Is HIIT really only 8 MET?

Average MET, yes. The hard intervals push 12+, the rest periods drop to 3-4. Over a 20-min session it averages around 8. Plus HIIT has an "afterburn" (EPOC) that adds 6–15 % more calories over the next hours — not counted here.

What about strength training calories?

Often underestimated by MET because the work is intermittent. The 6 MET vigorous figure assumes constant moderate effort — a powerlifting session with 3-min rests will be lower; a CrossFit-style WOD higher.

Calories Burned Calculator

Calories burned during exercise — uses MET values for 18 common activities + your bodyweight.

Result

Calories burned

343 kcal

30 min × 70.0 kg × 9.8 MET

Per minute11.4 kcal/min
Per hour686 kcal/hr
MET value9.8
Equivalent fat burnPure energy equivalent — actual fat loss is more complex38 g

How to use this calculator

Pick the activity that's closest to what you actually did.
Use your real bodyweight — heavier = more calories burned.
Treat the result as ±15 % accurate; individual fitness affects efficiency.
Compare with calorie-calculator to see daily energy balance.

About this tool

MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) is the standard way exercise scientists quantify how hard an activity is — 1 MET is what you burn just sitting still. Walking briskly is around 5 MET, running is 10. Multiplied by your bodyweight in kg and the duration in hours, MET gives a solid estimate of calories burned. The numbers here come from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.), the same standard dataset fitness trackers rely on. Heavier people burn more for the same activity (more mass to move), and intensity matters more than duration — vigorous cycling for 30 minutes burns more than easy cycling for an hour.

Frequently asked

Watches use heart-rate plus motion sensors, which catches your individual fitness level (a fit person burns less for the same activity). MET-based estimates use the population average. Both are reasonable — the watch is usually more personal.