Calculate how many calories you burn during different activities, based on weight, activity type (MET value) and duration.
The calculator uses MET values (Metabolic Equivalent of Task), a standardized way of expressing the energy cost of different activities, together with the ACSM formula (American College of Sports Medicine):
1 MET corresponds roughly to your resting metabolic rate, i.e. energy use when sitting completely still. Jogging (MET 8.3) therefore burns over eight times as much energy as rest, while light walking (MET 3.5) burns around three and a half times as much. Actual calorie burn is also affected by intensity, fitness level, terrain and individual metabolic differences.
MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) is a measure of how energy-demanding an activity is compared to sitting still. A MET value of 8 means the activity burns about eight times as much energy as rest.
Moving a heavier body requires more energy. That's why a person with a higher body weight normally burns more calories doing the same activity for the same duration than a person with a lower body weight.
Measured hour for hour, jogging (MET 8.3) has a higher immediate calorie burn than strength training (MET 5.0). Strength training, however, builds muscle mass, which over time can increase your resting calorie burn — something this calculator doesn't account for.