Free calculator

Calories burned calculator

How many calories a game, a run or a ride burns, from your weight and how long you go.

How it works

Every activity has a MET value: how many times more energy it takes than sitting still. The Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference researchers use, lists them for hundreds of activities. Calories burned are worked out as MET x body weight in kg x hours.

The result is the total you burn during the activity, including what your body would burn at rest anyway. Real numbers vary with fitness, effort and position: a goalkeeper burns less than a midfielder.

Using it with your food

On game days, add this to your daily target from the calorie calculator only if the game is bigger than your usual training. For a sport-by-sport guide to what to eat, see sports nutrition.

Questions

How many calories does a game burn?

For most team sports, roughly 400 to 900 calories an hour for an adult, depending on body weight and how hard you play. Pick your sport above for your own number.

What is a MET?

A metabolic equivalent: 1 MET is the energy you use sitting quietly. An activity at 8 METs uses about 8 times that.

Are fitness tracker numbers more accurate?

Trackers use heart rate, which helps, but studies find they can be off by 20% or more for calories. Treat any number as an estimate.

Does a heavier person burn more?

Yes. Moving more body weight takes more energy, so the same game burns more calories for a heavier player.

Sources

  1. Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: a third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024;13(1):6-12.
  2. Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(8):1575-1581.

Coming soon

Track it all in Fuel

Fuel is a free macro and calorie tracker from JOGO. Log food in seconds, scan barcodes, and your JOGO games count toward what you burn. Get an email when it opens.

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