Calories burned during weight training
Vigorous weight training burns very roughly 165–275 kcal in half an hour for a 70 kg person — a wide band, because a single MET value barely captures what lifting actually does. Rest between sets, load and intensity all shift it. Calories are the wrong scoreboard here: strength progress is the sets and the weight, not the burn.
Enter your weight and how long you moved — the estimate comes back as a range, the same way our diary does it.
| Weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 59–98 | 118–197 | 177–295 | 236–394 |
| 60 kg | 71–118 | 142–236 | 213–354 | 284–473 |
| 70 kg | 83–138 | 165–276 | 248–413 | 331–551 |
| 80 kg | 95–158 | 189–315 | 284–473 | 378–630 |
| 90 kg | 106–177 | 213–354 | 319–532 | 425–709 |
| 100 kg | 118–197 | 236–394 | 354–591 | 473–788 |
| 110 kg | 130–217 | 260–433 | 390–650 | 520–866 |
Each cell is a range (±15%). Read down for your weight, across for your time. These are population estimates, not a measurement of you.
| Intensity | 30 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|
| Weight training, light–moderate · 3.5 MET | 96–161 | 193–322 |
| Weight training, vigorous (free weights) · 6 MET | 165–276 | 331–551 |
A 30-minute session at 70 kg — the pace changes the cost far more than a few kilos do.
Energy cost from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann, Willis, Ainsworth et al.). kcal = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes; we show it as a band because a MET is a population average. Why a range, not one number →
How many calories does weight training burn?
It depends on your weight, how long you keep it up and — a lot — your pace and fitness, so there is no single true number. The table and the calculator give a range for your weight and time. Two people of the same weight can differ by 15–25% at the same activity.
Why show a range instead of one number?
Because a MET value is a population average. Your real burn shifts with fitness, technique, terrain and how hard you actually went. A single "347 kcal" reads as precise when it isn't — the honest answer is a band, and that is what we show.
Do calories burned mean I can eat that much back?
No. This is an estimate of energy spent, not calories you have to "earn" or a licence to eat more. Movement is worth doing for its own sake. If you track a day's balance, use the range — never treat the top of it as exact.
Where do the numbers come from?
MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, a public reference cited by researchers. We apply the standard MET formula and widen it into a ±15% band (±25% for strength work, which a MET barely captures).