Calories Burned by Exercise Type and Duration
MET-based burn for 30+ activities — lifting, swimming, cycling, classes, and more.
MET values, what they mean, and how to use them
MET (metabolic equivalent of task) values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, the standard reference for exercise-science research since 1993. One MET equals the energy expenditure of sitting quietly — about 1 kilocalorie per kilogram of bodyweight per hour. Running at 6.7 mph is 11 METs, meaning you're burning energy at 11 times your resting rate.
Why your smartwatch disagrees
Consumer fitness trackers typically overestimate energy expenditure by 20–50%. They use proprietary algorithms that weight heart rate heavily, but heart rate responds to caffeine, heat, dehydration, and anxiety — not just exercise. MET-based math is less personalized but a lot more honest across populations. Use the tracker for trends; use this calculator for sizing decisions.
The three categories that matter
Low intensity (2–4 METs): walking, yoga, light lifting. Highly repeatable, low injury, easy to stack daily. The foundation of weight loss activity.
Moderate (5–8 METs): jogging, cycling, swimming, sports, vigorous weight lifting. Training stimulus begins here. Two to four sessions per week is typical.
Vigorous (9+ METs): running, HIIT, boxing, jump rope, Crossfit. High burn per minute but high recovery cost. One to two sessions per week is the ceiling for most non-athletes on a cut.
Calories burned is not calories lost
The calculator shows gross burn — the total energy the activity costs. For weight loss accounting, subtract the calories you'd have burned doing nothing (about 1 MET) to get the netburn. The calculator's output is the gross number because that's what aligns with typical fitness-tracker reporting. If you're doing careful deficit math, reduce the burn by roughly 12% to approximate net.
Why lifting "burns less" than cardio
A typical hour of lifting burns 240–400 kilocalories — less than running for an hour. This undersells lifting dramatically. Lifting preserves lean mass during a cut, which keeps BMR high, which multiplies the value of every other calorie-burning activity. Ditch lifting and a cut ends with a softer body; keep it and the same scale number produces a dramatically different mirror.
How to budget exercise in a cut
Think of exercise calories as a bonus, not a bedrock. The deficit should come primarily from food (see the calorie deficit calculator) and from non-exercise activity like daily steps (see the daily steps calculator). Exercise contributes 15–25% of the total deficit for most people, not 75%.
Don't eat back all of it
Apps like MyFitnessPal encourage you to "eat back" your exercise calories. Most people overestimate burn (either from tracker optimism or app overestimation) and under-log intake. Eating back 50% of shown exercise calories is a reasonable default; 100% almost always stalls progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is MET-based exercise calorie math?
Within about 10–15% for typical adults at typical body weights. The Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth, 2011) is the source for MET values and has been validated against indirect calorimetry across hundreds of activities. It's significantly more accurate than heart-rate-based fitness trackers, which overestimate by 20–50% for most consumers.
Why does my Apple Watch or Fitbit show different numbers?
Wrist wearables use proprietary algorithms weighted heavily on heart rate. Heart rate responds to caffeine, heat, sleep deprivation, and stress — not just exercise intensity. A 180-pound person showing 600 kcal burned on a 45-minute walk from their watch likely burned 250–320 kcal in reality. Use the watch for trend tracking; use MET math for deficit accounting.
Should I eat back the calories I burn from exercise?
Eat back 50% at most. Apps like MyFitnessPal encourage eating back 100%, which stalls most cuts because (a) trackers overestimate burn and (b) people underestimate intake. A 5'6" 160 lb woman who burns a calculated 350 kcal in a spin class should eat back no more than 175 kcal if she's targeting a deficit.
Does weightlifting burn fewer calories than cardio?
Per minute, yes — an hour of lifting burns 240–400 kcal vs 500–700 for running. But lifting protects muscle during a cut, which keeps BMR elevated, which multiplies the fat-loss effect of every other activity. Drop lifting and you end your cut with a softer body at the same scale weight. Lifting plus walking beats running alone for body composition in almost every case.
What activity burns the most calories in the shortest time?
Vigorous running (11+ METs), jump rope (12+), and HIIT intervals (12–15 during work phases). For a 180 lb person, 20 minutes of 8 mph running burns about 340 kcal, while 20 minutes of jump rope hits 350–400. That said, high-MET activities are hard to recover from on a deficit; most people do better with daily moderate-intensity work (steps plus 2–3 lifting sessions) than with one punishing cardio session per week.
Disclaimer: This tool provides estimates for educational purposes and is not medical or nutritional advice. Individual results vary. Always consult a licensed physician or registered dietitian before starting a new diet, fasting protocol, or exercise program — especially if you have a medical condition, are pregnant or nursing, or are under 18.