Climbing Caloriie

1. Enter your "Hiking Base Intensity," "Elevation Gain (m)," "Ascent Time," "Descent Time," and "Descent Intensity."
2. The "Calories Burned," "Breakdown (Ascent/Descent)," and "Fat Burned" will be displayed.

What Is Calorie Expenditure in Hiking?

Calorie expenditure in hiking refers to the amount of energy burned while ascending and descending mountain trails. Unlike walking or running on flat ground, factors such as elevation gain, slope, terrain changes, and backpack weight significantly increase calorie burn for the same distance.

Characteristics

1. High Intensity During Ascent
   Fighting gravity to lift your body engages more muscles (especially legs, glutes, and core) and raises your heart rate. While flat walking has a METs (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) of about 3.0, moderate hiking ranges around 7.0.
2. Surprising Calorie Burn During Descent
   Descending feels easier but still burns energy as your quadriceps and knee muscles act as brakes (typically 4.0–5.0 METs).
3. Backpack Weight Increases Expenditure
   For every 10% increase in body weight from your backpack, calorie burn rises by several percent.
4. Impact of Elevation Gain
   Greater elevation gain increases ascent intensity and METs, drastically changing calorie burn even for the same duration.

Calculation Method (METs)

The most common method uses METs:

Calories Burned (kcal) = METs × Weight (kg) × Time (h)

• Moderate hiking (with elevation gain): ~7.0 METs
• Adjust METs for elevation: METs + (Elevation Gain / 1000m × 1.5)
• Separate calculations for ascent/descent improve accuracy

Example

• Weight: 60kg
• Ascent: 3 hours (800m elevation gain → Adjusted METs 8.2)
• Descent: 2 hours (4.5 METs)

Ascent: 8.2 × 60 × 3 = 1,476 kcal

Descent: 4.5 × 60 × 2 = 540 kcal

Total: 1,476 + 540 = 2,016 kcal

Hiking calorie calculation is based on Base METs × Weight × Time, with adjustments for elevation gain, backpack weight, and ascent/descent differences to improve accuracy. Details below.

1. Basic Formula (METs)

METs measures exercise intensity as a multiple of resting energy expenditure (1 MET = resting rate).

Formula:
Calories (kcal) = METs × Weight (kg) × Time (h)

Example:
• METs: 7.0 (moderate hike)
• Weight: 60kg
• Time: 3h
7.0 × 60 × 3 = 1,260 kcal

2. Standard METs for Hiking (NIH Compendium)

3. Elevation Gain Adjustment

Elevation increases muscle load, requiring METs adjustments.

Adjustment Formula:
Adjusted METs = Base METs + (Elevation Gain [m] / 1000) × 1.5

Example:
• Base METs: 7.0
• Elevation Gain: 800m
7.0 + (800 / 1000) × 1.5 = 8.2 METs

4. Separate Ascent/Descent Calculations

Calorie burn differs for ascent/descent. Descent typically uses 50–60% of ascent METs.

• Ascent METs: Base + elevation adjustment (e.g., 8.2)
• Descent METs: 4.0–5.0 (varies by weight/backpack)

Calculate separately and sum.

Example:
• Ascent: 8.2 METs × 60kg × 3h = 1,476 kcal
• Descent: 4.5 METs × 60kg × 2h = 540 kcal
• Total: 2,016 kcal

5. Backpack Weight Impact

Heavier backpacks increase expenditure. Roughly, every 10% of body weight added raises calories burned by ~5%.

Adjustment Formula:
Adjusted Calories = Calories × {1 + 0.05 × (Backpack Weight [kg] / (Body Weight [kg] / 10))}

6. Calculation Steps Summary

1. Select base METs (6.0–9.0)
2. Adjust for elevation gain (+1.5 × elevation in km)
3. Set ascent/descent times and METs
4. Calculate "METs × Weight × Time" for each
5. Adjust for backpack weight if needed
6. Sum ascent/descent for total calories