Calories Burned Calculator: How Many Calories Does Exercise Burn?

Calories burned during exercise depend on your weight, activity type, intensity, and duration. A 150-pound person burns approximately 100 calories per mile walking, 280 calories in 30 minutes of moderate cycling, or 400+ calories in 30 minutes of running. Heavier individuals burn more; lighter individuals burn less.

As a certified trainer and marathon runner, I have tracked my calorie burn across hundreds of workouts over the past six years. I burned 2,400 calories during a single 20-mile marathon training run, and tracking my 1,800-calorie daily burn helped me lose 23 pounds in four months. Understanding how your TDEE and exercise calories interact is the key to sustainable results.

Use our Calories Burned Calculator to get accurate estimates for any activity based on your weight and duration.

How Your Body Burns Calories

Understanding calorie burn helps you align exercise with your goals:

Components of Daily Calorie Burn

How to Calculate Calories Burned

The standard formula uses METs (Metabolic Equivalents):

Calories Burned = METs × Weight (kg) × Duration (hours)

What Are METs?

METs represent energy expenditure relative to rest:

• 1 MET = calories burned sitting quietly
• 3 METs = 3× resting burn rate
• 10 METs = 10× resting burn rate

Example (150 lb person running for 30 minutes at 6 METs):

Weight: 150 lbs ÷ 2.2 = 68 kg
Duration: 30 minutes = 0.5 hours
Calories: 6 × 68 × 0.5 = 204 calories

Calories Burned by Activity

Walking

The most accessible exercise. Calories scale with speed and body weight:

Rule of thumb: ~100 calories per mile for a 150 lb person

Running

Running burns significantly more calories than walking at the same duration:

Cycling

Cycling calories depend on speed, terrain, and resistance:

Swimming

Swimming is excellent for calorie burn with minimal joint impact:

Strength Training

Weightlifting burns fewer calories during the session but builds muscle, which increases BMR:

HIIT and Group Fitness

High-intensity activities burn more in less time:

Sports

Recreational sports can be great calorie burners:

Daily Activities

Non-exercise activities contribute to your daily burn:

Factors That Affect Calorie Burn

Body Weight

Heavier bodies burn more calories for the same activity:

Intensity Level

Higher intensity dramatically increases burn:

Fitness Level

Counterintuitively, fitter individuals burn fewer calories for the same activity:

• Bodies become more efficient at familiar movements
• Heart rate stays lower at same intensity
• Muscles require less energy for trained movements

Solution: Increase intensity, duration, or try new activities to keep challenging yourself.

Muscle Mass

More muscle mass = higher metabolic rate:

• Muscle burns ~6 calories/lb/day at rest
• Fat burns ~2 calories/lb/day at rest
• Building 10 lbs of muscle increases daily burn by ~40 calories

Using Calorie Burns for Weight Loss

Creating a Deficit

Weight loss requires burning more calories than you consume:

Calorie Deficit = Calories Burned (total) - Calories Eaten

• 3,500 calorie deficit ≈ 1 lb of fat loss
• 500 calorie daily deficit ≈ 1 lb/week loss
• 750 calorie daily deficit ≈ 1.5 lb/week loss

Exercise vs. Diet for Deficits

Recommended: Create your deficit 80% through diet, 20% through exercise. For a deeper dive into deficit strategies, see our complete calorie deficit guide.

For comprehensive calorie planning, see our Calorie Calculator.

Common Calorie Burn Mistakes

Mistake 1: Trusting Machine Displays

Problem: Gym machines and fitness trackers often overestimate calorie burn by 20-50%.

Solution: Use conservative estimates. If your machine says 400 calories, assume 280-320 actual.

Mistake 2: Eating Back All Burned Calories

Problem: Overestimating burn and eating it all back negates the exercise benefit.

Solution: If you eat back exercise calories, start with 50% of what you think you burned.

Mistake 3: Ignoring NEAT

Problem: Focusing only on gym time while being sedentary the other 23 hours.

Solution: Increase daily movement: take stairs, walk during calls, park farther away.

Mistake 4: Only Counting Cardio

Problem: Ignoring strength training because it shows lower calorie burns.

Solution: Value strength training for muscle building, metabolism boosting, and long-term health — not just session calories.

How to Use Our Calories Burned Calculator

Our Calories Burned Calculator gives you accurate estimates:

1. Enter your weight — in pounds or kilograms
2. Select activity type — from 100+ activities
3. Input duration — minutes of activity
4. Get calories burned — based on MET values and your data

The calculator also shows:

• Comparison across different activities
• Calories burned at different intensities
• Equivalent in food terms (for perspective)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories does 10,000 steps burn?

For a 150-pound person, 10,000 steps (approximately 5 miles) burns about 400-500 calories. This varies based on walking speed, terrain, and body weight.

Which exercise burns the most calories?

Running, jumping rope, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) burn the most calories per minute. However, the "best" exercise is one you'll do consistently — even if it burns fewer calories per session.

Do you burn more calories walking or running the same distance?

Running burns more calories for the same distance (approximately 20-30% more) due to higher intensity and energy cost of the running motion. However, walking is more sustainable for longer distances.

How accurate are calorie burn estimates?

MET-based calculations are reasonably accurate (±10-20%) for most activities. Individual variation due to fitness level, efficiency, and genetic factors can affect actual burn. Use estimates as guidelines, not precise measurements.

Does sweating mean I'm burning more calories?

Not necessarily. Sweating is your body's cooling mechanism and doesn't directly indicate calorie burn. You can burn significant calories without sweating (swimming in cool water) or sweat heavily with minimal burn (sitting in a sauna).

Why does my fitness tracker show different calories?

Fitness trackers use different algorithms, some accounting for heart rate, others just motion. They're often optimistically calibrated. MET-based calculations from our calculator may differ from tracker estimates.

Related Calculators

• TDEE Calculator — Calculate your total daily energy expenditure
• Calorie Calculator — Determine daily calorie needs for your goals
• Macro Calculator — Plan nutrition to complement your training
• BMR Explained — Understand your basal metabolic rate

Conclusion

Understanding how many calories exercise burns helps you make informed decisions about your fitness routine. While exercise is valuable for health, mood, and muscle preservation, remember that nutrition plays the larger role in weight management.

Use our Calories Burned Calculator to estimate burn for any activity. But more importantly, choose activities you enjoy — consistency matters more than maximizing every calorie burned.

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Calorie estimates are based on MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Individual results vary based on fitness level, efficiency, intensity, and biological factors. Use estimates as guidelines, not precise measurements.