Free calculator
Calories Burned Calculator
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
The short answer
Calories burned ≈ MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET is the energy cost of an activity compared with sitting still (1 MET ≈ 1 kcal per kg per hour), and the 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities lists a MET for each activity. A 70 kg person walking 3 miles in 55 minutes (3.8 MET) burns about 244 kcal, about 180 more than sitting. An hour of general weight training (3.5 MET) at 80 kg burns about 280 kcal.
01 / How it works
How the calories burned calculator works
Every activity has a MET value: how many times more energy it uses than sitting quietly. Researchers collect these from measured studies in the Compendium of Physical Activities, last updated in 2024. Multiply the MET by your body weight and the time, and you get an estimate of the calories used.
Pick an activity and a duration, or enter a walk or run as a distance and a time. In distance mode the calculator works out your speed and uses the Compendium row for that speed (for example, walking at 2.8-3.4 mph is 3.8 MET). The Compendium lists set speeds with gaps between them (for example 2.5 mph, then 2.8-3.4 mph), so a speed in a gap uses a neighbouring listed activity: the speed bands are this calculator’s approximation, not the Compendium’s own ranges. MET values are used exactly as published, never blended between rows, as the Compendium asks.
The result shows the total (gross) calories and the net calories: the extra over what you would have burned sitting on the sofa for the same time. Net is the fairer number if you want to know what the workout added.
02 / Formula
The calories burned formulas
Calories from METs
Calories (kcal) = MET × weight (kg) × time (hours) Net calories = (MET − 1) × weight (kg) × time (hours)
- MET = metabolic equivalent from the Compendium (1 MET ≈ 1 kcal/kg/h ≈ 3.5 mL of oxygen/kg/min)
- weight in pounds is converted with 1 lb = 0.4536 kg
Speed for walks and runs
Speed (mph) = distance (miles) ÷ time (hours) 1 mile = 1.609 km
The Compendium lists level-ground walking from 2.0 to 4.9 mph and running from 5.0 mph up, at set speeds with gaps between them. This calculator maps each speed to a neighbouring listed activity (an approximation, not the Compendium’s exact range) and covers running up to 8.4 mph.
03 / Worked example
Worked examples
A 3-mile walk in 55 minutes, 70 kg
You walk 3 miles on flat ground in 55 minutes and weigh 70 kg.
- 1Speed: 3 ÷ (55 ÷ 60) = 3.3 mph → Compendium 17190, 3.8 MET
- 2Calories: 3.8 × 70 × 0.917 h = 243.8 kcal
- 3Net: 2.8 × 70 × 0.917 = 179.7 kcal
About 244 kcal in total, about 180 kcal more than sitting still.
An hour of weight training, 180 lb
You lift for 60 minutes, a mix of exercises for 8-15 reps (Compendium 02054, 3.5 MET), and weigh 180 lb.
- 1Weight: 180 × 0.4536 = 81.6 kg
- 2Calories: 3.5 × 81.6 × 1 h = 285.8 kcal
- 3Net: 2.5 × 81.6 × 1 = 204.1 kcal
About 285 kcal in total. A heavy squat and deadlift session (5.0 MET) would be about 410 kcal.
04 / Reference
Calories burned charts and tables
| Activity (Compendium code) | MET | 60 kg (132 lb) | 80 kg (176 lb) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight training, multiple exercises, 8-15 reps (02054) | 3.5 | 105 | 140 | 175 |
| Weight training, squats and deadlifts (02052) | 5.0 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Powerlifting or bodybuilding, vigorous (02050) | 6.0 | 180 | 240 | 300 |
| Circuit training, moderate (02035) | 5.0 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Walking, 2.8-3.4 mph (17190) | 3.8 | 114 | 152 | 190 |
| Walking, 3.5-3.9 mph, brisk (17200) | 4.8 | 144 | 192 | 240 |
| Running, 6.0-6.3 mph, 10 min/mile (12050) | 9.3 | 279 | 372 | 465 |
| Running, 8 mph, 7.5 min/mile (12090) | 12.0 | 360 | 480 | 600 |
| Elliptical trainer, moderate (02048) | 5.0 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Rowing machine, moderate, under 100 W (02071) | 5.0 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Stationary bike, general (01200) | 6.8 | 204 | 272 | 340 |
Gross calories (kcal), rounded. MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium, unchanged.
