How Many Calories Do You Burn On A Treadmill?
Treadmills are designed to mimic walking, jogging, and running while not leaving the privacy of your home or while working out at the gym.
While offering exercise very similar to walking, jogging, and running outside, the actual exercise is somewhat different on both motorized and manual treadmills.
Since many people use treadmills for cardio workouts, they also wonder of how many calories one burns on a treadmill.
Published: September 28, 2022.
Motorized vs. Manual Treadmill
A motorized electric treadmill features an electric motor that moves the treadmill tread/belt under, allowing a great speed range.
And if the treadmill features an automatic incline, the treadmill can imitate walking, jogging, and running in a real environment, for example, running the Boston Marathon at home.
Manual treadmills, on the other hand, must be set at a specific incline so that the user's actions push the treadmill belt at the desired speed.
Obviously, manual treadmills are very limited in terms of different walking/running speeds and variable incline.
Why does it matter?
Well, when calculating burned calories, one must take into account many details, including walking/running speed, a trainee (age, gender, fitness level, weight, etc.), incline, etc.
Most treadmills simply ignore these values and calculate burned calories based on the treadmill power requirement/belt speed and perhaps the trainee's weight.
Obviously, such calculations are not accurate, but they are good for comparing the trainee's progress over time.
More expensive treadmills, especially commercial models, use much more information about the trainees and workout conditions (speed, incline) and provide much more accurate calorie burn values.
So, what to do when such treadmills are not available? Use the table of the calories burned per hour per kg of body weight for various activities, walking, jogging, and running, of course, included:
| Type of Activity | Calories Burned per Hour per KG of Body Weight |
| Aerobics, general | 6.5 |
| Aerobics, low impact | 5.0 |
| Aerobics, high impact | 7.0 |
| Aerobics, step aerobics | 8.5 |
| Aerobics, instructing class | 6.0 |
| Aerobics, water aerobics | 4.0 |
| Archery | 3.5 |
| Backpacking, hiking with a backpack | 7.0 |
| Badminton | 4.5 |
| Ballet, twist, jazz, tap | 4.5 |
| Ballroom dancing, slow | 3.0 |
| Ballroom dancing, fast | 5.5 |
| Basketball, competitive game | 8.0 |
| Basketball, non game playing | 6.0 |
| Basketball, shooting baskets | 4.5 |
| Billiards | 2.5 |
| Body building, weight lifting, light workout | 3.0 |
| Body building, weight lifting, vigorous | 6.0 |
| Boxing, ring | 12.0 |
| Boxing, punching bag | 6.0 |
| Boxing, sparring | 9.0 |
| Bowling | 3.0 |
| Calisthenics, light | 3.5 |
| Calisthenics, vigorous, situps, pushups ... | 8.0 |
| Canoeing, camping trip | 4.0 |
| Canoeing, rowing, light | 3.0 |
| Canoeing, rowing, moderate | 7.0 |
| Canoeing, rowing, vigorous | 12.0 |
| Carrying infant, level ground | 3.5 |
| Carrying infant, upstairs | 5.0 |
| Carrying 7 - 11 kg, upstairs | 6.0 |
| Carrying 11 - 22 kg, upstairs | 8.0 |
| Carrying small children, level ground | 4.0 |
| Climbing hills, carrying up to 4 kg | 7.0 |
| Climbing hills, carrying 4.5 - 9 kg | 7.5 |
| Climbing hills, carrying 9.5 - 19 kg | 8.0 |
| Climbing hills, carrying more than 19 kg | 9.0 |
| Circuit training, minimal rest | 8.0 |
| Cricket | 5.0 |
| Cross country snow skiing, slow | 7.0 |
| Cross country snow skiing, moderate | 8.0 |
| Cross country snow skiing, vigorous | 9.0 |
| Cross country snow skiing, racing | 14.0 |
| Cross country snow skiing, uphill | 16.5 |
| Curling | 4.0 |
| Cycling, mountain bike, bmx | 8.5 |
| Cycling, < 16 km/h, leisure bicycling | 4.0 |
| Cycling, 16 - 19 km/h, light | 6.0 |
| Cycling, 19 - 22 km/h, moderate | 8.0 |
| Cycling, 22 - 25 km/h, vigorous | 10.0 |
| Cycling, 25 - 30 km/h, very fast, racing | 12.0 |
| Cycling, > 30 km/h, racing | 16.0 |
| Cycling, stationary, very light | 3.0 |
| Cycling, stationary, light | 5.5 |
| Cycling, stationary, moderate | 7.0 |
| Cycling, stationary, vigorous | 10.5 |
| Cycling, stationary, very vigorous | 12.5 |
| Darts | 2.5 |
| Fencing | 6.0 |
| Football, competitive match | 9.0 |
| Football, general | 8.0 |
| Frisbee, general playing | 3.0 |
| Frisbee, ultimate frisbee | 8.0 |
| Gardening, general | 4.0 |
| Gardening, cultivating, weeding | 4.5 |
| General housework | 3.5 |
