Calories Burned Calculator

What Are MET Values?

MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task — a unit that measures the energy cost of physical activity. One MET equals the energy you burn at complete rest, roughly 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour.

A MET value of 5.0 means that activity burns 5 times more calories than resting. The higher the MET, the more intense the exercise. Walking has a MET of ~3.5, while jump rope reaches 12.3 — meaning it burns about 3.5× more calories than walking.

MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research-based database maintained by Arizona State University. They represent averages across the population — your actual burn depends on fitness level, body composition, and effort.

Calories Burned by Exercise

Below are calories burned during 30 minutes of exercise for a 75 kg (165 lbs) person, sorted from highest to lowest burn.

How to Burn More Calories

• Increase intensity: Switching from walking (3.5 MET) to jogging (8.3 MET) more than doubles your calorie burn for the same duration.
• Add intervals: Alternating high-intensity bursts with recovery periods (HIIT) keeps your heart rate elevated and increases total burn.
• Build muscle: Strength training raises your resting metabolic rate. More muscle means more calories burned even at rest.
• Extend duration gradually: Adding 10 minutes to your workout can add 50–100+ extra calories depending on the activity.
• Try compound movements: Exercises that engage multiple muscle groups (squats, burpees, rowing) burn more than isolation exercises.
• Stay consistent: Burning 300 kcal per session × 5 days/week = 1,500 kcal weekly deficit, equivalent to ~0.2 kg of fat loss per week.
• Don't forget NEAT: Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (walking, fidgeting, taking stairs) can account for 200–500 kcal/day — often more than a single workout.