Calories Burned Weight Lifting Calculator

Your details

Your body weight. Heavier people burn more calories for the same workout.
lb
Total time spent lifting weights, not including rest between exercises.
min
Light: machines or cables with easy loads. Moderate: typical gym session with free weights. Vigorous: heavy squats, deadlifts, or very short rest. Circuit: moderate-effort circuit stations. Power: Olympic or powerlifting maximal effort. Hard circuit work that includes aerobic stations with minimal rest is MET 8.0 in the Compendium (code 02040) - use Vigorous or higher if that describes your session.
Calories burned (MET)High-calorie session
306kcal

Total energy burned based on MET x body weight x duration

Burn rate408kcal/hr
MET value used5
306 kcal
Light<150Moderate150-300High300-500Very high500+

You burned roughly 306 kcal lifting weights.

  • At 45 minutes of moderate-effort lifting, you burn around 306 kcal from the workout itself. Your body continues burning extra calories for 12-38 hours after through the afterburn (EPOC) effect.
  • Your burn rate is about 408 kcal per hour. For comparison, a typical 45-minute run at a moderate pace burns 350-550 kcal, so weight training is less than cardio per session but builds muscle that raises your resting metabolic rate.
  • This estimate covers only the active lifting time. Rest periods between sets are not included because MET values reflect average energy during a timed session. Include your rest periods in the duration for a session-wide estimate.

Next stepTo lose body fat, pair your sessions with a calorie target 300-500 kcal below your TDEE. Strength training preserves muscle during a deficit, making it more effective than cardio alone for body composition.

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