 kcal.

MET table: calories burned by activity

Calories per hour are shown for a 60 kg and an 80 kg person:

Calories burned walking and by steps

Walking is the most popular exercise in India and worldwide. As a rule of thumb, a 70 kg person burns about 40–50 kcal per 1,000 steps at a normal pace, so 10,000 steps burn roughly 400–500 kcal. An incline treadmill or walking uphill raises the MET to 6 or more, which is why incline walking has become a favourite for fat loss. Carrying a weighted vest also increases the burn, roughly in proportion to the extra weight you carry.

Calories burned cycling, swimming and at the gym

Cycling at a moderate 19–22 km/h burns about as much as jogging, with less impact on the knees. Swimming freestyle at a steady pace is similar. Weight lifting burns fewer calories per minute than cardio, but builds muscle, which raises your resting metabolism over time. HIIT and circuit training give a high burn in a short session.

Calories burned doing nothing (at rest)

Even while sitting or sleeping you burn calories to keep your organs running – this is your basal metabolic rate. Most adults burn 1,200–2,000 kcal a day at rest. Work out yours with the BMR calculator, and your total daily burn with the TDEE calculator. The calculator's "net calories" row subtracts the resting calories you would have burned anyway, which is the extra energy the exercise really cost.

Calories burned by heart rate

Fitness watches estimate calories from heart rate, which captures how hard you personally worked. MET-based estimates and watch readings can differ by 10–30%. Use the heart rate calculator to find your training zones; higher zones mean more calories per minute.

How to use calories burned for weight loss

About 7,700 kcal equals 1 kg of body fat. Burning an extra 300 kcal a day through exercise adds up to roughly 1 kg of fat a month – if you do not eat it back. Exercise works best combined with a modest calorie deficit from the calorie calculator. Remember that 30 minutes of brisk walking (about 150 kcal) can be undone by a single samosa, so both food and activity count.

Walking, gym, yoga or chores: what to pick

Calories burned calculator for walking and steps

For walking, pick the pace closest to yours. If you count steps instead of minutes, convert them first: a moderate pace is about 100 steps per minute. For example, 5,000 steps take about 50 minutes, and the calculator shows about 215 kcal burned for a 70 kg person, so it doubles as a calories burned calculator based on steps. That is how to calculate calories burned walking from a step count.

Calories burned calculator for treadmill and incline walking

On a treadmill set to an incline, choose "Walking uphill / incline treadmill". Each 1% of incline adds roughly 5–10% to the calories burned, so the calculator's uphill option gives a higher number than flat walking.

Calories burned calculator for running and jogging

Select your running speed, or "Jogging" for an easy pace in the calculator. The calories burned rise with speed because the MET value does.

Calories burned calculator for cycling and exercise bikes

Choose a cycling option by effort. "Stationary bike" covers an exercise bike session at the gym or at home; for mountain biking, use the vigorous option in the calculator, since hills and rough ground raise the calories burned.

Calories burned calculator for swimming, hot yoga and pilates

Pick your swimming stroke, since butterfly burns far more than a gentle breaststroke. The yoga options in the calculator include hot yoga, which has more calories burned than a gentle class, and pilates has its own entry.

Calories burned calculator for the gym

For a gym session, the calculator shows calories burned for lifting weights, HIIT, the rowing machine, the elliptical and jump rope. If you did several, run it once per activity and add up the calories burned.

Push ups and other body-weight moves count as calisthenics, so pick that option in the calculator to see the calories burned.

Calories burned calculator for zumba, hiking and cleaning

Zumba and other dancing classes have their own entries in the calculator, and the calories burned are close to a brisk jog. Hiking gives a higher result than walking because of the terrain. For housework, the calculator's cleaning option gives the calories burned vacuuming or mopping, and gardening has its own entry too.

Calories burned calculator per day

How to calculate calories burned in a day: add your BMR to the calories from exercise. The daily total of calories burned is your TDEE, which our TDEE calculator estimates.

Calories burned calculator at rest

At rest, the "Sitting" or "Sleeping" options in the calculator show the calories burned doing nothing. Without exercise, your TDEE is your BMR at the sedentary level. That answers "how many calories do I burn by existing" with a calculator: roughly your BMR plus 20%.

What is calories burned at rest? It is the energy your body uses just to keep you alive: breathing, circulation and keeping warm. It is also the only way calories are burned "naturally" without any activity, which a calculator estimates as your BMR.

Calories burned calculator with heart rate

Some tools estimate calories burned from your heart rate using the Keytel equation and your average pulse from a watch. A calculator using heart rate, or based on heart rate data from your watch, can make calories burned more personal. This online calories burned calculator uses MET values instead, so it is simpler and needs no watch.

Calories burned calculator for exercise

For any workout, pick the activity closest to what you did and enter the minutes. That is how to calculate calories burned during a workout, in the gym or during strength training. This free calories burned calculator works online and needs no sign-up.

How are calories burned calculated? The calories burned calculator formula above works for any activity: MET × weight in kg × hours.

How can I calculate the calories I burn?

Multiply the activity's MET value by your weight in kilograms and by the hours you spend on it: calories = MET × kg × hours. A 70 kg person kayaking at a moderate pace (about 5 METs) for 1 hour burns about 5 × 70 × 1 = 350 kcal.

Calories burned calculator based on height and weight

For exercise, weight matters most, because moving a heavier body takes more energy. Height matters for the calories you burn at rest (your BMR), which the BMR calculator estimates from height, weight, age and sex. Add both to see your full day.

Calories burned calculator with weighted vest

A weighted vest raises the load you carry. A simple estimate is to add the vest's weight to your body weight: a 70 kg walker with a 10 kg vest walking at 3.5 METs for 1 hour burns about 3.5 × 80 = 280 kcal instead of 245 kcal. Treat this as a rough guide.

Calories burned calculator for vacuuming, kayaking and other everyday tasks

Vacuuming is about 3.3 METs, so 30 minutes burns about 115 kcal for a 70 kg person. You can burn calories naturally through such chores, walking and taking stairs; this everyday movement often adds up to more than a single workout.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated 2026-09-18