05 / Training
How to use your calories burned estimate
- Don’t eat it all back. Exercise estimates, from any calculator or watch, can be off by a lot. If you track food for weight loss, count only part of it, or leave exercise out and set your intake from your TDEE, which already includes how active you are.
- Use net calories to compare workouts. Net is what the session added on top of normal life. An hour of lifting adds a few hundred calories; most of a lifting session is rest between sets.
- Lifting earns its place for muscle, not the burn. Strength training helps keep muscle while you lose fat. Read strength training to lose weight: what matters.
- Walking is an easy way to add more. See how to get more out of your 3-mile walk and the case for NEAT. For calories at rest, use the BMR calculator.
06 / Limitations
Limitations and safety
MET values describe an average adult doing the activity at a typical effort. The Compendium’s authors say it was not built to give the exact energy cost for one person: age, sex, fitness, body composition and how hard you really worked all change it.
Weight training values cover the whole session including rest; a session of long rests burns less than one with short rests, and the calculator cannot tell the difference.
Hills, stairs, treadmill incline, wind and rough ground all raise the cost of walking and running. These rows are for level, firm surfaces.
This calculator gives an estimate for general fitness education. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are new to hard exercise, check with a doctor first.
07 / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does weight lifting burn?
About 3.5 to 6 MET, depending on how hard you work. For an 80 kg person that is roughly 280 to 480 kcal an hour: about 280 for a general session of 8-15 reps, 400 for heavy squats and deadlifts, and 480 for vigorous powerlifting or bodybuilding work.
How many calories does a 3-mile walk burn?
At an easy 3 mph (about an hour) a 70 kg person burns about 265 kcal in total, about 195 more than sitting. A brisk 3.5-3.9 mph walk burns a little more for the distance because the MET is higher, even though it takes less time.
What is a MET?
A MET (metabolic equivalent of task) compares an activity’s energy use with sitting quietly. 1 MET is about 1 kcal per kg of body weight per hour, so a 5 MET activity uses about five times as much energy as sitting.
Are fitness tracker calories more accurate?
Not always. Watches combine heart rate and movement with their own formulas, and studies often find their calorie numbers are less reliable than their step or heart-rate numbers. Treat every estimate, including this one, as a rough guide.
What is the difference between gross and net calories?
Gross is everything you burned during the activity. Net subtracts what you would have burned sitting still for the same time (1 MET), so it shows what the activity added.
Sources
- Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: a third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024;13(1):6-12.
- Compendium of Physical Activities: running activities and MET values.
- Compendium of Physical Activities: corrected METs and their limits for individuals.
- Shcherbina A, Mattsson CM, Waggott D, et al. Accuracy in wrist-worn, sensor-based measurements of heart rate and energy expenditure in a diverse cohort. J Pers Med. 2017;7(2):3.
Related tools
- TDEE CalculatorEstimate the calories you burn per day, then get a target for losing, keeping or gaining weight.
- BMR CalculatorEstimate the calories your body burns at rest with Mifflin-St Jeor, plus Harris-Benedict and your burn with exercise.
- Heart Rate Zone CalculatorWork out your five training zones by age, with the Karvonen (heart rate reserve) or % of max method.
From the blog
Exercises to try
- TreadmillBeginner cardio on the treadmill, for heart and lung fitness.
- EllipticalBeginner cardio on the elliptical machine, for heart and lung fitness.
- RowingBeginner cardio on the rowing machine, for heart and lung fitness.
- Stationary BikeBeginner cardio on the stationary bike, for heart and lung fitness.
- Barbell SquatsBeginner compound barbell exercise for the quadriceps, also working the glutes.
- Barbell DeadliftIntermediate compound barbell exercise for the hamstrings, also working the glutes, abs and calves.
Track the workouts and the food
GymStreak logs your workouts and meals and syncs with Apple Health and Health Connect.
