Estimate hamstring curl calories burned from body weight, effort level, and workout time or sets, reps, tempo, rest, and kcal/min.

Hamstring Curl Calories Burned Calculator

Enter body weight plus either workout time or sets and reps.
Time
Sets & reps
Estimated calories burned
0 kcal
Result
Rate
0 kcal/min
Total time
0 min
Energy
0 kJ

Hamstring Curl Calories Burned Formula

Time mode uses a single MET value across the whole session:

kcal = MET * 3.5 * weight_kg / 200 * minutes

Sets and reps mode separates working time from rest time and applies a lower MET while you rest:

kcal = (MET_active * t_active + 1.5 * t_rest) * 3.5 * weight_kg / 200
  • MET — metabolic equivalent of the chosen effort level
  • weight_kg — body weight in kilograms (lb is converted at 0.4536)
  • minutes — total session time in minutes
  • t_active — sets × reps × tempo seconds, converted to minutes
  • t_rest — (sets − 1) × rest between sets, converted to minutes

The 3.5 ml/kg/min term is resting oxygen uptake and 200 converts liters of O₂ to kilocalories. Rest periods are scored at 1.5 MET, the standard light-seated value. The result is an estimate; actual burn varies with technique, range of motion, and individual metabolism.

Reference Values

MET values used by the effort selector, based on the Compendium of Physical Activities entries for resistance training:

Effort level MET Typical use
Light / warm-up 3.0 Empty machine, activation reps
Moderate strength sets 3.8 8–12 reps, full rest
Hard / heavy sets 5.0 Near-failure sets, heavy load
Vigorous circuit 6.0 Short rests, supersets, high reps

Approximate calories per 10 minutes of moderate (3.8 MET) hamstring curls:

Body weight 10 min 20 min 30 min
130 lb (59 kg) 39 kcal 79 kcal 118 kcal
160 lb (73 kg) 48 kcal 97 kcal 145 kcal
190 lb (86 kg) 57 kcal 115 kcal 172 kcal
220 lb (100 kg) 66 kcal 133 kcal 199 kcal

Example and FAQ

Worked example. A 180 lb lifter does 4 sets of 10 reps at a 3 second tempo with 60 second rests on the moderate setting (3.8 MET). Active time is 4 × 10 × 3 / 60 = 2.0 min. Rest time is 3 × 60 / 60 = 3.0 min. Total session is 5.0 min. Body weight in kg is 81.6. Calories = (3.8 × 2.0 + 1.5 × 3.0) × 3.5 × 81.6 / 200 ≈ 17 kcal.

Why is the number low? Hamstring curls are an isolation movement on a single joint. Even hard sets only burn a few calories each. Compound lifts and circuits move much more total mass.

Should I include rest time? Use sets and reps mode if rest matters and time mode if you want a quick total based on minutes spent training. The two modes will not match exactly because rest time is scored at 1.5 MET.

Seated vs lying curl? The MET value is the same in published tables. Use the same effort level for either machine.