How many calories do you burn while swimming?

Swimming is a great exercise that is not only good for the heart and the muscles, but also helps you burn a lot of calories in an hour.

There’s no doubt that swimming is a fun activity during summers that almost everyone can enjoy. More importantly, though, swimming has immense health benefits ranging from being good for the heart and promoting muscle tone to helping someone burn plenty of calories in order to stay in good shape.

It is also quite beneficial for those looking to shed weight.

But how many calories does your body burn while swimming?

The rate at which the body burns energy is called metabolism. When someone performs an intense physical activity or does exercises of any kind, the body’s metabolism increases. But how long the effect of metabolism lasts and how much influence it has on the body depends on several factors like age, gender, body composition as well as the intensity of the activity itself.

“A 150-pound person will burn roughly 400 calories during an hour-long swim at a moderate pace and 700 at a vigorous one,” says Tom Holland, a prominent triathlete and exercise psychologist. However, the number he mentions is a vague ballpark figure and doesn’t hold true for everyone.

In reality, the actual number of calories the body burns while swimming comes down to a multitude of factors: duration, intensity, stroke, weight, swim efficiency.

You might also be interested in knowing which swimming stroke is the most beneficial when it comes to burning calories.

Research suggests that the fastest swim stroke - the freestyle stroke - is the one that achieves the goal and has the potential to burn the most amount of calories. However, that doesn’t mean that one should only stick to freestyle since factors like duration, intensity and efficiency also come into play.

For instance, people who prefer the breaststroke over freestyle instead, might be able to swim for a longer duration. It might also help one be consistent leading to a greater burn of calories.

One should also remember to build up to high intensity gradually instead of doing it all of a sudden. The body takes time to get used to the intensity and over-pushing it can lead to a risk of injury.

Start with one to three swims a week, for 10 to 30 minutes each. Each week, add another 5 minutes. Rest is also crucial in this regard.

Lastly, if someone’s goal is weight loss, then diet will be a major factor. One has to stay in a caloric deficit but also make sure to eat enough in order to fuel their workouts.

Holland recommends eating at least 30 minutes before any workout that is going to last over an hour. Carbohydrates are the energy source our bodies prefer. Holland recommends eating soon after your workout. It’s best to eat a little lean protein and a small amount of some quality carbohydrates.