Calculating the calories burned during exercise depends on the relative energy cost of an activity. It makes sense that different exercises use different amounts of energy and we compare them using metabolic equivalents.
Metabolic Equivalent
MET stands for “metabolic equivalent of task,” and it’s a measure of the relative energy cost for a period of activity.
It’s an easy way to compare different activities and the amount of energy used.
1 MET represents the amount of oxygen consumed while sitting at rest and is equal to 3.5 ml O2 per kg body weight x min.
Let’s take a look at some examples:
For example, running at 11 min/mile pace has a MET value of 9, while easy-paced walking has a MET value of 3.
This means that running can burn nearly three times as many calories as walking in the same amount of time.
The table below lists common exercises and their corresponding MET values:
Examples of METs for various activities
| Activity | MET |
|---|---|
| Aqua jogging | 9.8 |
| Bodyweight exercises (moderate effort) | 3.8 |
| Bodyweight exercises (vigorous effort) | 8 |
| Canoeing/rowing (light effort) | 2.8 |
| Canoeing/rowing (moderate effort) | 5.8 |
| Canoeing/rowing (vigorous effort) | 12 |
| Circuit training (vigorous intensity) | 8 |
| Cross-country skiing (slow) | 6.8 |
| Cross-country skiing (moderate) | 9 |
| Cross-country skiing (fast) | 12.5 |
| Cycling (slow, 10-11.9 mph) | 6.8 |
| Cycling (moderate, 12-13.9 mph) | 8 |
| Cycling (fast, 14-15.9 mph) | 10 |
| Cycling (racing, 16-19 mph) | 12 |
| Elliptical trainer (moderate effort) | 5 |
| Inline skating (slow, 9.0 mph) | 7.5 |
| Inline skating (moderate, 11.0 mph) | 9.8 |
| Inline skating (fast, 13.0 mph) | 12.3 |
| Mountain biking (general) | 8.5 |
| Mountain biking (uphill, vigorous) | 14 |
| Paddleboarding (standing) | 6 |
| Pilates | 3 |
| Rock climbing | 7.5 |
| Roller skating | 7 |
| Running (6 min/mile) | 14.5 |
| Running (7 min/mile) | 12.3 |
| Running (8 min/mile) | 11.3 |
| Running (9 min/mile) | 10.5 |
| Running (10 min/mile) | 9.8 |
| Running (11 min/mile) | 9 |
| Running (12 min/mile) | 8.3 |
| Running (15 min/mile) | 6 |
| Running, cross country | 9 |
| MET = Metabolic Equivalent of Task |
| Activity | MET |
|---|---|
| Spin class | 8.5 |
| Stair climber | 9 |
| Stationary cycling (light effort, 51-89 watts) | 4.8 |
| Stationary cycling (moderate effort, 90-100 watts) | 6.8 |
| Stationary cycling (vigorous effort, 101-160 watts) | 8.8 |
| Stationary cycling (vigorous effort, 161-200 watts) | 11 |
| Stationary cycling (vigorous effort, 201-270 watts) | 14 |
| Stationary rowing (100 watts, moderate effort) | 7 |
| Stationary rowing (150 watts, vigorous effort) | 8.5 |
| Stationary rowing (200 watts, very vigorous effort) | 12 |
| Swimming (backstroke, moderate) | 4.8 |
| Swimming (breaststroke, moderate) | 5.3 |
| Swimming (freestyle, moderate) | 5.8 |
| Swimming (freestyle, fast) | 9.8 |
| Swimming (butterfly) | 13.8 |
| Tai Chi | 3 |
| Walking (2.5 mph, easy pace) | 3 |
| Walking (3 mph, moderate pace) | 3.5 |
| Walking (3.5 mph, brisk pace) | 4.3 |
| Walking (4 mph, very brisk pace) | 5 |
| Walking (4.5 mph, power walking) | 7 |
| Walking (5 mph, power walking) | 8.3 |
| Walking Uphill (2.9 to 3.5 mph, 1 to 5% grade) | 5.3 |
| Walking Uphill (2.9 to 3.5 mph, 6 to 15% grade) | 8 |
| Walking Uphill (5 mph, 3% grade) | 9.8 |
| Weight training (moderate effort) | 3.5 |
| Weight training (vigorous effort) | 6 |
| Yoga (Hatha) | 2.5 |
| Yoga (Power) | 4 |
| MET = Metabolic Equivalent of Task |
How is Calorie Burn Calculated?
To calculate calories burned during exercise, use the following equation:
Calories/min = MET value * 3.5 * body weight (in kg) / 200
You can rewrite this is
Calories Burned = 1.05 * MET value * body weight (in kg) * exercise duration (in hours)
This calculation only applies to a specific activity, not overall calorie burn for the day.
You would need to add up the calories burned from all activities in a day to get your total.
Accuracy
This is an estimate. It’s going to take a trip to a lab to measure your VO2 Max to get a more accurate reading.
The calories burned calculator is a guide. It will give you an idea of which activities burn the most calories, but it’s not exact.
MET values are calculated as average values and the calories burned calculator uses weight to account for differences in fitness level.
That’s a very big assumption – that heavy people are less fit! There are other factors affecting accuracy:
- Age: Performance decreases with age but the effort level doesn’t change. For example, over the age of 40, running times decrease by about 1% per year.
- Body composition: If you have big muscles you’ll burn more calories than a person of the same weight but with higher body fat.
- Fitness Level: You burn more calories if you’re working hard. A fit, efficient runner will find a 12 min/mile pace easy. Someone new to running will be working very hard to maintain this pace.
- Oxygen Intake: When you’re breathing heavily during workouts, you’ll burn more calories. This is linked to fitness level and it’s another reason your fitness level has a big impact on how hard you’re working and the calories burned.
- Diet: What you eat and how much directly affects your metabolism. It’s the main reason diets often don’t work. Drastically reduce your calorie intake and your metabolism slows down.
- Sleep: When you’re trying to lose weight, make sure you’re getting enough sleep – it also has an impact on your metabolism.
