Wondering how to burn more calories? Being more active is a great start. But how do you know how many calories you're actually burning?
This calculator will give you calorie burn estimates for over 100 common exercises, sports, and free-time activities, customized for your body size, the duration of the activity, and even how intense it is. Going running for 30 minutes? Shooting hoops for a 15-minute work break? How about a one-hour spin class? Know what you've burned no matter what you enjoy doing!
How Did We Calculate Your Calorie Burn?
Bodybuilding.com's calorie burn calculator is based on the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities, an authoritative list of the calories burned by 821 different activities including not only exercise, but daily activities like housecleaning—even sleeping.
The compendium works by assigning each activity a metabolic equivalent for task (MET) value. This number estimates how much energy the body uses during a specific activity. It varies based on activity, as well as intensity.
For example, a moderate-effort video workout combining cardio and resistance training (4 MET) burns fewer calories than a vigorous-effort video workout like those in FYR: Hannah Eden's 30-Day Fitness Program. The calculation then factors in your weight and the duration of the activity using this formula:
METs x 3.5 x (your body weight in kilograms) / 200 = calories burned per minute
Are calorie burn calculators accurate?
A calorie burn calculation is just an estimate. Your age, anatomy, and fitness level can make a big difference in how many calories you burn in any given activity! But for many people, it is close enough to help them make more informed choices with how they train, and how they eat to match up with that training.
To learn more about all the fundamental ideas of nutrition—including calories—and how to match your eating to your activity level, dive into Bodybuilding.com's Foundations of Fitness Nutrition course.
How do I burn more calories?
Exercising regularly is definitely part of the equation! But it doesn't end there. Non-exercise activity, or what is known as NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) is a proven way to increase calorie burn and help you lose weight faster.
Examples of this include taking the stairs rather than an elevator, parking far away from a building rather than close to it, and standing rather than sitting when working if possible. Registered dietician Susan Hewlings breaks it down, along with some nutritional recommendations for weight loss, in the video, "How to Eat to Lose Weight."
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always. If your goal is weight loss, eating back every calorie burned can erase the deficit you were trying to create. If your goal is performance, recovery, or muscle gain, replacing some of those calories may make sense, especially after hard training. A simple recovery meal or shake with protein supplements can help you stay consistent without guessing.
For longer cardio sessions, intense lifting, or high-output sports, the right pre-workout routine can help with energy, focus, and training consistency. Start with hydration, a meal that digests well, and enough time to warm up. If you want something built for training sessions, look through pre, intra, and creatine supplements.
Recovery depends on what you did, how long you trained, and how hard the session was. After a tough workout, focus on fluids, electrolytes, protein, and enough total calories for your goal. If sweat loss is high or your workouts run long, hydration and endurance supplements can be a useful part of your post-workout routine.
Yes. A calorie burn estimate can give you context before you grab a snack, especially if you are trying to match your food intake to a training goal. Instead of treating exercise as a reason to eat anything, choose snacks that help fill a real gap in protein, carbs, or calories. For easier options between meals, shop healthy snacks.
