"How many calories will this burn?" is one of the questions I hear most as a physiotherapist and strength coach. It's a fair thing to want to know. If you're putting in the effort, you want a sense of what you're getting back for it.
So here's a clear, up to date look at the calories burned by type of exercise, with a full chart and the honest context that most calorie tables leave out. The numbers are a genuinely useful guide. They're also less important than what you do consistently, and what's on your plate.
The short version
- How much you burn depends on your body weight, how hard you work, and how long you go. Heavier and harder both mean more calories.
- Per hour, running, vigorous cycling, and hard swimming sit at the top. Walking and weights sit lower, but that isn't the full story.
- Walking 10,000 steps burns roughly 300 to 500 calories for most adults.
- You can't out-train a poor diet. It's far quicker to eat 300 calories than to burn them off.
- The best exercise for fat loss is the one you'll actually keep doing, paired with sensible eating and a bit of strength work.
How many calories different exercises burn
The chart below shows the estimated calories burned per hour at three body weights, from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities MET values. Find the row closest to what you do, then read across to the weight nearest yours.
| Activity (one hour) | Intensity | 60 kg | 75 kg | 90 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoga (Hatha) | Light | 160 | 195 | 235 |
| Walking, easy pace (4.8 km/h) | Light | 220 | 275 | 330 |
| Walking, brisk (6.4 km/h) | Moderate | 315 | 395 | 475 |
| Weight training | Vigorous | 380 | 475 | 565 |
| Rowing machine | Moderate | 440 | 550 | 660 |
| Swimming, freestyle | Vigorous | 615 | 770 | 925 |
| Running (9.7 km/h) | Vigorous | 615 | 770 | 925 |
| Running (10.8 km/h) | Vigorous | 660 | 825 | 990 |
Simply halve these figures for a 30 minute session. Average usual walking speed for adults sits at about 4.7 km/h.
How these numbers are worked out (and why yours will differ)
Every activity has a MET value, a measure of how hard it is compared with sitting still. Sitting quietly is 1 MET. Brisk walking is about 5 METs. The calories come from a simple equation:
Calories per minute = METs x 3.5 x your weight in kg, divided by 200
A few things shift your real number: your body weight, the intensity you work at, how long you go, your fitness, and your muscle mass. Take the chart with a grain of salt. Watches and treadmill consoles use the same estimates and tend to run high. Use them to compare your own efforts over time, not as an exact tally.
How many calories does 10,000 steps burn?
Ten thousand steps is roughly 7 to 8 kilometres, about 75 to 100 minutes of walking. For most adults that burns somewhere between 300 and 500 calories. A lighter person on flat ground sits nearer the bottom; a heavier person walking briskly or up hills sits nearer the top. It's a solid daily target, but on its own it won't move the scale much if the eating isn't there too.
Which exercise burns the most calories?
Hour for hour, running, hard cycling and vigorous swimming lead, with intense circuits close behind. But the most calories per hour is not the same as the most useful for you. Almost anyone can walk for an hour; very few can run hard for one. An hour of walking often burns more in total than ten honest minutes of running. The best exercise, in the real world, is the one you keep showing up for.
Want a plan built around your body, not a generic chart?
Our physiotherapists and coaches in Neutral Bay build training around your history, your goals and the time you actually have.
Book a sessionWhy you can't out-train a poor diet
A small handful of chocolate, around 140 calories, cancels out a 30 minute walk for most people. A muffin and a coffee can undo an entire session. It's far quicker to eat calories than to burn them. Movement is one of the best things you can do for your body, but if fat loss is the aim, nutrition is the bigger lever, and it's the one you can pull three times a day.
Why strength training is worth more than its calorie number
Weights sit surprisingly low on the chart, but the value of strength training isn't the calories you burn during the session. It's what it does the rest of the time. Building and keeping muscle protects your metabolism, and when you're eating in a deficit, strength work is what tells your body to hold onto muscle and lose fat instead of losing both.
The bottom line
Use the chart as a rough guide, not a scoreboard. Pick activity you'll genuinely repeat, add a couple of strength sessions each week, and get your nutrition roughly right most of the time. Do those and the numbers look after themselves.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does 10,000 steps burn?
For most adults, walking 10,000 steps burns roughly 300 to 500 calories. That's about 7 to 8 kilometres, or 75 to 100 minutes of walking.
What exercise burns the most calories?
Hour for hour, running, vigorous cycling and hard freestyle swimming burn the most. In practice, the best exercise for you is the one you can sustain and fit into your week.
Do you burn more calories running or walking?
Running burns more per minute. Over a set distance the gap narrows, and if you can walk far longer than you can run, an hour of walking may burn more overall.
Does lifting weights burn many calories?
A weights session burns modestly during the workout. Its real value is afterwards: building and keeping muscle supports your metabolism and helps you lose fat rather than muscle in a deficit.
Are the calorie counts on cardio machines and watches accurate?
Treat them as rough estimates. They use the same MET-based formulas and often overestimate, sometimes by 20 percent or more.
