Calories Burned By Exercise (MET) Calculator

Work out calories burned by exercise (met) instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Calories Burned By Exercise (MET) Calculator

One MET is resting metabolism, defined as 3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram per minute, so any activity's energy cost is MET x 3.5 x weight / 200 kcal per minute. A 7 MET activity for 45 minutes at 70 kg burns 386 kcal gross, of which about 331 kcal is net - the excess over simply sitting still.

Formulas

MET energy cost

kcal/min = MET x 3.5 x weight(kg) / 200

Net cost

net = gross x (1 - 1/MET)

Worked example

With the default values below, Calories Burned By Exercise (MET) Calculator returns Calories Burned of 386. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

MET value of the activityminimum 0.5 MET: 7 MET
Body weightminimum 1 kg: 70 kg
Durationminimum 0.1 min: 45 min

Results

Calories Burned: 386 kcal
Burn Rate: 8.58 kcal/min
Oxygen Uptake: 24.50 ml/(kg min)
Net Calories Above Resting: 331 kcal

Step by step

1Values used
2MET energy cost
3Net cost
4Calories Burned= 386 kcal
5Burn Rate= 8.58 kcal/min
6Oxygen Uptake= 24.50 ml/(kg min)
7Net Calories Above Resting= 331 kcal

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
This is an estimate from population-average equations, not a medical or diagnostic assessment. Individual results vary with genetics, training history and technique. Seek advice from a qualified coach or clinician before making significant changes to training.
This is an estimate for general information and not professional medical advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

This is an estimate from population-average equations, not a medical or diagnostic assessment. Individual results vary with genetics, training history and technique. Seek advice from a qualified coach or clinician before making significant changes to training.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use gross or net calories?

Net, if you are accounting against a maintenance intake that already includes resting metabolism. Gross double-counts the resting portion.

Where do MET values come from?

The Compendium of Physical Activities, a published catalogue of measured oxygen costs for hundreds of activities.