Health & Fitness
Calories Burned Calculator
Plan a warm-up, a run, and strength work as one session, with treadmill grade handled by exercise-physiology formulas instead of flat estimates.
Per-segment breakdown
| Segment | Minutes | Eff. MET | Calories |
|---|
Estimates only. Actual burn varies with fitness, body composition, and conditions. Not medical advice.
How it works
Behind the numbers
Every activity has a MET value, a multiple of the energy you use sitting still, taken from the Compendium of Physical Activities. The calculator applies the standard formula, MET x 3.5 x your weight in kilograms / 200, to get calories per minute, then multiplies by the minutes you enter. That is the number shown for cycling, swimming, strength training, yoga, and HIIT.
Walking and running get special treatment because pace and slope change the cost so much. For those segments you enter speed in mph and grade as a treadmill-style percent, and the calculator uses the ACSM metabolic equations: walking VO2 = 3.5 + 0.1 x speed + 1.8 x speed x grade, running VO2 = 3.5 + 0.2 x speed + 0.9 x speed x grade. The resulting oxygen cost converts to calories at about 5 kcal per liter of oxygen, which works out to VO2 x weight / 200 per minute. The breakdown table shows the effective MET each pace-and-grade combination produces.
If you enter your TDEE, the calculator shows the session as a percentage of your full day's burn, which keeps a 250 kcal workout in perspective against a 2,400 kcal day. TDEE is optional; leave it blank and that row simply stays hidden. If you do not know yours, the BMR calculator on this site estimates it from age, sex, height, weight, and activity level.
FAQ
Questions, answered
How accurate is a calories burned calculator?
Within roughly 10-15% for steady activities like cycling or flat running, and less precise for intervals and strength work where effort varies. The estimates here come from the Compendium of Physical Activities and the ACSM equations, the same references researchers use. Fitness trackers and gym machines tend to overestimate by more, so treat their numbers as the optimistic end of the range.
How many calories does running burn per minute?
It depends on pace, grade, and weight. By the ACSM running equation, a 70 kg runner at 6 mph on flat ground burns about 12.5 kcal per minute, so 20 minutes is roughly 250 kcal. Add a 5% grade at the same pace and it rises to about 15 kcal per minute.
Does walking uphill burn more calories?
Yes, noticeably. At 3 mph, a 70 kg walker burns about 4.0 kcal per minute on flat ground; at a 10% grade the ACSM walking equation puts it at about 9.1 kcal per minute, more than double. That is why incline walking is a popular low-impact way to raise burn without running.
What is a MET?
A metabolic equivalent of task: 1 MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, and an 8 MET activity uses eight times that. Each MET equals 3.5 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram per minute, and since a liter of oxygen yields about 5 kcal, the per-minute burn is MET x 3.5 x weight in kg / 200. This calculator's values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities.