Exercise Calorie Calculator

1. Choose pounds or kilograms and enter your body weight.
2. Pick the activity closest to what you did. Each option shows its MET value and its 5-digit Compendium code. For anything not listed, choose Custom MET value and type the number.
3. Enter the active minutes. The calories, the intensity band and the walking equivalent update as you type.

An exercise calorie calculator estimates how many kilocalories a physical activity uses. It relies on the MET, or metabolic equivalent of task: a multiple of the energy you use sitting quietly. One MET is about 1 kcal per kilogram per hour, or an oxygen use of 3.5 ml per kilogram per minute.

The MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Researchers first built it in 1989 to standardise intensity values in physical activity questionnaires, and published updates in 1993, 2000, 2011 and 2024. Every activity has a 5-digit code: the first 2 digits name the category and the last 3 name the specific activity. Code 12050 is running at 6 to 6.3 mph, and 17200 is brisk walking at 3.5 to 3.9 mph.

The calculator helps people who log workouts, plan an energy budget or compare activities. It is not a fitness tracker. It does not read your heart rate, and it cannot see how hard you actually worked. For your full daily energy needs, use the calorie calculator.

The calculator converts the MET value to kilocalories per minute for your body weight, then multiplies by the minutes you entered.

1. Oxygen use. MET x 3.5 gives oxygen use in ml per kilogram per minute. Running at 9.3 METs is 32.55 ml/kg/min.
2. Body weight. Multiplying by kilograms gives total oxygen per minute. Heavier people use more energy for the same activity.
3. Energy. Dividing by 200 converts ml of oxygen per minute into kcal per minute, since 1 litre of oxygen releases about 5 kcal.
4. Time. Multiply by minutes for the session total. The net figure subtracts 1 MET, the energy you would use at rest anyway.

A person who weighs 150 lb runs at 6 mph (10 minutes per mile) for 30 minutes. The Compendium lists this as code 12050 at 9.3 METs.

Weight: 150 x 0.45359237 = 68.04 kg. Per minute: 9.3 x 3.5 x 68.04 / 200 = 11.07 kcal/min. Total: 11.07 x 30 = 332 kcal, about 664 kcal per hour.

Net above rest: (9.3 - 1) x 3.5 x 68.04 / 200 x 30 = 296 kcal. About 36 kcal of the total would have been used sitting still.

Meaning: 9.3 METs is vigorous intensity on the CDC scale. The same 332 kcal takes about 58 minutes of brisk walking at 4.8 METs, or roughly 2 hours of Hatha yoga at 2.3 METs.

The MET formula gives an average for a typical adult, so several factors move your real number up or down.

Body Weight

Energy scales directly with kilograms. At the same pace, a 90 kg runner burns about 32 percent more than a 68 kg runner.

Speed, Grade and Effort

The Compendium lists separate codes for each speed band. Walking at 2.5 mph is 3.0 METs, while 4.0 to 4.4 mph is 5.5 METs. Hills raise the cost further.

Personal Resting Rate

The Compendium fixes 1 MET at 3.5 ml/kg/min. Its authors note that many people rest below that value, and they publish a corrected-MET method that adjusts for age, height, weight and sex.

Active Time

Only count moving minutes. A 60-minute weight session with long rests between sets has far fewer active minutes than 60.

The table uses a 150 lb (68 kg) person and the 2024 Compendium values. Pick your own weight in the tool to scale it.

To turn these numbers into kilojoules for a food label, use the calories to kJ converter.

Planning a Weight Goal

Add a realistic weekly exercise total to your plan in the weight loss calculator rather than guessing a big number.

Choosing Between Workouts

Compare the per-hour figures when time is short. Rope jumping at 11.8 METs burns about 2.5 times as much per minute as brisk walking at 4.8 METs.

Checking a Device Reading

A watch or machine display that is far above the MET estimate for the same activity is worth a second look. Use the result as a cross-check, not proof.

1. Picking a Faster Speed than You Held

Choosing 7 mph when you averaged 6 mph adds about 18 percent to the estimate.

2. Counting Rest Time

Enter active minutes only. Standing between sets or waiting at traffic lights burns far less than the activity itself.

3. Using Total Instead of Net Calories for Food

The total includes energy you would use at rest. The net figure is the extra the workout added.

4. Entering Pounds with the Kilogram Setting

This inflates the result by a factor of 2.2. Check the weight unit menu.

5. Treating the Number as Exact

The Compendium was not built to give the precise cost of an activity for one person, so treat results as estimates.

The estimate is exact to the Compendium formula, but the formula describes an average adult, so your true burn can be higher or lower.

A MET is the energy you use sitting quietly. The Compendium defines 1 MET as about 1 kcal per kilogram per hour, or 3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram per minute.

For a 150 lb person at 3 mph (3.8 METs), a mile takes 20 minutes and burns about 90 kcal. Faster walking burns more per minute but takes fewer minutes.

The formula multiplies by body weight, because moving a larger body takes more energy. At the same MET value, 90 kg burns 50 percent more than 60 kg.

They are Compendium codes. The first 2 digits give the category, such as 12 for running, and the last 3 give the specific activity and speed.

Nearly. MET x kg x hours assumes exactly 1 kcal per kg per hour. MET x 3.5 x kg / 200 per minute gives 1.05 kcal per kg per hour, about 5 percent more.

They are population averages. The Compendium authors state it was not developed to find the precise energy cost of an activity for one person.

Search the official Compendium site for its MET value, choose Custom MET value and type the number.

Use the net figure, not the total, if you track food. Estimates can run high, so many people count only part of it.

It is built on the Adult Compendium, so it is not meant for children. The Compendium site publishes separate Older Adult and Wheelchair Compendiums with their own values.

No. Everything runs in your browser. The Save button keeps a result only in this browser.

• Compendium of Physical Activities: MET definition, codes and the 2024 Adult Compendium (Compendium of Physical Activities research team).
• 2024 Adult Compendium activity categories and MET tables (Compendium of Physical Activities).
• Unit conversions: METs to kcal/min = MET x 3.5 x kg / 200 (Compendium of Physical Activities).
• Corrected METs for adults and the limits of standard METs (Compendium of Physical Activities).
• How to Measure Physical Activity Intensity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).