Calories burned swimming
Swimming works your whole body against the resistance of water. What you burn depends on the stroke, your speed and how much you rest at the wall.
That is roughly the energy in about 4.5 bananas, about 4 rotis or about 2.5 samosas.
At every effort level
| Effort | MET | Calories for 60 min |
|---|---|---|
| Easy laps | 5.8 | 405 kcal |
| Steady laps | 7 | 490 kcal |
| Hard laps | 9.8 | 685 kcal |
Calories burned swimming, by weight and time
At a regular pace (Steady laps).
| Body weight | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 175 kcal | 265 kcal | 350 kcal | 525 kcal |
| 60 kg | 210 kcal | 315 kcal | 420 kcal | 630 kcal |
| 70 kg | 245 kcal | 370 kcal | 490 kcal | 735 kcal |
| 80 kg | 280 kcal | 420 kcal | 560 kcal | 840 kcal |
| 90 kg | 315 kcal | 475 kcal | 630 kcal | 945 kcal |
Good to know
- Butterfly and fast freestyle burn more than relaxed breaststroke or backstroke.
- Pool time includes rests, so use your actual swimming time.
These are estimates for an average adult, based on the Compendium of Physical Activities. Your real figure depends on your fitness, technique and effort. This is general guidance, not medical advice.
Questions people ask
How many calories does an hour of swimming burn?
At a regular pace, a 60 kg person burns about 420 kcal, a 70 kg person about 490 kcal and an 80 kg person about 560 kcal in an hour. Taking it easy (easy laps) burns about 405 kcal for a 70 kg person, and going hard (hard laps) about 685 kcal.
How many calories does 30 minutes of swimming burn?
At a regular pace, about 210 kcal for a 60 kg person, 245 kcal for 70 kg and 280 kcal for 80 kg. Use the calculator above to enter your own weight and time.
How is the number worked out?
Calories burned = MET x your weight in kg x time in hours. A MET says how many times more energy an activity uses than sitting still. For swimming we use 5.8 (easy), 7 (regular) and 9.8 (hard). These values follow the Compendium of Physical Activities, a standard research list, and are averages for adults.
How accurate is this?
It is an estimate, usually within about 20 percent. Your fitness, technique, body build and how hard you really work all change the true figure, and fitness watches can differ from it too. Use it to compare activities and plan, not as an exact count.
Is swimming good for weight loss?
Any activity that gets you moving helps, and the best one is the one you will keep doing. Weight depends on what you eat as much as what you burn. As a very rough rule, around 7,700 kcal is about 1 kg of body fat, but real results vary from person to person. If you have a health condition, check with a doctor before starting something new.
