Calorie Burn Calculator by Activity and Duration

Use the Calorie Burn Calculator

Estimate calories burned by activity and duration using MET values tailored to your weight. The calorie burn calculator updates totals as you build a session.

How to Use Calorie Burn Calculator by Activity and Duration

1. Step 1: Choose Units & Enter Weight

   Select Metric (kg) or US (lb), then enter your current body weight.

2. Step 2: Find Your Activity

   Search the list (e.g., walking, cycling) and add an item. Default is 30 minutes.

3. Step 3: Edit Minutes & Intensity

   Adjust minutes for each activity. You can also edit MET for intensity or add a custom activity.

4. Step 4: Add More Items

   Combine multiple activities in one session. The table updates and totals everything automatically.

5. Step 5: Review Totals

   Check total time, calories, and per‑hour rate. Use the summary to compare plans.

Key Features

• Exercise database
• MET values
• Duration tracking
• Totals summary

Understanding Results

Formula

We use the standard MET equation to estimate energy cost: calories ≈ MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) × minutes ÷ 200. The constant 3.5 represents the average oxygen cost at rest (mL/kg/min), and dividing by 200 converts that oxygen cost to kilocalories. The calculation scales with your body weight, duration, and chosen activity intensity (MET).

Example: If you weigh 75 kg and cycle at a moderate pace (~8.0 METs) for 40 minutes, your estimate is 8.0 × 3.5 × 75 × 40 ÷ 200 ≈ 420 kcal. If you add 15 minutes of light yoga (2.5 METs), that adds about 2.5 × 3.5 × 75 × 15 ÷ 200 ≈ 49 kcal, for a total near 469 kcal.

Interpretation

Instead of aiming for a specific “good” number, compare totals across your week and notice patterns. A mix of moderate activities (3–6 METs) and occasional vigorous efforts (>6 METs) is a sustainable way to build fitness and increase calorie burn over time. The per‑hour rate shown in the summary helps you compare activities quickly—useful when you have a fixed time window.

If you track food intake, you can combine this output with a daily target from related tools on our site. That keeps expectations realistic: some days are high‑burn, others are intentionally light, and weekly averages tend to matter more than any single session.

Assumptions & Limitations

All results are estimates. Terrain, heat, wind, efficiency, equipment, and technique can shift true energy use. Treat this as a consistent yardstick rather than a medical diagnostic. Update your weight periodically, pick the closest activity match, and use the totals to guide decisions—not to chase a perfect number.

Complete Guide: Calorie Burn Calculator by Activity and Duration

Estimate calories with the calorie burn calculator (calories burned calculator). Uses MET values with weight and duration, summarizing totals clearly.

The goal is practical: give you a clear estimate of calories burned for any set of activities in a session or across a day. You can add multiple items (for example, 20 minutes of brisk walking, 15 minutes of weights, and 10 minutes on the rower) and the tool totals everything automatically. Results are estimates, but they are grounded in the standard energy‑cost method used by exercise science.

How this calorie burn calculator works

The calculator uses MET values (metabolic equivalents) to approximate energy cost. A MET is a simple scale that compares the effort of an activity to your resting baseline. A value of 1 MET is rest. A value of 3 means an activity costs roughly three times your resting energy. By combining METs with your body weight and time, we estimate calories burned. You can search common activities, edit minutes, or add a custom entry with your own MET.

If you are just getting started, you might pair this with your daily target from a TDEE calculator (total daily energy expenditure) and your baseline from the BMR calculator. Those tools help you set a daily calorie budget; this one helps you understand how individual workouts contribute to that budget.

MET values explained (simple)

MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. Resting quietly is ~1.0 MET. Light activities typically span 1.5–2.9 METs (standing, easy household tasks). Moderate activities land around 3–6 METs (brisk walking, casual cycling), and vigorous activities start above 6 METs (running, lap swimming, intense team sports). These ranges come from large compendiums that list typical energy costs across hundreds of motions and sports.

