Calorie Burn Calculator
Calculate the exact calories burned during physical activities, workouts, and sports based on Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) values and your body weight.
Haftungsausschluss: Dieses Tool dient Bildungszwecken und stellt keine medizinische Beratung oder Diagnose dar.
→ Erfahren Sie mehr über unsere Formelprüfungen in unserem Leitfaden zur Methodik.
Wie es funktioniert
Formel
Calories Burned (kcal) = MET × Weight (kg) × Duration (hours) Praxisbeispiel
Running at 10 km/h (MET 9.8) for 45 minutes at a body weight of 70 kg burns approximately 515 kcal, equivalent to burning off 1.8 slices of pepperoni pizza.
Estimating Exercise Energy Expenditure via METs
Accurately gauging the caloric cost of physical exercise is essential for athletes adjusting recovery nutrition, individuals managing body weight, and clinicians designing cardiovascular rehabilitation protocols.
Rather than relying on proprietary wearable algorithms, sports physiologists utilize the Compendium of Physical Activities, an authoritative research registry curated by Dr. Barbara Ainsworth that catalogs the metabolic demand of hundreds of specific physical tasks.
The Physiology of METs
The Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) standardizes the energy cost of activities relative to baseline resting metabolism:
$$1.0\text{ MET} = 1\text{ kcal} / (\text{kg of body mass} \times \text{hour of activity})$$
Physiologically, $1\text{ MET}$ corresponds to an oxygen uptake ($\text{VO}_2$) of approximately $3.5\text{ ml } \text{O}_2 \cdot \text{kg}^{-1} \cdot \text{min}^{-1}$ at quiet rest.
The Core Calculation Equation:
$$\text{Total Caloric Burn (kcal)} = \text{MET} \times \text{Body Weight (kg)} \times \text{Duration (hours)}$$
$$\text{Hourly Burn Rate (kcal/h)} = \text{MET} \times \text{Body Weight (kg)}$$
Standard Benchmark MET Values
| Physical Activity | Intensity / Description | Reference MET |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate Walking | $4.8\text{ km/h}$ ($3.0\text{ mph}$) on flat terrain | $3.5$ |
| Brisk Walking | $5.6\text{ km/h}$ ($3.5\text{ mph}$) | $4.3$ |
| Jogging | Gentle aerobic pace, $\sim 7\text{ km/h}$ | $7.0$ |
| Running (10 km/h) | $6.0\text{ mph}$ ($10\text{ min/mile}$ pace) | $9.8$ |
| Fast Running (12 km/h) | $7.5\text{ mph}$ ($8\text{ min/mile}$ pace) | $11.8$ |
| Casual Cycling | $15 - 19\text{ km/h}$, flat road | $6.0$ |
| Vigorous Cycling | $22 - 25\text{ km/h}$, sustained effort | $10.0$ |
| Moderate Swimming | Freestyle, lap swimming | $7.0$ |
| Weight Training | Standard gym resistance sets | $3.5$ |
| HIIT / Calisthenics | Burpees, bodyweight circuits | $8.0$ |
| Jumping Rope | Moderate to fast pace | $11.0$ |
| Hatha Yoga | Gentle flow and stretching | $2.5$ |
Step-by-Step Worked Demonstration
Consider a $70\text{ kg}$ runner completing a $45\text{ minute}$ session at a pace of $10\text{ km/h}$ ($\text{MET} = 9.8$):
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Convert Duration to Hours: $$\text{Hours} = \frac{45\text{ min}}{60\text{ min/h}} = 0.75\text{ hours}$$
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Compute Total Energy Expenditure: $$\text{Calories} = 9.8 \times 70\text{ kg} \times 0.75\text{ h} = 514.5 \to \mathbf{515\text{ kcal}}$$
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Compute Hourly Burn Rate: $$\text{Hourly Rate} = 9.8 \times 70 = \mathbf{686\text{ kcal/hour}}$$
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Real-Life Nutritional Equivalents:
- Equivalent to approximately $1.8$ slices of standard cheese pizza ($\sim 280\text{ kcal/slice}$).
- Equivalent to approximately $3.7$ standard cans of sugar-sweetened soda ($\sim 140\text{ kcal/can}$).
- Equivalent to approximately $4.9$ medium bananas ($\sim 105\text{ kcal/fruit}$).
Mitigating Energy Compensation
A common pitfall in weight management is compensatory overeating or reduced unconscious movement (NEAT) following strenuous exercise. Burning 500 kcal on a run can easily be offset by snacking on calorie-dense foods or remaining sedentary for the remainder of the day.
To balance your total daily nutrition, determine your baseline needs using our calorie calculator or track running splits with our pace calculator.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
What is a Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)?
One MET represents the rate of energy expenditure while sitting quietly at rest, defined physiologically as 1.0 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour (or 3.5 ml of oxygen uptake per kilogram per minute). An activity with a MET of 6.0 burns six times more energy than resting.
Why does body weight significantly alter calories burned?
Moving physical mass against gravity requires mechanical work. A 90 kg individual expends 50% more kinetic energy to displace their body over a 5 km run than a 60 kg individual moving at the exact same pace.
Are fitness watch calorie burn counts accurate?
Clinical validation studies reveal that optical wrist-based wearables often deviate by 20% to 40% when estimating active exercise energy expenditure. Standardized MET equations derived from laboratory indirect calorimetry provide a more dependable physiological benchmark.
Does lifting weights burn calories after the workout ends?
Yes. Intense resistance training triggers Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), commonly known as the 'afterburn effect', which can elevate resting metabolic expenditure by 5% to 15% for several hours post-session during muscle protein remodeling.
How many calories do I need to burn to lose a kilogram of body fat?
One kilogram of body fat represents approximately 7,700 kilocalories of stored chemical energy. Creating a cumulative exercise burn or nutritional deficit of 7,700 kcal yields roughly 1 kg of fat loss.