Calories Burned Swimming Calculator

Work out calories burned swimming instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Calories Burned Swimming Calculator

Swimming MET values come from the Compendium and vary sharply by stroke: butterfly at 13.8 MET is more than twice moderate freestyle's 8.3, because it demands continuous power from both the arms and the legs. A 70 kg swimmer doing 45 minutes of moderate freestyle burns about 458 kcal.

Formulas

MET energy cost

kcal/min = MET x 3.5 x weight(kg) / 200

Stroke values

freestyle moderate 8.3, breaststroke 10.3, butterfly 13.8 MET

Worked example

With the default values below, Calories Burned Swimming Calculator returns Calories Burned of 458. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Body weightminimum 1 kg: 70 kg
Stroke and effortone of Freestyle, leisurely (6 MET), Freestyle, moderate (8.3 MET), Freestyle, vigorous (10 MET), Backstroke (9.5 MET), Breaststroke (10.3 MET), Butterfly (13.8 MET), Treading water (3.5 MET): Freestyle, moderate (8.3 MET)
Time in the waterminimum 0.1 min: 45 min

Results

Calories Burned: 458 kcal
MET Value For That Stroke: 8.30 MET
Burn Rate: 10.17 kcal/min
Approximate Calories Per 100 m: 20.3 kcal

Step by step

1Values used
2MET energy cost
3Stroke values
4Calories Burned= 458 kcal
5MET Value For That Stroke= 8.30 MET
6Burn Rate= 10.17 kcal/min
7Approximate Calories Per 100 m= 20.3 kcal

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
This is an estimate from population-average equations, not a medical or diagnostic assessment. Individual results vary with genetics, training history and technique. Seek advice from a qualified coach or clinician before making significant changes to training.
This is an estimate for general information and not professional medical advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

This is an estimate from population-average equations, not a medical or diagnostic assessment. Individual results vary with genetics, training history and technique. Seek advice from a qualified coach or clinician before making significant changes to training.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is swimming so demanding for the distance covered?

Water is about 800 times denser than air, so drag dominates and technique matters more than fitness for efficiency.

Does pool water temperature matter?

Somewhat. Cold water raises energy use through shivering thermogenesis, though good swimmers generate enough heat to offset it.