In practice, most people don’t need to memorize METs. You can think in plain terms: if an activity feels easy enough to chat (light), it’s probably under 3 METs; if you can talk but not sing (moderate), it’s ~3–6 METs; if your breathing is hard and conversation is brief (vigorous), it’s 6–10+ METs. This subjective scale aligns reasonably well with the formal intensity categories described by public health resources.

You will also see variations within the same activity. For example, swimming can vary widely by stroke and technique—easy breaststroke for recreation is not the same as vigorous freestyle intervals. Likewise, walking on a steep hill with a backpack is much different from walking on a flat sidewalk. The calculator’s activity list offers common options at sensible MET values, and the custom entry lets you dial in a value if you have data from a device or a coach.

The formula and a quick example

The calculation uses a standard equation: calories ≈ MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) × minutes ÷ 200. The constant 3.5 relates to average oxygen cost per kilogram at rest (in mL/kg/min). Dividing by 200 converts that oxygen cost to kcal for a practical, back‑of‑the‑envelope estimate. The equation scales with your body mass—heavier bodies expend more energy to move the same distance—and scales with time and intensity.

Example: Say you weigh 70 kg and walk briskly for 30 minutes at ~4.3 METs. Your estimate is 4.3 × 3.5 × 70 × 30 ÷ 200 ≈ 158 kcal. If you add 15 minutes of moderate weight training (3.5 METs), that adds about 3.5 × 3.5 × 70 × 15 ÷ 200 ≈ 64 kcal, for a session total of ~222 kcal. The tool does this math automatically as you add activities and edit minutes.

Choosing the right activity entry

Pick the entry that best matches your actual pace or setting. For walking, the speed in miles per hour (or kilometers per hour) is a quick guide: 3.0 mph is a moderate stroll; 3.5 mph is brisk for many adults; 4.0 mph is very brisk. For cycling, indoor or outdoor pace matters. Leisure cycling under 10 mph is a different energy cost from sustained 14–16 mph efforts. If you use a treadmill or stationary bike, you can match the display speed to the closest entry here, or you can add a custom MET if you have a specific device estimate.

We also provide dedicated tools if you want more granular estimates for a single modality. Try the walking calorie calculator, the treadmill calorie calculator, and the running calorie calculator if you mainly focus on one of those activities and want speed/elevation options.

Intensity, heart rate, and effort

Calorie cost rises with intensity because your muscles demand more oxygen and fuel. Many people use heart rate to gauge intensity. While heart rate doesn’t map perfectly to calories for every individual, it does reflect effort: tougher intervals require higher oxygen delivery, and that typically shows up as a higher heart rate. If you train with a monitor, you can choose an activity MET that matches how hard it felt (moderate vs. vigorous) and use the minutes you were at that effort.

If you want a more precise target for endurance work, you can explore zones using our Zone 2 heart rate calculator. You can also pace easy days by walking briskly and letting this calculator give you a ballpark calorie estimate without overcomplicating it.

Another simple tool is RPE—Rate of Perceived Exertion—on a 1–10 scale. An RPE of ~3–4 often lines up with moderate activity where you can hold a conversation. RPE ~6–7 typically feels vigorous and matches many of the MET 6–9 activities on our list. If you do interval sessions—say, 4×3 minutes hard with 2 minutes easy—use two entries: add the vigorous minutes at a higher MET, then the recovery minutes at a lower MET. The total will reflect the shape of the workout rather than just an average.

Weight, units, and accuracy tips

The equation requires your body mass in kilograms. If you choose US units, the calculator converts pounds to kilograms automatically. For best accuracy, use a recent, morning weight. If your weight changes meaningfully (e.g., after several months of training), update it here; a 10‑pound change will shift the output a bit because your body’s energy cost per minute changes too.

Remember, these are reasonable estimates—not medical diagnostics. Environmental factors (heat, wind, hills), movement efficiency, and technique can shift true energy use. That’s fine. For day‑to‑day planning and habit tracking, a solid estimate is enough to compare sessions and understand trends.

