Calculate calories burned during exercise and physical activities.
A calorie burn calculator estimates the calories burned during physical activity based on your weight, activity type, and duration. Since muscle mass, fitness level, and individual metabolism vary, these are estimates — but they provide a useful guide for weight management and fitness planning. Our exercise calorie calculator covers dozens of common activities.
Calorie burn is estimated using MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) values: Calories = MET × Weight (kg) × Time (hours). MET values represent energy expenditure relative to rest. Sitting = 1.0 MET. Brisk walking = 3.5 MET. Running at 8 km/h = 8.0 MET. Swimming = 6.0 MET. Cycling at 20 km/h = 8.0 MET.
For a 70kg person: Walking 30 minutes (5 km/h) ≈ 147 calories. Running 30 minutes (10 km/h) ≈ 336 calories. Cycling 30 minutes (moderate) ≈ 252 calories. Swimming 30 minutes ≈ 252 calories. Yoga 30 minutes ≈ 126 calories. HIIT 30 minutes ≈ 336-420 calories. Strength training 30 minutes ≈ 168-210 calories.
The best exercise for weight loss is the one you enjoy and will do consistently. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) burns more calories per minute than steady-state cardio and continues burning calories for hours after exercise (EPOC effect). Strength training builds muscle, which increases your resting calorie burn permanently. Combining both gives the best long-term fat loss results.
A 30-minute run burns approximately 300 calories — the equivalent of just one large samosa or a small piece of cake. Diet is responsible for 70-80% of weight loss results while exercise accounts for 20-30%. Exercise is crucial for health, fitness, and maintaining weight loss, but for initial weight loss, dietary changes create the calorie deficit far more efficiently than exercise alone.
Calorie burn estimates for exercise are based on MET values (Metabolic Equivalent of Task), a standardized measure of how many times more energy an activity requires compared to resting, combined with body weight and duration, since heavier bodies generally burn more calories performing the same activity due to the greater energy required to move more mass. A 180-pound person burns meaningfully more calories running the same distance at the same pace as a 130-pound person, purely due to this weight difference.
These calculations are estimates rather than precise measurements, since actual calorie burn is influenced by individual fitness level, exercise intensity, terrain, and even ambient temperature, all factors a standardized MET-based formula can't fully capture. Fitness trackers using heart rate data can offer more personalized estimates than static tables, though even these carry their own margin of error compared to laboratory-grade metabolic testing.
Different calorie tracking apps and fitness devices often produce noticeably different calorie burn estimates for the exact same activity and duration, since each uses its own underlying formula, data sources, and assumptions about individual fitness level. Rather than treating any single number as precisely accurate, these estimates are most useful for tracking relative trends over time — whether calorie burn from a consistent workout routine is increasing or decreasing — rather than as an exact daily figure.
Intense exercise creates an "afterburn" effect called Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), where the body continues burning calories at an elevated rate for hours after a workout ends as it restores oxygen levels, clears lactate, and repairs muscle tissue. Higher-intensity workouts, particularly interval training, tend to produce a larger EPOC effect than steady, low-intensity exercise, meaning the total calorie impact of a workout extends well beyond the calories burned during the session itself.
Your daily calorie burn depends on your BMR (base metabolism) plus activity level. An average adult burns 1,800 to 2,500 calories per day.
High-intensity activities like running, swimming, cycling, and HIIT burn the most calories. Running at 8 km/h burns about 600 calories per hour.
Yes! Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. Building muscle through strength training increases your resting metabolic rate.
To lose 1 kg of fat, you need to create a calorie deficit of approximately 7,700 calories through diet, exercise, or a combination of both.
