Swimming how much calories does it burns

Compare that with a pound athlete who burns only calories swimming the same yard workout 60 lengths in a 25 yard pool. Generally, the faster an athlete swims, the more calories he burns in an hour. For example, if the pound swimmer above swims one more length per minute, he burns more calories in the same 30 minute period, but it works out to nearly half a calorie LESS per length. This anomaly occurs because he swims more efficiently.

Your weight affects the number of calories burned, with heavier people expending more than lighter ones when doing the same exercise. Because most people are unable to do butterfly continuously, crawl or freestyle is the most effective swim stroke, burning between and calories per hour.

Your swim stroke: And then, of course, there's the stroke itself. When you're doing the stroke, you're simultaneously performing a dolphin kick and your arms are coming fully overhead, which calls for serious, total-body muscle engagement especially in your core and upper back , she says.

A crawl is next in line for the number of calories burned swimming. See below for some more specific estimates on the number of calories burned swimming each type of stroke. Estimates are based on a pound adult. Check out other swim stroke and speed MET estimates here and use this swimming calorie calculator to find your calorie burn. No matter your size, speed, or stroke, the best way to burn more calories while swimming is doing intervals of hard efforts interspersed with recovery time.

Those high-intensity efforts, with rest, tax your system way more than a steady state workout—and science shows that HIIT burns 25 to 30 percent more calories , plus taps into the afterburn effect , which burns calories even after your workout is over.

You can incorporate calorie-burning intervals into your running workouts too. Ready to give it a try? Next time you're looking to scorch calories without beating up your body, dive into these swimming workouts for every fitness level. By Ashley Mateo July 11, Save FB Tweet More. Treading water moderate effort : 3.

Be the first to comment! Freestyle is the fastest of all the strokes, so as you might expect it is up in second place for calorie burning potential. Or choose multi-stroke swim. Best swimming stroke for weight loss 4th place: Breaststroke Breaststroke is a bit of a slow burner in terms of calories. Average calorie burn: around calories for 30 minutes swimming.

Breaststroke is a much better cardiovascular workout than the other strokes. It helps strengthen heart and lungs while toning thighs, upper back, triceps, hamstrings and lower legs.

It helps to work and tone the chest muscles. Practising keeping yourself straight in the water can help you to lengthen your spine, helping you look taller and less hunched. Backstroke works to tone the stomach, legs, arms, shoulders and buttocks. Great for office bound workers.