Using results for goals

If your goal is weight change, calories burned are one side of the ledger. The other side is intake. Many people start with a daily target using the maintenance calorie calculator (maintenance is “hold steady”) or set a gentle calorie deficit using the weight‑loss calorie calculator. As you log activity here, you’ll see how workouts contribute to your daily or weekly plan. It’s often helpful to think in weekly totals because day‑to‑day variance is normal.

Not every session needs to be high burn. A mix of enjoyable moderate activities (like brisk walks, easy cycling, yard work) and targeted vigorous sessions (like intervals or sport) can be more sustainable. The total minutes you accumulate often matters more than trying to squeeze out the last few calories in a single workout.

For many people, pairing 150–300 minutes per week of moderate activity with a small, sustainable calorie deficit produces steady changes over months. That does not mean you must be perfect every day. Use this calculator to keep a running sense of how much energy you expend, then balance with the intake targets from your chosen nutrition tool. If you prefer a pure weight‑neutral plan, the same numbers help you maintain instead.

Planning sessions and combining activities

A practical way to plan is to set a total time for the day and then divide it across activities you enjoy. For example, 45 minutes might be 20 minutes walking (4.3 METs), 15 minutes weights (3.5 METs), and 10 minutes on the rower (6–8 METs depending on effort). The calculator totals everything so you can compare one plan against another. If you prefer a single‑modality day, the daily calorie calculator can help you keep intake aligned with your training load.

Runners and walkers often alternate easy and brisk days. If you’re using a treadmill, you might also want to peek at our dedicated treadmill calorie tool which lets you think in speed and grade terms. For outdoor walkers, the walking calorie calculator is tailored to pace and terrain.

Athletes who enjoy variety can also periodize across a week: one longer low‑intensity day, a short vigorous day, two strength days, and a couple of recovery walks. This keeps total volume meaningful without making any single day overwhelming. As seasons change, you can swap in different activities—hiking in spring, swimming in summer, indoor rowing in winter—and the math here adapts instantly.

Assumptions and limitations

The MET method is a well‑accepted way to estimate energy cost, but like all models it simplifies reality. Not everyone has the same movement economy. Two people at the same speed can burn slightly different amounts based on stride mechanics, technique, fitness, environmental heat, surface incline, and equipment (shoes, bike, etc.). That’s why our outputs are labeled estimates.

Environment and equipment effects

On hot days or in strong headwinds, your true energy cost increases even if your pace stays the same—your body works to cool itself or fight the wind. Hills raise cost; downhills lower it somewhat but not perfectly symmetrically. Indoor cardio with fans or AC is often less taxing than outdoor work in summer heat. These small factors tend to average out across a week of routine training.

Device estimates and net vs. gross

Fitness trackers and cardio machines sometimes report calories using different assumptions (age, sex, heart‑rate curves, or proprietary models). That is okay. Treat each tool as a consistent yardstick rather than chasing an exact universal number. What matters most is that you use the same method over time so your comparisons stay apples‑to‑apples.

Another nuance is net vs. gross calories. This calculator estimates gross exercise calories—the total during the minutes you’re active. Some people prefer “net” calories (subtracting the resting amount you would have burned anyway). For everyday planning, gross is simpler and common in gyms and apps. If you want net, you can subtract roughly 1 MET worth of cost (your personal resting baseline) for those minutes, but don’t overthink it; consistency in your tracking method matters more.

More tools to pair with this

Many people like to cross‑check their plan with a few additional tools. For intake and budgeting, try the calorie calculator ( a quick way to set a daily target), the maintenance calorie calculator, and the TDEE calculator. To translate movement into practical choices, combining this tool with step‑count goals or time‑based goals works well—both are simple and sustainable.

To browse more options, check our Fitness & Exercise hub or the full calculator index. Everything on the site is free to use and designed to be fast on mobile.

Frequently Asked Questions