How this instrument works
Burpees don't have their own dedicated Compendium code — they're a calisthenics exercise, and the Compendium measures calisthenics and interval-style bodyweight training as categories rather than move-by-move. This calculator uses two of those categories: vigorous-effort calisthenics (7.5 MET, code 02020), which covers a hard continuous bodyweight circuit, and HIIT/Tabata-style training (11.0 MET, code 02214), which covers structured high-intensity interval work with brief rest blocks.
The jump from 7.5 to 11.0 MET reflects work-to-rest ratio more than raw effort per rep. A Tabata protocol — 20 seconds of maximum effort, 10 seconds of rest, repeated — packs more total work into a given stretch of clock time than a continuous but sustainable calisthenics set, because the short rest blocks let you push closer to your ceiling on each work interval rather than settling into a pace you could hold indefinitely.
As with the rest of this site's calorie calculators, the underlying formula is kcal = MET x body weight in kilograms x duration in hours, and it estimates energy cost during the workout itself. It doesn't add anything for the afterburn (EPOC) that follows a genuinely hard interval session, and it can't tell a burpee done with strict form from a sloppy one — it's a population-average estimate for the intensity category you select, not a rep-by-rep measurement.
- Select vigorous calisthenics for a continuous bodyweight circuit, or HIIT/Tabata-style for structured work-rest intervals.
- Enter your body weight in kilograms.
- Enter your total workout duration in minutes, including the rest intervals within a Tabata-style session.
- Read the estimated calories burned in kcal for that session.
- For a workout that mixes steady calisthenics with interval blocks, calculate each portion separately and add the totals.
Worked example — vigorous calisthenics, 70 kg, 20 minutes
A 70 kg person doing a 20-minute vigorous bodyweight circuit built around burpees and similar calisthenics moves (7.5 MET, Compendium code 02020): 7.5 x 70 x (20/60) = 175 kcal for that session.
Switch to a shorter, harder Tabata-style protocol — 15 minutes at 11.0 MET for an 80 kg athlete — and the estimate is 11.0 x 80 x 0.25 = 220 kcal: more total calories in a quarter less time, which is the point of packing rest into short structured intervals rather than pacing continuously.
Questions
Why isn't there a specific "burpees" option?
Burpees don't have a standalone Compendium code — the Compendium groups bodyweight exercises like burpees, mountain climbers, and jumping jacks under broader calisthenics and interval-training categories. Choose vigorous calisthenics (7.5 MET) if you're doing a continuous circuit at a hard-but-sustainable pace, or HIIT/Tabata-style (11.0 MET) if you're following a structured work-rest interval protocol like 20-seconds-on-10-seconds-off.
How many calories does a typical 10-minute burpee workout burn?
At vigorous calisthenics intensity (7.5 MET) for a 70 kg person, 10 minutes works out to 7.5 x 70 x (10/60) = 87.5 kcal. At Tabata-style intensity (11.0 MET) the same 10 minutes and body weight comes to 11.0 x 70 x (10/60), about 128.3 kcal — a meaningful difference for the same clock time, driven entirely by how the work-rest structure changes the intensity category.
Does this account for the afterburn after a hard HIIT session?
No. Like the rest of this site's Compendium-based calorie calculators, this estimates energy cost during the workout itself, not the elevated metabolism (EPOC) that follows an intense interval session afterward. A genuinely hard Tabata-style workout likely burns a bit more than shown here once afterburn is factored in, but the Compendium doesn't quantify that effect.
Should I count rest intervals in my duration?
Yes, for the HIIT/Tabata option — its 11.0 MET value was measured across full work-rest cycles, so the built-in rest periods are already reflected in that number. Don't subtract them out; enter your total session time from first work interval to last.
I did a 5-minute burpee-only AMRAP — which intensity fits best?
A short, all-out AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) with continuous effort and minimal planned rest is closer to vigorous calisthenics (7.5 MET) than structured Tabata, since Tabata's 11.0 MET reflects specific short work-rest ratios rather than sustained maximal effort. If in doubt, vigorous calisthenics is the more conservative, and often more accurate, pick for an unstructured all-out effort.