How many calories does tai chi burn?

At 3.3 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 116 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 tai chi?

3.3 METs, listed under Compendium code 15670. 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 tai chi leaves about 70 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 tai chi

Work out how much energy tai chi uses for your body weight and how long you do it. The figure comes from the activity’s metabolic equivalent, published in the Compendium of Physical Activities.

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: 3.3
Compendium code: 15670
Listed as: Tai chi, qi gong, general
Category: Gym and studio

A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate, defined as an oxygen uptake of 3.5 millilitres per kilogram per minute. At 3.3 METs, tai chi costs roughly 3.3 times what your body spends at rest.

kcal = MET × kg × h
     = 3.3 × weight × hours

net of resting:
kcal = (3.3 − 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.

Your body spends energy whether or not you do tai chi. The net figure removes that baseline, and it is the honest number if you are adding this on top of a maintenance estimate.

Read the result as approximate. Published comparisons of MET-derived estimates against indirect calorimetry commonly find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, and tai chi is no exception.

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 231 kcal an hour, of which roughly 161 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	45	61	91	136	182	272
65 kg	54	72	107	161	215	322
75 kg	62	83	124	186	248	371
85 kg	70	94	140	210	281	421
95 kg	78	105	157	235	314	470
110 kg	91	121	182	272	363	545

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
Tai chi	3.3	116
Yoga	2.3	81
Pilates	2.8	98
Walking	3.8	133
Hot yoga	3	105
Stationary cycling	6.8	238

Questions

How many calories does tai chi burn?: At 3.3 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 116 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 tai chi?: 3.3 METs, listed under Compendium code 15670. 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 tai chi leaves about 70 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.