HIIT Workouts calorie burn by intensity
Estimates use the formula kcal = MET × weight (kg) × hours, with MET values from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Figures are gross burn — they include the calories you would have burned at rest.
| Intensity | MET | kcal / 30 min* | kcal / 60 min* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate intervals (e.g., 30/30) | 8.0 | 280 | 560 |
| Vigorous calisthenics circuit | 10.0 | 350 | 700 |
| All-out sprint intervals | 12.0 | 420 | 840 |
*For a 70 kg (154 lb) person. Use the calculator above for your own weight.
Burn by body weight
At a typical intensity for hiit workouts (10.0 METs), here's how the burn scales with body weight:
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg (121 lb) | 138 | 275 | 550 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 175 | 350 | 700 |
| 85 kg (187 lb) | 212 | 425 | 850 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 250 | 500 | 1000 |
Getting more from hiit workouts
- The afterburn is real but modest — count on it as a bonus, not a multiplier.
- True HIIT means genuinely hard intervals; if you could keep going, it was just cardio with pauses.
- Two to three sessions a week is the sustainable ceiling for most people — HIIT taxes recovery heavily.
Want the bigger picture? Your workout is one slice of total daily burn — estimate the whole thing with the TDEE calculator, or compare against 25+ other activities in the calories burned calculator.
More activities
- 🚶 Walking
- 🏃 Running
- 🐢 Jogging
- 🚴 Cycling
- 🏊 Swimming
- 🏋️ Weightlifting
- 🪢 Jumping Rope
- 🥾 Hiking
- 🧘 Yoga
- 🤸 Pilates
- 🚣 Rowing
- ⚙️ Elliptical
- 🪜 Stair Climbing
- 💃 Dancing
- 🏀 Basketball
- ⚽ Soccer (Football)
- 🎾 Tennis
- ⛳ Golf
- 🥊 Boxing
- 🛶 Kayaking
- 🌱 Gardening
- 🧹 Housework & Cleaning
- 🧍 Standing
- 😴 Sleeping
- 🏸 Badminton
Sources
- 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. [link]
Frequently asked questions
Does HIIT burn more fat than steady cardio?
Per minute yes; per session it's roughly a wash once the longer steady session is counted. Choose based on time available and what you'll actually repeat weekly.
How many calories does a 20-minute HIIT workout burn?
Typically 200–350 kcal during the session for an average adult, plus a small afterburn. Marketing claims of 1,000-calorie classes don't survive lab measurement.