An 8x400m interval session takes 27 minutes, covers 3.2 km of hard running and leaves you genuinely tired. Three pints of lager after that session contain 645 kcal - roughly the equivalent of 2.4 bread rolls and 65 minutes of 8 km/h running to offset. Add two cans of cola and you load 70 grams of sugar on top, which is 280% of the daily limit the WHO recommends. The track workout was the easy part.
The numbers are not obvious until you line them up. That is what these three calculators do: they take the vague sense of "this is probably not great" and turn it into specific quantities you can actually compare.
Building an interval session from scratch
Interval training is not complicated, but the rest periods make or break it. Run too short a recovery and you fade by rep 5. Too long and you lose the aerobic stimulus that makes intervals worthwhile.
The standard approach uses work-to-rest ratios that scale with distance. Short reps need equal rest. Longer reps need proportionally less.
| Rep distance | Work:rest ratio (jog) | Example: 4:30/km pace |
|---|---|---|
| 200 m | 1:1 | 54 sec work, 54 sec rest |
| 400 m | 1:1 | 1:48 work, 1:48 rest |
| 800 m | 1:0.75 | 3:36 work, 2:42 rest |
| 1000 m | 1:0.67 | 4:30 work, 3:01 rest |
| 1600 m | 1:0.5 | 7:12 work, 3:36 rest |
Recovery type matters too. Jogging between reps keeps your heart rate elevated and shortens the total session. Walking gives more recovery but extends the clock. Standing rest is for pure speed work where you need full neuromuscular recovery between efforts.
A typical workout: 8 reps of 400 m at 4:30/km pace with jogging recovery. Each rep takes 1:48. Rest between reps: 1:48 of easy jogging. Total session time: 27 minutes. Total running distance: 3.2 km. Active time: 14:24. Rest time: 12:36.
The Interval Training Calculator builds this plan automatically. Pick the rep distance, enter your target pace, set the number of reps and the recovery type. It outputs a series-by-series breakdown with cumulative time, so you know exactly where you should be at rep 5 of 8.
Beginners should start with 4-6 reps of 400 m. Add one rep per week. Once you can handle 10x400 comfortably, move up to 800 m reps and drop back to 5-6 reps. The progression is distance, then volume - never both at once.
The invisible calories in your glass
Alcohol has 7.1 kcal per gram of pure ethanol. That is almost double the calorie density of protein or carbohydrates (4 kcal/g) and not far behind fat (9 kcal/g). But unlike fat, protein or carbs, ethanol provides zero nutrition. No vitamins, no minerals, no amino acids. Your body processes it as a priority, pausing fat oxidation until every gram is cleared.
A single pint of 5% lager (500 ml) contains 19.7 grams of ethanol and 215 kcal. Three pints: 59.2 grams and 645 kcal. That is roughly the same as eating 8 slices of Gouda cheese. Or running for 65 minutes at 8 km/h. Nobody would eat 8 slices of cheese after a workout without thinking about it, but three pints barely registers as a calorie event.
| Drink | Volume | ABV | Calories | Ethanol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lager (1 pint) | 500 ml | 5% | 215 kcal | 19.7 g |
| IPA (1 pint) | 500 ml | 6.5% | 278 kcal | 25.7 g |
| Red wine (1 glass) | 150 ml | 13.5% | 127 kcal | 16.0 g |
| Vodka (double shot) | 50 ml | 40% | 112 kcal | 15.8 g |
| Prosecco (1 glass) | 150 ml | 12% | 119 kcal | 14.2 g |
The surprise for most people is that beer is not the worst offender per serving. A pint of IPA at 6.5% hits 278 kcal. But a glass of wine at 150 ml is only 127. The problem with beer is volume. Nobody stops at 150 ml of lager. Three pints is 1,500 ml. Three glasses of wine is 450 ml. The serving size is the real calorie multiplier.
The Alcohol Calories Calculator handles 16 drink types. Select the type, enter the volume and the number of servings. It returns total kcal, grams of ethanol, a per-serving breakdown and everyday food equivalents you can actually picture - bread rolls, minutes of running, teaspoons of sugar equivalent.
Two cans of cola, 280% of the WHO sugar limit
The World Health Organization recommends no more than 25 grams of free sugars per day. That is roughly 6 teaspoons. A single 330 ml can of Coca-Cola contains 35 grams - already 140% of the limit. Two cans: 70 grams, 280%. Before lunch.
The gap between what people expect and what products actually contain is enormous.
| Product | Serving | Sugar (g) | Teaspoons | % of WHO limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola / Pepsi | 330 ml can | 35.0 | 8.8 | 140% |
| Orange juice 100% | 250 ml glass | 22.5 | 5.6 | 90% |
| Energy drink | 250 ml can | 27.5 | 6.9 | 110% |
| Fruit yogurt | 150 g pot | 18.0 | 4.5 | 72% |
| Ketchup | 1 tbsp (15 ml) | 3.6 | 0.9 | 14% |
| Granola | 50 g serving | 11.0 | 2.8 | 44% |
Orange juice is the one that catches people off guard. It is marketed as healthy, and it does contain vitamins, but a 250 ml glass has 22.5 grams of sugar - 90% of the WHO limit. The WHO counts juice sugars as "free sugars" regardless of whether the juice is freshly squeezed. The fibre that slows sugar absorption in whole fruit is removed during juicing.
Dried fruit is another trap. 100 grams of dried cranberries contain roughly 72 grams of sugar. The same weight of fresh cranberries has about 4 grams. Dehydration concentrates everything.
The Sugar Content Calculator covers 50+ products across six categories: drinks, dairy, sweets, sauces, breakfast cereals and fruit. Select a product, set the number of servings and see grams, teaspoons, sugar cubes and a progress bar against the WHO 25 g limit. The bar turns red faster than most people expect.
The Friday equation
Here is a fairly normal Friday for someone who trains: a track session in the morning, a few beers after work, a cola with dinner. The numbers:
- Morning: 8x400m intervals, 27 min, ~350-400 kcal burned (depending on weight)
- Evening: 3 pints of lager = 645 kcal consumed, 59 g ethanol
- Dinner: 2 cans of cola = 280 kcal, 70 g sugar (280% WHO limit)
Total evening intake from drinks alone: 925 kcal and 70 grams of sugar. The morning workout did not even come close to offsetting the evening drinks. And the sugar load happened in addition to the alcohol calories - they stack, they do not replace each other.
None of this means you should not enjoy a Friday evening. It means the numbers should be visible. Most people underestimate liquid calories by 30-50% because drinks do not trigger the same satiety signals as solid food.
Tools discussed in this article
Interval Training Calculator - Pick your rep distance (200-2000 m), enter the target pace, set the number of reps and recovery type. Get a series-by-series plan with timed rest intervals.
Alcohol Calories Calculator - Select from 16 drink types, enter the volume and number of servings. See total kcal, ethanol grams and food equivalents.
Sugar Content Calculator - Choose from 50+ products across six categories. See sugar in grams, teaspoons, cubes and as a percentage of the WHO 25 g daily limit.
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Check for a specific amount
- Alcohol calories 330 ml - one beer
- Alcohol calories 500 ml - large pint
- BAC at 80 kg - blood alcohol after drinks