Enter the average calories burned through structured exercise per day. If training 5 days/week, add up the week's total and divide by 7 to get the daily average. Use 0 if unsure or for a rest-day baseline.
EXERCISE CALORIE GUIDE
ACTIVITY TYPE
DURATION
APPROX KCAL BURNED
Strength training
45–60 min
200–350 kcal
Strength training (heavy/high volume)
75–90 min
350–500 kcal
LISS cardio (walking, cycling, elliptical)
30–45 min
150–280 kcal
Moderate run / steady-state cardio
30–45 min
280–400 kcal
HIIT / sprint intervals
20–30 min
250–450 kcal
Long run / endurance cardio
60–90 min
500–800 kcal
Strength + cardio combination session
60–75 min
400–600 kcal
Two-a-days or competition day
Multiple sessions
700–1200+ kcal
Estimates based on a 60–75 kg individual at moderate effort. Heavier clients or higher intensities will burn more.
Tip: If training 5 days/week, multiply a single session by 5 then divide by 7 for the daily average — e.g. 5 × 300 ÷ 7 ≈ 214 kcal/day.
Walking and general daily movement (NEAT — Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is separate from structured training and can add hundreds of calories to daily expenditure. Enter average daily steps if known — a fitness tracker or phone step count works well.
STEPS TO KCAL REFERENCE
DAILY STEPS
ACTIVITY LEVEL
APPROX KCAL (70 KG)
2,000–4,000
Sedentary / desk-based
80–160 kcal
5,000–7,000
Lightly active
200–280 kcal
8,000–10,000
Moderately active
320–400 kcal
12,000–15,000
Active (on feet most of day)
480–600 kcal
18,000–25,000+
Very active (manual labour, hospitality, retail)
720–1000+ kcal
Estimated at ~0.04 kcal/step for a 70 kg individual. Heavier clients burn proportionally more — scale up by roughly 1.5% per kg above 70 kg. Steps from a fitness tracker or phone pedometer are the most reliable source.
Why it matters: A client who walks 12,000 steps/day burns ~480 kcal more than one who walks 2,000 steps — without any structured exercise. Including NEAT gives a far more accurate picture of true energy availability.
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kcal / kg LBM / day
—
Lean Body Mass (kg)
—
Available Energy (kcal) after exercise EE
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Steps NEAT (kcal/day) included in EA
45
Target EA kcal/kg LBM
ENERGY AVAILABILITY STATUS
CALORIES TO REACH OPTIMAL EA
ENERGY AVAILABILITY REFERENCE — FEMALE
EA (kcal/kg LBM/day)
Status
Implication
Note on Exercise EE: If you don't have a precise figure, use these estimates per training session:
LISS cardio 30–45 min ≈ 200–300 kcal · Strength training 60 min ≈ 250–350 kcal · HIIT 30 min ≈ 300–450 kcal · Two-a-days or long cardio > 90 min ≈ 500–800 kcal.
Divide weekly exercise calories by 7 for a daily average.
RED-S WARNING SIGNS
Irregular or absent periods
Stress fractures or recurrent bone injuries
Persistent fatigue unresolved by rest
Difficulty gaining or maintaining muscle
Recurrent illness or slow healing
Low mood, irritability, poor concentration
Significant performance decline
Disordered eating patterns
If two or more of these are present alongside low energy availability, address EA as the immediate priority — before adjusting any other aspect of the programme.
IMPORTANT: WHO RED-S AFFECTS
RED-S is a lean athlete and physique competitor problem. It does not occur in overweight or obese individuals. The reason is straightforward: body fat is stored energy. Someone carrying significant excess fat has a physiological buffer of tens of thousands of calories available at any time — even during a caloric deficit, the body draws on those fat stores to meet critical physiological needs. True cellular energy deficiency does not occur when substantial adipose reserves are present.
RED-S requires the specific combination of: high exercise output + restricted intake + insufficient fat stores to bridge the gap. This is the situation that exists for Category 1 lean athletes (females <17–18% BF, males <10–12% BF) during dieting phases. This tool is most clinically relevant when used with that population.