Calories Burned Swimming Calculator

Swimming Calculator: How It Works?

The calculator uses your weight, swimming duration, swimming style, distance covered, and type to calculate the estimated calories burned. You have to enter all this information in the tool to get a value.

You can also refer to the MET (Metabolic Equivalent) value to calculate your energy expenditure. Here’s the formula:

Calories Burned (per minute) = (MET x 3.5 x weight in kilogram) / 200

The metabolic equivalent is based on the pace used while swimming. This means the faster you swim the more likely you are to burn your calories and the higher would be your MET. It is a standard that has already been calculated by physiologists (1).

How Many Calories Does Swimming Burn?

Calories burned during swimming depend upon the metabolic equivalent (MET) and also the duration.

The following table illustrates the MET values and the number of calories burned as per the guidelines by the CDC and The American College of Sports Medicine (2):

Note that these values are estimated for an average adult weighing 70 Kg (154 pounds). The chart is applicable for men (30-50 years) and women (20-40 years).

Swimming (freestyle, fast, and vigorous), in general, burns around 590 calories for a person weighing 130 pounds. Whereas a person weighing 155 pounds may burn 704 calories (3).

The next section highlights the calories a person may burn per hour. Scroll down.

Estimated Calories Burned Per Hour

The table lists the number of calories a person may burn per hour, as per their activity levels (3):

It is important to note that caloric burn during swimming is affected by several factors that vary from person to person. Learn more about it in the next section.

Factors Influencing Caloric Burn

The following factors will help you get a clearer picture of how many calories you actually burn while in the water. :

• Stroke Intensity: More vigorous strokes, such as the butterfly or freestyle, generally burn more calories than slower strokes, like the breaststroke or backstroke.
• Heart Rate: A higher heart rate indicates greater intensity and higher calorie burn. You can use heart rate monitors to gauge your effort level.
• Duration: The longer you swim, the more calories you will burn.
• Age: Younger individuals tend to have higher metabolic rates and burn more calories at rest and while swimming.
• Fitness Level: Individuals with higher fitness levels may burn more calories due to increased muscle mass and efficiency.

Keep reading to check out the answers to the most common questions related to swimming for weight loss and calorie burning.

How Many Calories Does Breaststroke Burn Per Hour?

Breaststroke can help burn anywhere between 590-863 calories per hour and 300-500 calories every 30 minutes, depending on the person’s weight and speed (3).

Breaststroke Vs. Backstroke: Which One Burns More Calories?

Breaststroke is more effective and burns more calories compared to backstroke (3). However, the amount of calories burned during swimming also depends on speed and intensity.

How Much Weight Loss Is Possible With Swimming?

The amount of weight loss depends on the weight and age of the person and the duration and intensity of swimming. A study found that swimming for 30 minutes at a moderate intensity, three times a week could help shed 1.4% of the body weight in 6 months (4).

How Long Does It Take To See Results From Swimming?

You may expect to start seeing results after a month. However, do not expect quick results. You have to be consistent. Swimming regularly for an hour is beneficial for losing weight and improving overall toning and flexibility in the long run.

Running Or Swimming: Which One Burns The Most Calories?

For a person weighing 130 lbs, running (general) can help burn 472 calories in an hour, while swimming (breaststroke, general) burns 590 calories (3). These are both effective exercises to burn calories, though several factors might impact the results, including the intensity, speed, surface (on which a person runs), stroke style, and duration. Both are excellent ways to lose weight and tone the body. Running may not be practical for overweight or obese people. Swimming might be suitable for them as water plays an important role in providing resistance and buoyancy, which won’t stress out the joints, as they don’t have to bear any extra weight or pressure (5).

How Much Swimming EqualsTo Running A Mile?

A mile on land is 1609 meters. However, when comparing it to swimming, you have to consider the laps. If you are swimming in a pool that is 25 meters long, it will take 64.4 laps to cover a distance of a metric mile (1500-1600 meters).

The strokes used during swimming matter a lot and work on different muscles in your body. Let’s find out in the next section.

Swimming Strokes And Muscle Workouts

Here’s an overview of the stroke styles and the muscles they target:

• Breaststroke:chest, back of shoulders, quads, and calves.
• Backstroke: trapezoids, quads, middle and upper back, and glutes.
• Freestyle swimming: triceps, biceps, forearms, chest, quads, neck, middle and upper back.
• Butterfly stroke: neck, abs, chest, shoulders, upper back, lower back, calves, lateral hamstring, quads, and trapezoids.

Swimming is an all-round activity and is also suitable for beginners. If you are a beginner, these workouts will be helpful to get used to swimming at the required pace. Here’s a guide to swimming lengths for beginners:

Swim Workouts For Beginners: 500 Yards

• 4 x 25-yard – warm-up
• 2 x 25-yard: freestyle with 40 seconds rest in between each lap
• 2 x 25-yard: swim at your pace with your kicks of choice and one minute rest between each lap.
• 2 x 25-yard: backstroke with 50 seconds rest in between each lap.
• 2 x 25-yard: breaststroke kick with one minute rest in between each lap.
• 2 x 25-yard: Swim at an average pace with your kicks of choice
• 2 x 25-yard: Swim at an easy pace to cool down.

You can gain a lot of benefits by incorporating swimming into your exercise routine. Scroll down to learn more:

Benefits Of Swimming

1. May Help You Relax: If done regularly swimming may help lower stress levels, anxiety, and depression.
2. Helps Maintain Overall Well-Being: Just indulging in 30 minutes of swimming three times a week, coupled with a balanced diet is one of the best ways to stay healthy, active, and have a positive mental outlook.
3. Helps Tone The Body: Swimming is an excellent way to tone muscles, improve flexibility, and enhance muscle strength compared to other aerobic exercises. It’s because swimming involves all the muscle groups to help you propel through the water. It is also helpful in improving bone strength in post-menopausal women.
4. Helps You Lose Weight: Swimming is perhaps the most effective way to burn calories. Even leisurely swimming at an easy pace for an hour helps burn 354-518 calories (3).
5. Helps Boost Energy Levels:Inactivity leads to a sluggish metabolism, as a result, you feel tired all day long. Swimming for only 30 minutes three days a week may help boost your metabolic rate, which keeps you feeling energetic.
6. May Help Relieve Pain: Swimming is easy on the joints and is a good way to keep them moving and healthy. It may also help relieve certain types of aches and back problems. It benefits people with joint issues like arthritis, as the water provides resistance and support to the joints.
7. May Keep Your Heart Healthy: Swimming is a great form of cardiovascular exercise. Just 30 minutes of swimming daily helps improve your heart’s efficiency, boosts blood circulation, and lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.
8. Improves Sleep: Swimming helps improve your sleeping habits. It helps reduce anxiety, helps your body decompress, and get prepared for rest. A study found that aerobic exercise could improve sleep for people having difficulty sleeping. Researchers found that six weeks of moderate-intensity aquatic exercise improved sleeping time and reduced musculoskeletal pain (6).

Swimming is a low-impact workout that helps condition your body, boosts metabolism, and burns calories to promote weight loss. If you’re wondering how to burn 3000 calories a day, using this swimming calculator can help you track your calorie expenditure and modify your activity levels, and duration, and type accordingly. If you want to burn more calories, go for butterfly strokes. However, if you want to increase your swim duration and burn calories, backstroke and breaststroke are better suited.