How are calories burned during exercise calculated?

The standard (ACSM) estimate uses MET values: calories = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes. A MET is a multiple of your resting energy use. Running at about 9.8 METs for 30 minutes at 70 kg burns 9.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 ≈ 360 calories. The heavier you are and the longer or harder you exercise, the more you burn, because each factor multiplies into the result.

A MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) measures an activity's intensity as a multiple of resting metabolism — 1 MET is sitting quietly. Brisk walking is about 3.8 METs, moderate cycling about 7.5, swimming about 8, and running roughly 9.8. A 10-MET activity burns about ten times the calories of resting for the same time. Published MET tables provide values for hundreds of activities.

Why does body weight matter?

Because moving a heavier body requires more energy, the formula multiplies the MET by your weight in kilograms. So for the same activity and duration, a 90 kg person burns more than a 60 kg person. This is why two people doing the identical workout can burn quite different amounts — the calorie figure scales directly with body mass.

How accurate is the estimate?

MET-based figures are population averages and can be off for any individual, because fitness, exercise intensity, technique, terrain and metabolism all vary. They are good for comparing activities and rough planning, but a chest-strap heart-rate monitor or lab test gives a more personalised number. Treat the result as an estimate, not an exact measurement.

Does this include my resting calories?

The MET formula gives gross calories for the activity period, which already includes the resting energy you would have used anyway (1 MET). To get the 'net' extra calories from exercising rather than resting, subtract that baseline — roughly (MET − 1) × weight × hours. For most fitness purposes the gross figure shown here is what people mean by 'calories burned'.

Calories Burned Calculator — exercise calories by activity

Activity	MET	Calories
Brisk walking	3.8	140
Cycling (moderate)	7.5	276
Swimming	8.0	294
Running	9.8	360

The standard way to estimate calories burned in exercise uses METs — an activity's intensity as a multiple of resting metabolism. The formula is the ACSM standard calories = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes (the 3.5 is resting oxygen use in ml/kg/min; ÷200 converts oxygen to calories). So a more intense activity (higher MET), a heavier body, or a longer session all increase the burn, each as a direct multiplier. Published MET tables cover hundreds of activities, from yoga (~2.5) to running (~9.8) to jumping rope (~11). It's an estimate — handy for comparing workouts and planning, not an exact measurement.

Reviewed: June 20, 2026 · Author: Naveen P N, Founder — AI Calculator · Verified against: the MET energy-expenditure formula. Not medical advice.

The calories-burned equation

Calories (gross)

calories = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes

Per minute

cal/min = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200

Net (above resting)

net = (MET − 1) × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes

A MET of 1 is resting; an activity rated at, say, 8 METs uses roughly eight times that energy. One MET is about 3.5 ml of oxygen per kg per minute, and dividing by 200 converts that oxygen uptake into calories — this is the ACSM standard used by our MET calculator too. Multiplying by weight accounts for the cost of moving your body, and by minutes for how long you do it. The gross figure includes the resting calories you'd burn anyway; subtracting 1 MET gives the extra (net) calories from exercising rather than resting.

Worked example — a 30-minute run

Scenario: running (9.8 METs), 70 kg, for 30 minutes.

Calories (gross)

9.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 ≈ 360 calories

Rate

9.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 ≈ 12.0 cal/min · a full hour ≈ 720

Net (above resting)

(9.8 − 1) × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 ≈ 323 calories

The run burns about 360 calories gross — roughly 12.0 per minute, or 720 if continued for a full hour — of which about 323 are net, i.e. above what you'd have burned resting. Swap the activity and the figure scales with the MET: at the same 70 kg and 30 minutes, brisk walking (3.8) burns about 140, cycling (7.5) about 276, and swimming (8.0) about 294. Change the weight too and it shifts again — a 90 kg runner would burn about 463 in the same half hour, since the calorie total scales directly with body mass.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How are exercise calories found?⌄

calories = MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200 × minutes. Running 9.8 MET, 70 kg, 30 min → 360.

What is a MET?⌄

Intensity vs resting. Walking ≈ 3.8, cycling ≈ 7.5, running ≈ 9.8, jump rope ≈ 11.

Why does weight matter?⌄

Heavier bodies use more energy to move, so calories scale with kg. 90 kg burns more than 60 kg.

How accurate is it?⌄

A population average. Fitness, intensity and form vary; a heart-rate monitor is more personal.

Gross or net calories?⌄

Gross (includes resting). Net extra ≈ (MET − 1) × kg × hours.

Calories Burned Calculator

Calories burned — Quick answer