Calorie Calculation

Calories (or kcal) are a measure of the energy you've burned during your activity. Calorie calculations are only estimates and there are many different ways to calculate calories. 

Strava shows Calories as they were provided to us by upload partners. If no value is sent, or you record with the Strava mobile app, we use our own calculations. At this time, Strava only performs a calorie calculation on a ride, run, walk, and hike activities. All other activity types will not display calories unless the upload partner includes the data with the activity upload.

• 3rd Party Calculations
  • There is a wide range of different algorithms and inputs that can be used to estimate Calories. We recommend contacting the 3rd party for specifics on what data they use to estimate Calories.
  • Unlike Strava's own calculation, changes to your Strava weight and activity elevation will have no effect on Caloric total.
  • Changes to settings in 3rd party accounts may not be reflected in Strava.
• Strava's Calculations
  • To get calorie calculations for rides, Strava uses your power output and a coefficient for human efficiency. Power can be estimated if you enter your weight and the weight of your bike, or you can use a power meter to get a more accurate measure of your power output. If you are having trouble getting your Strava Power to calculate, see How to Get Power Calculated on your Rides.
  • To get calories calculations for runs, Strava requires that you enter your weight. Calories for runs are a function of speed (grade adjusted), weight, and moving time. Multiply these together with a scaling factor, and that's the estimate.