How many calories does hiit burn?

At 11 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 385 kcal in thirty minutes. Energy use scales with body weight, so a 90 kg person uses roughly a third more for the same session.

What is the MET value for hiit?

11 METs, listed under Compendium code 02214. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate.

Should I subtract my resting metabolism?

If you are adding this to a maintenance figure that already includes rest, yes. The net figure removes the roughly one MET-hour per hour your body would have spent anyway, which for hiit leaves about 91 per cent of the gross total.

Why does body weight change the answer?

A MET value is energy per kilogram of body mass, so the same activity costs more for a heavier body. That is why weight is an input rather than an assumption, and why generic calories-burned figures without a weight are close to meaningless.

How accurate is this figure?

It is an estimate from a population average. Published comparisons against indirect calorimetry find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, so use it to compare activities rather than as a ledger to eat back.

Calories burned hiit

Energy used during hiit, computed from its metabolic equivalent of 11. The table below covers common weights and durations if you would rather not enter anything.

Result

These are estimates from population-level equations, not a measurement of you and not medical advice. Individual results vary widely. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to how you eat or train.

The MET value and where it comes from

MET value: 11
Compendium code: 02214
Listed as: High intensity interval exercise, burpees, mountain climbers, squat jumps, Tabata, vigorous effort
Category: Gym and studio

At 11 METs, hiit is toward the demanding end relative to the full range of activities the Compendium lists, which runs from 1.0 for sitting quietly to above 20 for elite competition.

kcal = MET × kg × h
     = 11 × weight × hours

net of resting:
kcal = (11 − 1) × weight × hours

Source: Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. "2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities." Journal of Sport and Health Science 13(1), 2024, pp. 6–12. MET values are population averages; roughly 18% of Compendium entries are estimated rather than measured.

Gross and net differ by roughly one MET per hour. For hiit at 11 METs, that means about 91 per cent of the total is genuinely attributable to the activity.

Accuracy is limited by what a MET value can represent. It is one number standing in for everyone doing hiit, and real cost shifts with how hard you work, how efficient you are, and the conditions.

Calories burned by body weight and duration

Gross energy in kilocalories. Read across from your weight and down from your duration. A 70 kg person uses about 770 kcal an hour, of which roughly 700 is above what resting would have cost.

Calories burned by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	20 min	30 min	45 min	60 min	90 min
55 kg	151	202	303	454	605	908
65 kg	179	238	358	536	715	1,073
75 kg	206	275	413	619	825	1,238
85 kg	234	312	468	701	935	1,403
95 kg	261	348	523	784	1,045	1,568
110 kg	303	403	605	908	1,210	1,815

Compared with related activities

Energy used per thirty minutes at 70 kg, so the activities are directly comparable.

Comparison with related activities
Activity	METs	kcal / 30 min
HIIT	11	385
Circuit training	6	210
Calisthenics	7.5	263
Jump rope, fast	12.3	431
Running at 11 km/h	11	385
Stationary cycling	6.8	238

Questions

How many calories does hiit burn?: At 11 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 385 kcal in thirty minutes. Energy use scales with body weight, so a 90 kg person uses roughly a third more for the same session.
What is the MET value for hiit?: 11 METs, listed under Compendium code 02214. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate.
Should I subtract my resting metabolism?: If you are adding this to a maintenance figure that already includes rest, yes. The net figure removes the roughly one MET-hour per hour your body would have spent anyway, which for hiit leaves about 91 per cent of the gross total.
Why does body weight change the answer?: A MET value is energy per kilogram of body mass, so the same activity costs more for a heavier body. That is why weight is an input rather than an assumption, and why generic calories-burned figures without a weight are close to meaningless.
How accurate is this figure?: It is an estimate from a population average. Published comparisons against indirect calorimetry find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, so use it to compare activities rather than as a ledger to eat back.