A worked example
A 170 lb person running at a 12-minute-mile pace for 30 minutes burns approximately 320 calories.
Frequently asked questions
What is a MET?
A Metabolic Equivalent of Task — a standardized way to express how intense an activity is relative to sitting still (1 MET). An activity at 8 MET burns roughly 8 times the energy of sitting quietly, for the same amount of time.
Why does body weight affect the result so much?
Moving more mass takes more energy — a heavier person burns more calories doing the exact same activity for the exact same time than a lighter person, which is built directly into the MET formula.
This calculator provides estimates for general informational purposes only. Actual calorie burn varies with fitness level, terrain, technique and individual metabolism.