Calorie Burn Calculator
Pick an activity, enter your weight and how long you did it, and see the calories you burned, in total and above what you would burn at rest. Values come from the 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities.
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- Updated 16 October 2026
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Calories burned in 30 minutes
Total calories for 30 minutes at each body weight, from the Compendium values. Heavier bodies burn more for the same activity, because they move more mass.
| Activity | 55 kg (121 lb) | 70 kg (154 lb) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walking, average pace | 105 cal | 135 cal | 160 cal | 190 cal |
| Walking, brisk | 130 cal | 170 cal | 205 cal | 240 cal |
| Hiking | 145 cal | 185 cal | 225 cal | 265 cal |
| Running, 10 min per mile | 255 cal | 325 cal | 395 cal | 465 cal |
| Running, 8 min per mile | 325 cal | 415 cal | 500 cal | 590 cal |
| Cycling, moderate | 190 cal | 245 cal | 300 cal | 350 cal |
| Spin class | 250 cal | 315 cal | 380 cal | 450 cal |
| Elliptical, moderate | 140 cal | 175 cal | 210 cal | 250 cal |
| Rowing machine, moderate | 140 cal | 175 cal | 210 cal | 250 cal |
| Stair climber | 255 cal | 325 cal | 395 cal | 465 cal |
| Swimming laps, easy | 160 cal | 205 cal | 245 cal | 290 cal |
| Weight lifting | 95 cal | 120 cal | 150 cal | 175 cal |
| Weight lifting, hard | 165 cal | 210 cal | 255 cal | 300 cal |
| HIIT, hard | 300 cal | 385 cal | 470 cal | 550 cal |
| Jump rope | 300 cal | 385 cal | 470 cal | 550 cal |
| Yoga | 65 cal | 80 cal | 100 cal | 115 cal |
| Pilates | 75 cal | 100 cal | 120 cal | 140 cal |
| Zumba class | 180 cal | 230 cal | 275 cal | 325 cal |
| Tennis | 185 cal | 240 cal | 290 cal | 340 cal |
| Basketball | 205 cal | 260 cal | 320 cal | 375 cal |
These are totals, including the calories you would burn sitting still. For what the workout adds, take off about 1 calorie per kg per hour: about 35 calories in 30 minutes at 70 kg.
What a MET is
A MET (metabolic equivalent) compares an activity with sitting at rest. Resting is 1 MET; an activity at 5 METs uses about five times as much energy. Scientists measure these values in the lab and collect them in the Compendium of Physical Activities, last updated in 2024.
One MET is roughly 1 calorie per kg of body weight per hour, so the maths is simple: METs x weight in kg x hours.
Getting a closer number
- Pick the effort you really did: an easy spin and a hard one can differ by half.
- Count only the time you were moving, not rests between sets or chatting at the net.
- Two people doing the same activity can burn different amounts: technique, fitness and how hard you push all change it.
- Heat, hills, wind and carrying a load all add to the number.
Do not eat it all back
Every calorie estimate, this one or your watch's, is only an estimate: our range is plus or minus 20%. If you are losing weight, a safer habit is to eat back no more than about half of an unusually long workout, and to judge by your weekly weight trend.
How we got it
Calories = METs x weight in kg x hours. A MET is a multiple of the energy you use at rest, about 1 calorie per kg per hour, and each activity's value comes from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. The total includes what you would burn at rest anyway; above resting takes 1 MET off. The plus or minus 20% band is our own: fitness, skill, heat and how hard you push all move the real number.
Updated . Sources: Herrmann and others, 2024, Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.
The evidence
Every recommendation on this page links here. The badge shows what kind of source it is, so you can judge how strong it is.
- Official data
Gives each activity an energy cost in METs, a multiple of the energy you use at rest (1 MET is about 1 calorie per kg of body weight per hour). Values used here include 3.8 for walking at a moderate pace, 9.3 for running at 10 minutes a mile, 7.0 for cycling at a moderate pace, 5.0 for a moderate elliptical session, 3.5 for weight training with 8 to 15 reps and 2.3 for yoga.
Herrmann et al., 2024, Journal of Sport and Health Science (2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities): 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities
- Guideline
For weight loss and preventing gain, benefits are clearest from at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity and rise with the dose; light activity such as walking can work if it adds up to enough energy, and no single type of activity is best.
Jakicic et al., 2024, ACSM Consensus Statement, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: Physical Activity and Excess Body Weight and Adiposity for Adults. American College of Sports Medicine Consensus Statement
- Guideline
Adults should do muscle-strengthening activity for all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, plus 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity. They should limit sitting time, but the evidence was not enough to set a limit. Any amount of activity is better than none.
Bull et al., 2020, British Journal of Sports Medicine (WHO 2020 guidelines): World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour
Our own rules of thumb
These are our choices, not findings from a study. We list them so you know which parts are judgement calls.
- The range is plus or minus 20%.
- For each choice we picked one entry from the Compendium; the same activity done harder or easier burns more or less.
- Above resting takes 1 MET off, the energy you would have burned anyway.
- Eating back about half of an unusually long workout.
Questions
How many calories do I burn in a workout?
Multiply the activity's MET value by your weight in kg and the hours you spent. A 70 kg person burns about 325 calories in 30 minutes of running at 10 minutes a mile, about 175 on a moderate elliptical and about 120 lifting weights.
Why is my watch number different?
Watches estimate from your heart rate and movement, and many show the total including resting calories. Both are estimates. Compare the same kind of number from day to day rather than mixing them.
Which exercise burns the most calories?
Per minute, hard efforts like running fast, HIIT, jump rope and spin classes. But the best one for weight is the one you will keep doing most weeks, and strength training keeps muscle while you lose.
How many calories does lifting weights burn in an hour?
For a 70 kg person, about 245 calories for a typical session of 8 to 15 reps, and about 420 for hard powerlifting or bodybuilding work. Rest between sets lowers the real number.
How many calories does running a mile burn?
About 1 calorie per kg of body weight per kilometre in total, so roughly 110 calories a mile at 70 kg and 155 at 100 kg. Speed changes this little: running faster mostly burns the same calories in less time.
Does the elliptical burn more than walking?
A moderate elliptical session (5.0 METs) burns about a third more than walking at an average pace (3.8 METs), and a hard elliptical session more than twice as much.
How many calories does yoga burn?
About 80 calories in 30 minutes for a 70 kg person in a general class, and about 140 in power yoga. Its main benefits are strength, balance and flexibility rather than calories.
How long do I need to exercise to burn 500 calories?
For a 70 kg person, about 45 minutes of running at 10 minutes a mile, about an hour of moderate cycling or about 90 minutes of brisk walking.
How many calories does a stair climber burn?
About 325 calories in 30 minutes for a 70 kg person and about 465 at 100 kg (9.3 METs in the Compendium).
How many calories does running 3 miles burn?
About 325 calories in total for a 70 kg person and about 465 at 100 kg, at any steady pace.
How many calories does jumping rope burn?
About 130 calories in 10 minutes for a 70 kg person (11 METs), and about 385 in 30 minutes.
How do I calculate calories burned?
Multiply the MET value by your weight in kg and the hours: running at 10 minutes a mile (9.3 METs) for 45 minutes at 80 kg is 9.3 x 80 x 0.75, about 560 calories in total.
Turn this number into a plan
The free bodymaths app keeps your numbers, plans your training and meals around them, and adjusts as you log.
- A dated forecast that updates as you log
- Workouts and meals built around your numbers
- Private: your data stays on your device
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