How this calculator works
A burpee combines a squat, a plank, a push-up and a jump, so it uses large muscle groups at a high rate. The metabolic equivalent, or MET, expresses the effort as a multiple of resting energy use. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities gives 7.5 METs for vigorous calisthenics including burpees and 11.0 METs for burpee-based high-intensity interval work, so this page brackets the result between those values and reports the midpoint. Calories come from the MET value, body mass and time: one MET is about 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram per minute, and each litre of oxygen releases roughly 5 kcal. The count and cadence set the duration, so a slower pace lowers the total even though the effort per minute may be similar.
Formula
kcal/min = MET x 3.5 x body mass (kg) / 200. Minutes = burpees / burpees per minute. Calories = kcal/min x minutes, evaluated at 7.5, 9.25 and 11.0 METs. Energy is shown in kcal and kJ.
Worked example
One hundred burpees at 20 per minute take 5 minutes. An 80 kg person burns 7.5 x 3.5 x 80 / 200 = 10.5 kcal/min at the low effort, 12.95 at the mean and 15.4 at the high effort. Over 5 minutes the range is 52.5 to 77 kcal, with a mean of about 65 kcal.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is the result a range?
Burpees vary in pace, depth, whether the chest touches the floor and whether there is a push-up. The Compendium gives different values for vigorous calisthenics and burpee-based interval training, so a range is more honest than one number.
Does the calculator use my count or my time?
It uses the count divided by your cadence to find the time. If you know your exact duration, set the cadence to the count divided by the minutes.
Are these calories net of resting use?
No. They are gross energy expenditure at the given MET, which already includes the energy you would have used at rest. The net cost is smaller by about one MET per minute.