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Calories Burned Calculator

Calculate exactly how many calories you burn during any exercise or physical activity — from running and cycling to swimming, weight training, and everyday activities.

Units & Weight

Unit System

Weight (lbs)

Activity Details

Activity Category

Specific Activity

Duration (minutes)

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How to Use the Calories Burned Calculator

1
Select your unit system and enter your current weight. Heavier people burn more calories performing the same activity because they require more energy to move their body mass.
2
Select your activity category and then the specific activity from the dropdown. The activity list includes running walking cycling swimming gym exercises sports and everyday activities.
3
Enter how long you performed the activity in minutes. You can calculate calories for activities as short as 1 minute or as long as 10 hours.
4
Click Calculate to see your total calories burned, fat burned, and a full comparison table of all activities so you can see which exercises burn the most calories for your body weight. Download the free PDF to track your workout calories.

Example Calculation

Scenario: Weight 180 lbs | Running 6 mph | 30 minutes

MET Value: 9.8
Calories Burned: 400 calories
Calories Per Hour: 800 cal/hr

Fat Burned: 51.9 g (0.11 lbs)
Intensity: Vigorous Activity
Yoga (Comparison): 102 cal

Frequently Asked Questions

How are calories burned calculated?

This calculator uses MET values — Metabolic Equivalent of Task — from the validated Compendium of Physical Activities published by researchers at Arizona State University. Each activity has a MET value representing how many times more energy it requires compared to sitting quietly. The formula is: Calories Burned = MET x body weight in kilograms x duration in hours. A higher MET value means more intense activity and more calories burned per minute.

Why does body weight affect how many calories I burn?

Heavier people burn more calories performing the same activity because they require more energy to move their body mass. Running at the same speed for the same duration burns approximately 30% more calories for a 220-pound person than a 150-pound person. This is why weight loss tends to slow down as you lose weight — your lighter body burns fewer calories doing the same exercise making it progressively harder to maintain the same calorie deficit.

What is MET value and what does it mean?

MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. A MET of 1.0 represents the energy cost of sitting quietly. An activity with a MET of 8.0 means it burns 8 times as many calories as sitting. Light activities have METs of 1.5 to 3.0. Moderate activities range from 3.0 to 6.0. Vigorous activities are 6.0 to 9.0. Very vigorous activities like running fast or jump rope exceed 9.0. Using MET values allows for standardized comparison of calorie burn across different activities.

How long do I need to exercise to burn 500 calories?

The time needed to burn 500 calories depends heavily on your weight and the activity intensity. A 180-pound person running at 6 mph burns approximately 800 calories per hour so would need about 37 minutes to burn 500 calories. The same person walking at 3.5 mph would need about 1 hour 45 minutes. High-intensity activities like jump rope or fast running are most efficient for burning calories in less time. Lower-intensity activities like walking take longer but are more sustainable for daily exercise.

Does exercise burn fat directly?

Your body burns a mix of carbohydrates and fat for fuel during exercise. At lower intensities fat is the primary fuel source. At higher intensities carbohydrates become dominant. However total calorie deficit over time is what determines fat loss regardless of whether the calories were burned from fat or carbohydrates during exercise. One pound of fat contains approximately 3500 calories. Creating a 500 calorie daily deficit through diet and exercise will result in approximately 1 pound of fat loss per week.