| Golf, general | 4.5 |
| Golf, walking and carrying clubs | 4.5 |
| Golf, miniature golf | 3.0 |
| Golf, using power cart | 3.5 |
| Gymnastics | 4.0 |
| Handball, team | 8.0 |
| Hiking, cross country | 6.0 |
| Hockey, field hockey | 8.0 |
| Hockey, ice hockey | 8.0 |
| Horseback riding, general | 4.0 |
| Horseback riding, saddling a horse | 3.5 |
| Horseback riding, grooming a horse | 3.5 |
| Horseback riding, trotting | 6.5 |
| Horseback riding, walking | 2.5 |
| Horseback riding, galloping | 8.0 |
| Ice skating, < 15 km/h | 5.5 |
| Ice skating, moderate | 7.0 |
| Ice skating, fast | 9.0 |
| Ice skating, competitive | 15.0 |
| Jumping rope, fast | 12.0 |
| Jumping rope, moderate | 10.0 |
| Jumping rope, slow | 8.0 |
| Kayaking | 5.0 |
| Lacrosse | 8.0 |
| Loading / unloading car | 3.0 |
| Marching, military style, rapid | 6.5 |
| Martial Arts | 10.0 |
| Mowing lawn, walk, power mower | 5.5 |
| Mowing lawn, riding mower | 2.5 |
| Paddleball, playing | 6.0 |
| Paddleball, competitive match | 10.0 |
| Playing with children, standing, light | 2.8 |
| Playing with children, walk, run, moderate | 4.0 |
| Playing with children, walk, run, vigorous | 5.0 |
| Polo | 8.0 |
| Rock climbing, ascending rock | 11.0 |
| Rock climbing, rappelling | 8.0 |
| Roller blading, in-line skating | 12.0 |
| Roller skating | 7.0 |
| Rowing machine, light | 3.5 |
| Rowing machine, moderate | 7.0 |
| Rowing machine, vigorous | 8.5 |
| Rowing machine, very vigorous | 12.0 |
| Rugby | 10.0 |
| Running, 8 km/h (12 minutes per mile) | 8.0 |
| Running, 10 km/h (10 minutes per mile) | 10.0 |
| Running, 12 km/h (8 minutes per mile) | 12.5 |
| Running, 16 km/h (6 minutes per mile) | 16.0 |
| Running, cross country | 9.0 |
| Running, general | 8.0 |
| Running, upstairs | 15.0 |
| Skateboarding | 5.0 |
| Ski machine | 7.0 |
| Sky diving | 3.0 |
| Snow shoveling | 8.0 |
| Soccer, competitive match | 10.0 |
| Soccer, playing | 7.0 |
| Softball, general | 5.0 |
| Softball, pitching | 6.0 |
| Squash | 12.0 |
| Stair machine | 9.0 |
| Stretching, hatha yoga | 4.0 |
| Stretching, mild | 2.5 |
| Swimming, freestyle, fast | 10.0 |
| Swimming, freestyle, slow | 7.0 |
| Swimming, backstroke | 7.0 |
| Swimming, breaststroke | 10.0 |
| Swimming, leisurely | 6.0 |
| Swimming, sidestroke | 8.0 |
| Table tennis, ping-pong | 4.0 |
| Tai chi chuan | 4.0 |
| Tennis, playing | 7.0 |
| Tennis, doubles | 6.0 |
| Tennis, singles | 8.0 |
| Track and field (shot, discus) | 4.0 |
| Track and field (high jump, pole vault) | 6.0 |
| Track and field (hurdles) | 10.0 |
| Trampoline | 3.5 |
| Volleyball, beach | 8.0 |
| Volleyball, competitive | 8.0 |
| Volleyball, playing | 3.0 |
| Walking downstairs | 3.0 |
| Walking, under 3.0 km/h, very slow | 2.0 |
| Walking, 3.0 km/h, slow | 2.5 |
| Walking, 4.0 km/h | 3.0 |
| Walking, 5.0 km/h, moderate | 3.5 |
| Walking, 6.0 km/h, brisk pace | 4.2 |
| Walking, 6.0 km/h, uphill | 6.0 |
| Walking, 7.0 km/h | 6.3 |
| Water jogging | 8.0 |
| Water polo | 10.0 |
| Wrestling | 6.0 |
Note: these values are just approximate values since we are all different. But, they give the trainee the sense of burned calories while working out on a treadmill, too.
Example:
If a 100kg (~220 pounds) trainee walks at a moderate pace (5.0 km/h, ~3 mph) for 2 hours, the trainee will burn:
Cal = 100 kg * 3.5 kcal/kgh * 2h = 700 kcal
Maybe 700 kcal doesn't look much, but if this exercise is performed every day, that is 21000 kcal per month or ~3kg of burned fat tissue.
And in combination with proper nutrition, 2 hours of treadmill per day at a moderate pace can do wonders, especially for beginners.
While running faster burns much more calories at any given time, but it is much harder to burn plenty of calories due to the limited time that such exercise can be performed.
For example, if a 100kg (~220 pounds) trainee runs a mile at a pace of 16 km/h (10 mph, 6 minutes per mile), the trainee will burn 16 kcal/kgh, but the total burned calories will be:
Cal = 100 kg * 16 kcal/kgh * 0.1h = 160 kcal
And if You can run a mile in 6 minutes and repeat that five times per hour (6 minutes running, 6 minutes taking a break), that would be 800 kcal per hour.
Don't get me wrong, but if You want to burn plenty of calories without overstressing your body, then simply walk.
However, if You want to increase your strength and stamina, be sure to run from time to time at a pace according to your health and performance requirements.
