Knowing roughly how many calories an activity burns helps you understand your energy balance — as long as you treat the number as an estimate, not gospel.
What is a MET?
One MET is your energy cost at rest. An activity rated at 8 METs burns roughly eight times as many calories per minute as sitting still. Multiplying MET by bodyweight and time gives your burn.
Why estimates vary
Fitness, movement efficiency, terrain and body composition all shift real-world burn. Use the figure to compare activities and guide planning, not to micromanage every calorie.
Frequently asked questions
We use the MET formula: calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × bodyweight(kg) ÷ 200. MET represents the activity's intensity, so heavier people and harder efforts burn more.
It's a solid estimate but individual burn varies with fitness, efficiency and body composition — expect a margin of 15–25%. Wearables use similar models and aren't dramatically more accurate.
Be cautious. Exercise burn is easily overestimated, so eating all of it back can undo a fat-loss deficit. Many people add back only a portion, if any.