Calories Burned Formula (MET)
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. One MET ≈ 3.5 ml O₂/kg/min, the energy you spend sitting quietly. Multiply by activity MET, body mass, and duration to estimate calorie burn.
Formula
Copy the exact expression or work through it step by step below.
calories = MET × 3.5 × mass_kg × minutes / 200 Variables
MET
Metabolic Equivalent of Task
Ratio of activity rate to resting rate. Walking 5 km/h ≈ 3.5 MET, jogging 8 km/h ≈ 8 MET, vigorous cycling ≈ 10 MET. Compendium values cover 800+ activities.
mass_kg
Body mass
Kilograms. Energy cost scales linearly with mass for weight-bearing activities.
minutes
Duration
Exercise duration in minutes.
3.5 / 200
Conversion constant
3.5 ml O₂/kg/min × ~5 cal/L O₂ ÷ 1000 ml/L → roughly 1 MET-min = 0.0175 cal/kg, so 1 MET-hr = 1.05 cal/kg. The 3.5/200 form yields cal/min/kg directly.
Step By Step
- 1
Look up the MET value for the activity in the Compendium of Physical Activities.
Moderate cycling at 19–22 km/h on level ground: 8.0 MET.
- 2
Multiply MET × 3.5 × body mass.
8.0 × 3.5 × 78 kg = 2,184.
- 3
Multiply by duration in minutes, divide by 200.
2,184 × 45 / 200 = 491.4 cal.
- 4
Optionally apply terrain/incline corrections. Each 1% incline adds about 2% to the calorie cost for walking/jogging.
5% incline on a 45-min walk: multiplier 1.10 → 491.4 × 1.10 = 540.5 cal.
Worked Example
78 kg adult, 45 minutes moderate cycling (8 MET)
Activity MET
8.0
Weight (kg)
78
Duration (min)
45
calories = 8.0 × 3.5 × 78 × 45 / 200 = 491.4 cal
Roughly 491 calories. Wearable devices typically report 15–30% higher because they include EPOC and heart-rate-based assumptions.
Common Variations
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Sources & References
- 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities — Ainsworth BE et al. (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise)
- ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 11th ed. — American College of Sports Medicine