Cadence-to-METs Calculator
Calculate estimated energy expenditure (METs) and intensity from your hiking cadence using the validated Moore equation (2019, CADENCE-Adults study, R²=0.87).
Calculate METs from Cadence
spm
Find Cadence for Target METs
METs
Reference Table: Cadence → METs
| Cadence (spm) | METs | Intensity | kcal/min (70 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 2.0 | Very Light | 2.3 |
| 80 | 2.5 | Light | 2.9 |
| 100 | 3.0 | Moderate (threshold) | 3.5 |
| 110 | 4.1 | Moderate-Brisk | 4.8 |
| 120 | 5.3 | Vigorous-Brisk | 6.2 |
| 130 | 6.6 | Vigorous (threshold) | 7.7 |
| 140 | 7.8 | Very Vigorous | 9.1 |
Methodology
Moore's Equation (2019)
METs = 0.0219 × Cadence (spm) + 0.72
Validation:
- Study: CADENCE-Adults (Tudor-Locke et al., 2019)
- Sample: 156 adults, ages 21-85
- R² = 0.87 (strong correlation)
- 100 spm threshold: 3.0 METs (86% sensitivity, 89.6% specificity)
- 130 spm threshold: 6.0 METs (81.3% sensitivity, 84.7% specificity)
Conversions:
- VO₂ (ml/kg/min): METs × 3.5
- Calories (kcal/min): METs × 3.5 × body weight (kg) / 200