Workout calorie calculator
Estimates the energy cost of an activity from its metabolic equivalent, your bodyweight and how long you did it.
Workout Calorie Calculator
Calories burned equals MET × 3.5 × bodyweight in kg / 200 × minutes. An 82 kg person running easily at 8 METs for 45 minutes burns roughly 520 kcal. MET values are population averages, and the figure includes the resting energy you would have burned anyway, so it slightly overstates the extra cost of the session.
Running Easy for 45 min
Method notes (1)
- MET-based estimate; expect ±15–25% individual variance. Do NOT subtract from daily macro target — activity_level already accounts for typical training.
Metric or imperial · runs the same code as the app · nothing is sent anywhere
How it works
The standard MET equation: kcal = MET × 3.5 × kg / 200 × minutes. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate, so an activity rated at 8 METs costs eight times what sitting still does. Easy running sits around 8, cycling at a moderate pace around 7, and walking around 3.5.
MET tables are population averages. Fitness, technique, terrain and temperature all move the real figure, and the number here includes the resting energy you would have burned anyway, so it overstates the extra cost of the session slightly.
Common questions
Why is this lower than my smartwatch says?
Watches often add heart-rate-driven adjustments and some count the whole day's elevated metabolism. MET estimates are deliberately conservative. For managing calorie intake the conservative figure is the safer one to plan from.
Should I eat back the calories I burn?
Partially at most. Burn estimates carry wide error, so eating back every calorie commonly erases a deficit. If your TDEE already assumes an activity level, the training is counted once already.
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These numbers are more useful when something tracks them.
The app runs this same maths against your logged weigh-ins, meals and sessions, so the figure updates itself instead of being a one-off.
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