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How Many Calories Does Swimming Burn?
Formula
Swimming is a full-body workout that burns significant calories while being gentle on joints. Calorie burn varies greatly depending on stroke type and intensity.
Butterfly is the most demanding stroke with a MET of about 13.8, while leisurely backstroke has a MET around 4.8. Freestyle is the most common stroke, with moderate effort at 5.8 MET and vigorous at 9.8 MET.
Common use cases:
- Planning swim workouts for fitness
- Comparing calorie burn across strokes
- Cross-training calorie estimation
Frequently Asked Questions
Maria Gonzalez
Registered Dietitian, RD, MPH
Maria is a Registered Dietitian with a Master's in Public Health. She focuses on evidence-based nutrition assessment tools including BMI, calorie calculations, and body composition analysis.
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