How Many Calories Does Swimming Burn?

Swimming is a great way to stay in shape and burn calories. But how many calories does swimming actually burn? That depends on a few factors, including your weight, intensity, and duration of your swim. In general, swimming can burn anywhere from 200 to 500 calories per hour.

General swimming

Swimming is a great workout because it’s low-impact and works all of your major muscle groups. But how many calories does swimming burn? That depends on a few factors, including your weight, swimming stroke, and intensity level.

According to HealthStatus, a 140-pound person burns anywhere from 544 to 963 calories per hour swimming laps at a moderate pace. If that same person swims laps at a vigorous pace, they’ll burn 814 to 1,403 calories per hour.

Swimming strokes also affect the number of calories you burn. breaststroke burns the most calories per hour, followed by butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle.

Finally, the intensity level at which you swim will also affect how many calories you burn. If you swim at a leisurely pace, you’ll burn fewer calories than if you swim laps as fast as you can.

Breaststroke

Breaststroke is a bit slower than freestyle, but because you use more muscles, it burns more calories. According to Harvard Health Publishing, a 155-pound person will burn approximately 223 calories swimming breaststroke for just 30 minutes.

Backstroke

Swimming backstroke burns more calories per hour than any other swimming stroke.

A 155-pound person swimming backstroke laps at a moderate pace will burn approximately 590 calories per hour. That same person swimming vigorously will burn approximately 725 calories per hour.

Butterfly

The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving symmetrically, accompanied by the butterfly kick. While other styles like the breaststroke, freestyle, or backstroke can be swum easily even by beginners, the butterfly is a more difficult stroke that is usually swum only by more advanced swimmers. It is the newest swimming style swum in competition, first appearing in 1933 and standardized in 1952.

The main difficulty of the butterfly stroke is coordinating the arms with the legs. While one arm is completing the pull phase under water, the other arm is recovering above water and vice versa. In addition, since both arms are synchronized, both legs must perform a synchronous dolphin kick. This makes the butterfly very different from the breaststroke, where each arm works independently and each leg kicks independently.

Front Crawl

Front Crawl is considered one of the most efficient swimming strokes, as it allows you to cover more distance with less effort. This stroke burns a moderate number of calories, making it a good choice for those looking to lose weight.

Conclusion

Swimming is a great way to burn calories and get in shape, and it can be done year-round. Depending on the intensity and duration of your swim, you can burn anywhere from 100 to 500 calories per hour.

How Many Calories Does Swimming Burn?

Introduction