Calories burned calculator

Each activity has an average intensity expressed by a so-called 'MET' value, representing energy spent relative to rest. Expenditure is computed from this intensity, your body weight and the time spent. The heavier you are and the more intense the activity, the more you burn.

These figures remain averages: your real expenditure depends on your effort, fitness and many individual factors. Take the result as a ballpark, not a precise measurement.

For a ballpark, here is one hour of activity for a 75 kg person: about 375 kcal weight training, 735 kcal running, 563 kcal cycling, 750 kcal HIIT and 263 kcal brisk walking. Double the weight or the duration and expenditure roughly follows the same proportion.

This is why a typical weight session burns less than sustained cardio of the same length: the average intensity is lower, broken up by rest periods. The tool above applies these values to your real weight and duration.

If you follow a cutting or bulking goal, it is best NOT to "eat back" all the calories burned in exercise: estimates are loose, and many trackers (watches, apps) overstate them. The reliable method is to set your target calories with the calorie calculator, then treat your exercise burn as a safety margin.

In other words, use this tool to understand where your energy goes, not to justify an extra meal after every session. It is the weekly total that matters, not the burn of a single workout.

Beyond the calories burned during the effort itself, some intense activities extend expenditure after the session: this is EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), sometimes called the 'afterburn.' A HIIT session or heavy weight training can raise metabolism for several hours, while a gentle walk has almost no residual effect.

This effect stays modest in absolute terms — a few dozen kilocalories at most over the day — but it explains why two activities showing the same 'live' calorie count do not have strictly the same impact on your total daily expenditure. The tool above does not include EPOC: treat it as a small bonus, not a lever on its own.

Not all activities are equal for the same duration: swimming and indoor cycling often burn more than walking, while yoga or stretching stay close to resting metabolism. The MET table lets you objectively compare two activities, even very different ones in nature.

This comparison is useful for varying your sessions without losing expenditure: swapping a run for a cycling session of comparable intensity gives a similar calorie result while sparing your joints. It's a good planning tool, especially during injury or recovery periods.

Training in cold or heat requires a small extra amount of energy to regulate body temperature, but this effect stays marginal compared with the intensity and duration of the activity. Don't count on temperature alone as a lever to raise your expenditure: the decisive variable is always the effort itself and its real duration.

Adding weight during training, such as a weighted vest or a backpack, slightly raises the energy cost of movement, roughly proportional to the added weight. This effect stays modest compared with raising intensity or duration, but remains a useful option for varying your physical challenges without changing the activity itself.