How many calories does swimming burn? Here's the truth

How Many Calories Does Swimming Burn & Why It’s Great for Weight Loss

Imagine an activity that works nearly every muscle in your body, burns calories effectively, and feels as refreshing as it is beneficial. You guessed it – swimming! It’s an exercise that combines cardiovascular and strength training, making it a great choice if you are seeking low-impact weight loss workout options. But how many calories does swimming burn? And what makes it so effective for weight management? This article will explore everything you need to know!

Does Swimming Burn Calories?

The short answer is yes. Swimming isn’t just a fun way to stay active—it’s a powerhouse for burning calories and hitting weight loss goals. When swimming laps, your body recruits nearly every muscle group, from your core and arms to your legs and back. The type of stroke and intensity of your swim session significantly impact your results in the water. Beyond burning calories, swimming builds endurance, tones muscles, and boosts cardiovascular health. It has also been shown to increase mood and positively impact sleep quality, making it an all-in-one workout for anyone looking to improve their fitness and overall well-being.

How Many Calories Does Swimming Burn?

The number of calories burned while swimming depends on several factors, including stroke type, intensity, duration, body weight, and pace. Vigorous strokes like “the butterfly” tend to burn the most calories but are less practical for longer workouts because of the intensity. That said, more relaxed strokes, like backstroke, tend to burn fewer calories. The graph below offers the average calories burned by weight depending on stroke and intensity.

You might be asking yourself, why do certain strokes burn more calories than others? Let’s find out why:

• Effort and technique: Strokes like butterfly require explosive movements and higher energy output, while breaststroke and backstroke are slower and less demanding.
• Muscle engagement: More demanding strokes engage larger muscle groups or multiple groups simultaneously, increasing energy expenditure.
• Water resistance: The speed and force applied during strokes like freestyle and butterfly create greater resistance, which requires more effort.

Is Swimming Good for Weight Loss?

The simple answer – is yes, swimming for weight loss is a fantastic choice! Of all the exercises beneficial for weight loss, swimming is particularly accessible due to its low-impact and rehabilitation effects on joints. It’s gentle on the joints, making it ideal for individuals of all fitness levels, including those recovering from injuries or chronic pain. Unlike high-impact exercises like running, swimming minimizes strain while delivering a full-body workout that strengthens muscles, boosts endurance, and burns calories.

Factors That Affect The Amount of Calories Burned Swimming

Losing weight via swimming doesn’t look the same for everyone. Several different factors come into play when determining what weight loss could look like for you:

• Body weight & composition: The more you weigh, the more calories you burn. For instance, a 130-pound swimmer burns about 354 calories per hour swimming freestyle moderately, while a 180-pound swimmer burns around 490 calories for the same effort.
• Intensity & duration: Higher intensity and longer sessions increase calorie burn. For example, 30 minutes of moderate freestyle burns fewer calories than 30 minutes of sprints.
• Swimming stroke: Vigorous freestyle burns up to 704 calories per hour for a 155-pound individual, while breaststroke burns about 493 calories under the same conditions.

Tips for Maximizing Calorie Burn While Swimming

With a few tweaks, you can make your swimming for weight loss workouts even more effective. Here are some practical tips:

• Vary your intensity with interval training: Alternate between high-intensity sprints and slower recovery laps to keep your heart rate elevated and maximize calorie burn.
• Incorporate different strokes: Mixing strokes like freestyle, butterfly, and breaststroke targets different muscle groups and increases energy expenditure.
• Use swim accessories for resistance: Using accessories like kickboards or paddles adds resistance, isolates specific muscles for strengthening, and can increase the intensity of the workout.
• Extend your swim time gradually: Longer swim sessions burn more calories. Aim to increase your swim time while listening to your body to avoid overexertion.
• Maintain proper technique: Efficient strokes reduce energy waste, allowing you to swim longer and burn more calories.

Why Swimming Is One of the Best Calorie-Burning Workouts?

The water’s natural resistance forces your body to work harder with each stroke, amplifying calorie burn without putting undue stress on your joints. This low-impact quality makes swimming accessible to people of all fitness levels, including those recovering from injuries or with joint concerns. Whether swimming laps, incorporating interval training, or using equipment for resistance, swimming is an enjoyable way to burn calories.

FAQs

How many calories can I burn swimming for 30 minutes?

If you're swimming for weight loss, the number of calories burned swimming for 30 minutes depends on factors like stroke, intensity, and body weight. More vigorous strokes, such as freestyle or butterfly, can push this up to 400–600 calories in 30 minutes.

Does swimming burn more calories than running?

Swimming can burn comparable calories to running, but the exact comparison depends on the intensity and duration. For example, a 155-pound person running at 6 mph for 30 minutes burns about 300-350 calories, while swimming freestyle at a moderate pace can burn 250-400 calories in the same time.

How can I track the calories burned swimming?

Tracking the amount of calories burned swimming can be tricky, but fitness trackers with waterproof capabilities can provide estimates based on your heart rate, swim style, and intensity. Many swimmers use apps like Strava or Garmin to log their swim sessions and track their overall calorie expenditure.

Do supplements help increase the number of calories burned while swimming?

Combining supplements with a balanced diet and exercise plan is always best for optimal results. Supplements may help boost energy and improve endurance, but they do not directly increase the number of calories burned during swimming alone. Check out Groove’s pre-workout supplements to help you boost your swimming session!

References

1. Calculating your calories burned. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/exercise/art-20050999
2. Cadman, B. (2023, May 30). Physical and mental benefits of swimming. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321496#cardiovascular-strength
3. Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Swimming report. (2017, June 25). Swim England. https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/health-and-wellbeing-benefits-of-swimming/
4. Jiang, P., Dang, R., Li, H., Zhang, L., Zhu, W., Xue, Y., & Tang, M. (2014). The impacts of swimming exercise on hippocampal expression of neurotrophic factors in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2014(1). https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/729827
5. Connolly, L. J., Nordsborg, N. B., Nyberg, M., Weihe, P., Krustrup, P., & Mohr, M. (2016). Low-volume high-intensity swim training is superior to high-volume low-intensity training in relation to insulin sensitivity and glucose control in inactive middle-aged women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 116(10), 1889–1897. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3441-8
6. Bergen, K. (2019, December 24). How many calories can I burn while swimming? U.S. Masters Swimming. https://www.usms.org/fitness-and-training/articles-and-videos/articles/how-many-calories-can-i-burn-while-swimming