What is a MET and how does the calculation work?

A MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) is the ratio of an activity's energy cost to resting energy use; 1 MET ≈ 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg per minute. The calorie formula from the Compendium of Physical Activities is: kcal per minute = (MET × 3.5 × body mass in kg) ÷ 200, multiplied by the minutes you exercised.

How accurate are the calorie numbers?

They are population estimates. MET values are averages, and your real burn depends on intensity, fitness, terrain and individual metabolism, so treat the result as a useful guide rather than an exact measurement.

Is my information sent anywhere?

No. Your weight, activity choice and duration are processed only in your browser. Nothing is stored or transmitted.

Does body weight affect how many calories I burn?

Yes. Calorie burn scales directly with body mass in this formula, so a heavier person burns more calories doing the same activity for the same length of time.

Which activities burn the most calories?

High-MET activities burn the most. In this tool, jumping rope and running at 12 km/h (MET 11.8) top the list, followed by vigorous cycling and lap swimming, while yoga (MET 2.5) and slow walking (MET 2.8) are at the low end.

How many calories does a 30-minute brisk walk burn?

For a 70 kg person, brisk walking at 5.5 km/h is MET 4.3, giving about 5.3 kcal/min, or roughly 158 calories over 30 minutes. Lighter or heavier people burn proportionally less or more.

Should I subtract my resting calories from the result?

For most fitness tracking the gross figure is fine. Strictly, since 1 MET is your resting rate, the calories above rest are slightly lower, but the standard Compendium formula reports gross expenditure, which is what this tool shows.

Calorie Burn by Activity Calculator

This calculator estimates how many calories you burn doing almost any activity — walking, running, cycling, swimming, weight training, sports, housework and more. Each activity carries a standard MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value drawn from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Enter your body weight and how long you exercised, and you get the total calories burned plus per-minute and per-hour rates.

How it works

A MET expresses how intense an activity is relative to sitting still: 1 MET ≈ 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram per minute. The tool uses the Compendium energy-expenditure formula:

kcal per minute = (MET × 3.5 × body mass in kg) ÷ 200

The total is that rate multiplied by your minutes of activity. Weight entered in pounds is converted to kilograms first (× 0.45359237). Because the formula scales with body mass, a heavier person burns more calories for the same activity and duration.

Example

A 70 kg person runs at 10 km/h (MET 9.8) for 30 minutes:

Step	Calculation	Result
Per minute	(9.8 × 3.5 × 70) ÷ 200	12.0 kcal/min
Total (30 min)	12.0 × 30	~360 kcal
Per hour	12.0 × 60	~721 kcal/hour

So that half-hour run burns roughly 360 calories.

These are population estimates and individual results vary with fitness, terrain and intensity. Everything runs locally in your browser — your details are never uploaded.