How Many Calories Does HIIT Burn?

HIIT calories by weight & duration

The ~562 calories per hour figure is a general estimate for a 155 lb person training at a MET of 8, and your actual burn will be higher or lower depending on your weight, fitness level, and how hard you push each interval. Log your HIIT sessions in the Mariposas app to track calorie estimates over time alongside your other workouts.

Calculated as MET (8) × body weight (kg) × hours. How this works.

What to expect in a hiit class

A typical first session opens with a short dynamic warm-up, then moves into rounds that might pair something like squat jumps or burpees with a lower-demand active rest like marching in place. Work intervals often run anywhere from 20 to 45 seconds, with rest periods that are equal to or slightly shorter than the effort phase. The coach will cue transitions and give form reminders, but the pace moves quickly, so expect to feel slightly disoriented the first time through until the structure becomes familiar.

Tips for your first hiit class

• Scale before you quit. If a jump squat is wrecking your form or your joints, step it out instead. A low-impact version done cleanly through the full interval beats a high-impact version stopped halfway.
• Protect the rest period. Beginners often feel guilty standing during rest, but those seconds exist for a reason. Use them to breathe, shake out your legs, and prepare for the next round rather than moving constantly.
• Watch the clock, not the room. HIIT classes can feel competitive, but comparing yourself to the person next to you in your first session is how you either overtrain or give up. Your effort level relative to your own capacity is the only number that matters.
• Arrive a few minutes early to tell the instructor it's your first class. A good coach will point out modifications before the session starts rather than leaving you to figure them out mid-round.

What affects how many calories hiit burns

The MET value for HIIT sits at 8, which reflects a moderately high output, but your actual calorie burn shifts considerably based on how hard you push during the work intervals. Someone going full effort through every round will burn meaningfully more than someone scaling back to a jog or low-impact substitute. Body weight also plays a direct role, since the 562 cal/hr estimate is calculated for a 155 lb person and the figure climbs or drops proportionally with your own weight.

Three things move your number most: body weight (a heavier body burns more for the same activity, that's why the table runs from 125 to 225 lb), duration (calories scale with time), and intensity. A hiit you push hard burns more than an easy one, because effort is what the MET value of 8 represents, an average for this activity. Your fitness level and how much you rest between efforts shift it too, so treat these as a solid estimate rather than an exact count.

How we calculate hiit calories

Every number here uses the standard energy-expenditure formula: calories ≈ MET × body weight (kg) × time (hours). The MET value of 8 for hiit comes from the published Compendium of Physical Activities, the same reference researchers and fitness trackers use. We convert your weight to kilograms and multiply through, no fudge factors. See our methodology for the full formula and sources.