Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate calories burned for walking, running, cycling, swimming, and more.
How We Calculate This
We estimate calories burned using MET values (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities — a standardized reference researchers use to compare the energy cost of different activities. One MET is roughly the energy you burn just sitting still; an activity at 8 METs burns about 8 times that.
Calories = MET × your weight in kg × duration in hours.
MET values are population averages measured under controlled conditions — your actual burn varies with fitness level, effort, terrain, and individual body composition, so treat this as a solid estimate rather than a precise measurement. Two people doing the "cycling, general" activity at 7.5 METs won't necessarily burn the same number of calories in real life: a trained cyclist moving efficiently at a given pace typically burns somewhat less than the MET value predicts, while a beginner working harder to sustain that same pace can burn more — the MET value assumes an average level of efficiency that doesn't hold for everyone. Walking is included here for comparison, but if walking is your main activity, our Walking Calorie Calculator uses a more precise walking-specific formula instead of a general MET lookup.
Read the original study →