Exercise Calorie Comparison Calculator
Compare calories burned across 10 exercises at your weight and duration.
By Konstantin Iakovlev · Updated September 2026 · Source: 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024)
Highest Burn
HIIT: 424 cal
Calories Burned Comparison
| HIIT | 424 cal |
| Jumping Rope | 424 cal |
| Running (6 mph) | 359 cal |
| Cycling (12-14 mph) | 308 cal |
| Rowing | 281 cal |
| Weightlifting | 231 cal |
| Swimming (moderate) | 224 cal |
| Elliptical | 193 cal |
| Walking (3.5 mph) | 185 cal |
| Yoga | 89 cal |
Use the Exercise Calorie Comparison Calculator above to calculate your results. Enter your values and see instant results — all calculations run in your browser.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Results are estimates from standard formulas and the numbers you enter. Talk to a doctor or another qualified health professional about your own health before acting on them.
How It Works
Side by side, 10 popular exercises rarely burn calories at the same rate, and the gap depends on two things you control: your body weight and how long you work out. Comparing those numbers turns vague intuition about which workout is most efficient into something you can actually measure and plan around.
Each exercise carries a Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) value, a physiological figure that expresses the energy cost of a given activity relative to sitting still. The estimate comes from multiplying your weight in kilograms by that MET value and then by your duration in hours, following the formula Calories = METs * weight (kg) * duration (hours). Because body mass sits right in the equation, heavier and lighter people get appropriately different results from the same workout.
Treat every figure here as an estimate. Real calorie burn shifts with intensity, fitness level, and the quirks of your own metabolism, so two people doing identical workouts can land in different places. Calorie expenditure also tends to get overestimated, and that gap is where overeating and frustration creep in. Lasting results lean far more on consistency, sound nutrition, and choosing activities you'll actually keep doing than on any single burn number.
Example: 45 Minutes of Cycling, Weightlifting or Jumping Rope at 160 Pounds
- 1 Input: body weight 160 lbs (160 × 0.4536 = 72.58 kg) and duration 45 minutes (0.75 hours). The calculator applies the same duration to all ten activities.
- 2 Cycling at 12-14 mph (8.0 METs): 8.0 × 72.58 × 0.75 = 435 calories. Weightlifting (6.0 METs): 6.0 × 72.58 × 0.75 = 327 calories.
- 3 Jumping rope (11.0 METs) comes to 11.0 × 72.58 × 0.75 = 599 calories, and the elliptical (5.0 METs) to 272.
- 4 All ten MET values come from the 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities (6.0 is its vigorous free-weight or machine weightlifting entry; walking is its 3.5-3.9 mph brisk pace at 4.8, running at 6 mph is 9.3 and moderate freestyle laps 5.8). Cycling burns about a third more than lifting in the same 45 minutes, though lifting builds strength that a calorie count does not show.
Source: 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024) · Last updated: September 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which exercise burns the most calories per hour?
Is walking as good as running for weight loss?
How accurate are fitness tracker calorie estimates?
You might also need
One Rep Max (1RM) Calculator
Estimate your one rep max from any weight and rep count. See training percentages for all rep ranges.
Running Pace Calculator
Calculate running pace from distance and time, or finish time from distance and pace. Preset distances for 5K to marathon.
Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Calculate training heart rate zones using max HR or Karvonen method. See optimal zones for fat burn and performance.