Lifestyle
Food & Nutrition
FitnessHow many calories you burn walking, running, cycling, and more.
This tool is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a healthcare professional about results that concern you.
How Calories Burned Are Calculated
This calculator uses MET values (metabolic equivalents) from the Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference database researchers use to quantify exercise. One MET is the energy you burn sitting quietly. An activity rated 8 METs burns eight times that. The formula is: METs x weight in kg x hours = calories burned.
Because body weight is in the equation, a heavier person burns more calories doing the exact same workout. That is also why the generic numbers on cardio machines, which often assume a 70 kg user, can be far off for you.
Calories Burned in 30 Minutes (70 kg / 155 lb person)
| Activity | Calories |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | about 150 |
| Cycling, moderate | about 280 |
| Running, 6 mph | about 345 |
| Swimming, freestyle | about 245 |
| HIIT workout | about 280 |
| Jump rope | about 385 |
| Yoga | about 90 |
| Weight lifting, moderate | about 120 |
Exercise is half of the energy picture. The other half is what you eat: check your daily budget with the calorie calculator, and use the heart rate zone calculator to control how hard those sessions actually are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which exercise burns the most calories?
Per minute: running fast, jump rope, and hard cycling top the list at 11 or more METs. Per week, the best exercise is the one you will repeat. Brisk walking done daily beats sprints done twice a month.
How many calories does 10,000 steps burn?
Roughly 300 to 500 depending on your weight and pace. It corresponds to about 7 to 8 km of walking spread across the day.
Does muscle burn calories at rest?
Yes. Each kilogram of muscle burns around 13 calories a day at rest versus about 4 for fat. The bigger benefit of strength training is what it lets you do: heavier training, more activity, better body composition.
Are fitness tracker calorie numbers accurate?
Studies find wrist trackers commonly off by 20 to 40 percent for calories, even when heart rate is accurate. Treat any calorie readout, including this one, as an estimate for planning rather than an exact measurement.
Sources
- 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities · PubMed Central (PMC), National Library of Medicine
- Physical activity · WHO
- Current Guidelines · Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (health.gov)
- Benefits of Exercise: MedlinePlus · MedlinePlus (NIH)
This calculator is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.