Calorie Burn Calculator (Exercise & MET)

MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. One MET equals the energy you use at complete rest — roughly 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. An activity rated at 8 METs uses energy at 8x your resting rate. MET values are published in the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011), the standard reference used in exercise science.

The standard formula is: Calories = MET x weight (kg) x time (hours). For example, brisk walking (5.0 MET) for a 70 kg person for 30 minutes = 5.0 x 70 x 0.5 = 175 kcal. The calculator does the unit conversions and shows per-minute and per-hour rates as well.

Calorie burn scales linearly with MET, and MET scales steeply with intensity. Walking at 2 mph (2.8 MET) burns roughly 40 percent of what brisk walking at 4.5 mph (7.0 MET) burns over the same time. Running 10 mph is about 80 percent more efficient per minute than jogging 5 mph. That is why the intensity comparison table is useful when planning a workout.

MET-based estimates are good population averages but can vary by 10 to 30 percent for any given person. Actual burn depends on fitness level, body composition, age, ambient temperature, terrain, and efficiency of movement. Treat the numbers as ballpark targets, not precision measurements. For research-grade accuracy, indirect calorimetry or doubly labeled water are the gold standards.

The MET formula technically includes resting metabolism (1 MET is rest). For practical exercise planning, most people treat the result as 'extra' calories burned beyond what they would have used sitting still. The difference is small — about 1 kcal per kg of body weight per hour — and is usually ignored unless you are doing precise energy-balance work.