Calories Burned by Activity Calculator
See how many calories you burn walking, running, cycling, swimming or at the gym from your weight and time. 121 activities, 2024 MET values, net calories shown.
Results
Assumptions and formula
Gross calories = MET × 3.5 × weight in kg × minutes ÷ 200. Net calories subtract the resting share (1 MET). The 2024 Adult Compendium values are population estimates for ages 19–59; terrain, technique and individual metabolism affect real expenditure. For ages 60 and over the 2024 Older Adult Compendium is used instead: MET 60+ × 2.7 × weight in kg × minutes ÷ 200, because resting energy use is lower in older adults.
Gross includes resting energy. Do not add it to a TDEE that already includes the activity. This is not a food-intake target.
Worked example
At 70 kg, 30 minutes walking at 2.8–3.4 mph (3.8 MET) gives 139.65 gross kcal, including 36.75 resting kcal, or 102.9 net kcal.
Calories burned in 30 minutes by activity and weight
Estimated calories burned in 30 minutes, from the activity's MET value in the Compendium of Physical Activities and the standard formula the calculator uses: MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg × minutes ÷ 200.
| Activity | 60 kg (132 lb) | 80 kg (176 lb) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking, 2.8–3.4 mph (3.8 MET) | 120 | 160 | 200 |
| Running, 6–6.3 mph (9.3 MET) | 293 | 391 | 488 |
| Cycling, 12–13.9 mph (8 MET) | 252 | 336 | 420 |
| Swimming laps, freestyle, slow (5.8 MET) | 183 | 244 | 305 |
| Weight lifting, vigorous (6 MET) | 189 | 252 | 315 |
These are gross figures: they include the calories you would have burned anyway at rest in that half hour. The calculator also shows the net figure, which is the extra burned by the activity and the better number for weight planning.
MET values describe an average person doing the activity at a typical effort. Fitness, terrain, technique and how hard you actually work can move the real figure a long way, and fitness trackers are often off by a similar amount. Use the estimate to compare activities rather than to count calories precisely.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does walking burn?
At a brisk 5.6 km/h (3.5 mph) walking is about 4.3 METs, so a 70 kg person burns roughly 300 calories an hour gross, or about 230 net once resting metabolism is taken out. Slower strolling is closer to 3 METs, uphill or with a load rises quickly, and body weight scales the figure directly: a 90 kg walker burns about 30% more than a 70 kg one at the same pace. Running at 9.7 km/h (6 mph) is about 9.8 METs, so the same person burns more than double per hour, though not per kilometre. This calculator uses those Compendium values and shows the MET it applied. That is the calories burned walking calculator part of this page; running and cycling use the same method with their own MET values. As an exercise calorie calculator it covers the three activities most people log: the calories burned running at a set pace, the calories burned cycling at a set speed, and walking at anything from a stroll to a march.
Are these active calories?
Net calories are the estimate above resting energy. Gross calories include both exercise and the resting energy you would have used during that time.
How accurate are MET estimates?
They describe average activity costs. Your actual expenditure varies with fitness, terrain, technique and other factors; a precise-looking number is still an estimate.
Does it work if I am over 60?
Yes. From age 60, choose an activity from the "Ages 60 and over" list. Those values come from the 2024 Older Adult Compendium, which measured older adults directly and uses a lower resting baseline (2.7 instead of 3.5 ml of oxygen per kg per minute). For a 70 kg adult of 65 walking at 2.8–3.2 mph for 30 minutes, that gives about 150 kcal gross.
How many calories do swimming, the gym and sports burn?
For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult over one hour, gross: slow freestyle laps (5.8 MET) about 426 kcal, a moderate elliptical session (5.0 MET) about 368 kcal, weight training with several exercises (3.5 MET) about 257 kcal, casual soccer (7.0 MET) about 515 kcal, and general yoga (2.3 MET) about 169 kcal. Pick the activity above for your own weight and time; each MET is the 2024 Compendium value.
Sources
Sources reviewed 15 September 2026: checked against their current editions on that date.
- https://pacompendium.com/walking/
- https://pacompendium.com/bicycling/
- https://pacompendium.com/running/
- https://pacompendium.com/water-activities/
- https://pacompendium.com/conditioning-exercise/
- https://pacompendium.com/sports/
- https://pacompendium.com/home-activities/
- https://pacompendium.com/lawn-garden/
- https://pacompendium.com/dancing/
- https://pacompendium.com/older-adult-compendium/
This page is an educational estimate and is not medical advice. Follow individual guidance from your clinician.