Activity calories · 2024 Compendium METs

Calories burned on an elliptical trainer

Quick answer

A 70 kg (154 lb) person burns about 175 kcal in 30 minutes of on an elliptical trainer (Moderate effort), and about 350 kcal in an hour. That is 5 METs.

30 minutes: 175kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 350kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 300kcal; 60 kg (132 lb)
1 hour: 400kcal; 80 kg (176 lb)

The Compendium gives an elliptical trainer two ratings, moderate effort and vigorous effort. Machine settings such as resistance, incline and stride rate decide which one your session matches, so the figures bracket a typical workout rather than predicting a console reading.

Calculate calories burned on an elliptical trainer

Starts at 70 kg (154 lb) for 30 minutes of on an elliptical trainer at 5 METs; enter your own weight and time.

Calories burned on an elliptical trainer by weight and time

Kilocalories for on an elliptical trainer at 5 METs (Moderate effort), by body weight and minutes. Read across from your weight; the pace table below shows the other rows.

Calories burned on an elliptical trainer at 5 METs, by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	30 min	45 min	1 hour	1.5 hours	2 hours
50 kg (110 lb)	63	125	188	250	375	500
60 kg (132 lb)	75	150	225	300	450	600
70 kg (154 lb)	88	175	263	350	525	700
80 kg (176 lb)	100	200	300	400	600	800
90 kg (198 lb)	113	225	338	450	675	900
100 kg (220 lb)	125	250	375	500	750	1,000
110 kg (243 lb)	138	275	413	550	825	1,100

On an elliptical trainer: calories by pace or effort

The Compendium rates on an elliptical trainer on 2 lines, from 5 METs (Moderate effort) up to 9 METs (Vigorous effort). Each row below is one of those codes with the calories it works out to.

Calories burned on an elliptical trainer by pace or effort
Pace or effort	Compendium code	METs	30 min, 60 kg (132 lb)	30 min, 70 kg (154 lb)	30 min, 80 kg (176 lb)	1 hour, 70 kg (154 lb)
Moderate effort	02048	5	150	175	200	350
Vigorous effort	02049	9	270	315	360	630

The Compendium’s own wording for each code: 02048, “Elliptical trainer, moderate effort”; 02049, “Elliptical trainer, vigorous effort”.

What changes the number for on an elliptical trainer

Pace is the biggest lever. The hardest listed way of on an elliptical trainer (Vigorous effort) is rated at 9 METs, 1.8 times the 5 METs of the gentlest (Moderate effort). For a 70 kg (154 lb) person that is 630 kcal an hour against 350 kcal.

Body weight is the second: the same 5 METs of on an elliptical trainer for 30 minutes comes to 125 kcal at 50 kg (110 lb) and 275 kcal at 110 kg (243 lb). To reach 100 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) takes about 17 minutes at the starting pace.

Laid out in half-hour terms for 70 kg (154 lb): moderate effort is 175 kcal; vigorous effort is 315 kcal.

How the calories are worked out

The formula is calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET compares an activity with sitting quietly, which is 1 MET and is taken as roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. That equivalence is an approximation, which is why every figure is rounded and called about.

For on an elliptical trainer at 5 METs, a 70 kg (154 lb) person for 30 minutes: 5 × 70 × 0.5 = 175 kcal. This is a gross figure: it includes the energy your body would spend at rest in the same time.

The MET values are those of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024), read from its activity list on 2026-10-23 and copied with their codes. They are averages for adults; see how we calculate.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does a 70 kg person burn on an elliptical trainer in 30 minutes?

About 175 kcal at 5 METs (Moderate effort). The whole range for on an elliptical trainer on this page runs from 175 kcal (Moderate effort) to 315 kcal (Vigorous effort) in the same half hour.

How many calories does on an elliptical trainer burn in an hour?

At 5 METs, about 300 kcal for a 60 kg (132 lb) person, 350 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) and 400 kcal at 80 kg (176 lb). Heavier people burn more because they move more mass.

How long does on an elliptical trainer take to burn 100 calories?

For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, about 17 minutes at 5 METs (Moderate effort). At the gentlest listed pace (Moderate effort, 5 METs) it takes 17 minutes, and at the hardest (Vigorous effort, 9 METs) about 10.

Does the number for on an elliptical trainer include the calories I would burn anyway?

Yes. Of the 5 METs, 1 is the resting cost, about 20% of the total here, so the activity itself adds about 140 of the 175 kcal in 30 minutes at 70 kg (154 lb).

Why would my watch show a different number for on an elliptical trainer?

A watch uses its own model, often with heart rate, age and sex, while this page uses the Compendium’s average. For on an elliptical trainer that average already spans 2 entries from 5 to 9 METs, a 1.8-fold range, so a gap between the two is normal.

Which line in the table should I choose for on an elliptical trainer?

Pick the row that best describes how you did it: this page starts from “Moderate effort”, about 0% of the way up the 5 to 9 MET range. The rows are separate Compendium entries (02048, 02049).

Put the number next to what you eat

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These are estimates for healthy adults from average MET values. How much you actually burn varies with your fitness, body composition, technique, terrain and conditions, so use the figures as a guide, not a measurement. This is not medical advice.