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Calories burned swimming

A medium-speed crawl, about 50 yards a minute, is 8.0 MET in the 2024 Adult Compendium (code 18290), and that code calls it vigorous effort. For a 170 lb adult (77.1 kg) that is about 617 kcal in one hour: 8.0 × 77.1. A slow crawl at 30-45 yards a minute is 5.8 MET (code 18292), moderate effort, about 447 kcal per hour at the same weight. Fast freestyle laps are 9.8 MET (code 18230), about 756 kcal per hour. There is no 7.0 MET freestyle code. Sidestroke, general, is 7.0 MET (code 18320).

Slow crawl · 5.8 MET

447

kcal/hr

Medium crawl · 8.0 MET

617

kcal/hr

Fast freestyle · 9.8 MET

756

kcal/hr

For a 170 lb adult.

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MET-based formula. Adjust weight and duration.

Calories burned

617 kcal

170 lb · 60 min · Medium crawl · 8.0 MET

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What it is

Lap swimming at a stated stroke and pace. 8.0 MET is the 2024 code for a medium crawl, about 50 yards a minute, described as vigorous effort. A slow crawl at 30-45 yards a minute is a different code, 18292 at 5.8 MET, and that code says moderate effort. The hour figure is a gross estimate, kcal ≈ MET × kg × hours, not a lab measurement.

What changes the burn

  • Pace — a slow crawl, 30-45 yards/minute, is 5.8 MET (code 18292); a medium crawl, about 50 yards/minute, is 8.0 MET (18290); fast freestyle laps are 9.8 MET (18230)
  • Sidestroke, general, is 7.0 MET (code 18320). That is not a freestyle code
  • Butterfly, general, is 13.8 MET (code 18270), about 1064 kcal/hour at 170 lb. Elite crawl over 90 yards/minute is 14.5 MET (18294), about 1118 kcal/hour
  • Breaststroke is two codes: recreational 5.3 MET (18265), about 409 kcal/hour; training or competition 10.3 MET (18260), about 794 kcal/hour
  • Body weight — the hour figures on this page use 170 lb (77.1 kg)

FAQ

How many calories does swimming burn in an hour?
At a medium crawl, about 50 yards a minute, about 617 kcal for a 170 lb (77.1 kg) adult: 8.0 MET × 77.1 kg × 1 hour, from 2024 Adult Compendium code 18290. A slow crawl at 30-45 yards a minute is 5.8 MET (code 18292), about 447 kcal per hour at the same weight. Fast freestyle laps are 9.8 MET (code 18230), about 756 kcal per hour. That is a gross estimate, not a lab measurement.
Is moderate freestyle 7.0 MET?
No. The Compendium has no 7.0 MET freestyle code. The moderate-effort crawl is code 18292, a slow crawl at 30-45 yards a minute, at 5.8 MET, about 447 kcal per hour at 170 lb. Code 18320 is 7.0 MET for sidestroke, general.

How calories burned is calculated

kcal = MET × kg × h

Swimming · MET 8 · ≈ 617 kcal/hr · 77.1 kg · Medium crawl · 8.0 MET

2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities : code 18292 is 5.8 MET for a slow crawl at 30-45 yards a minute, code 18290 is 8.0 MET for a medium crawl at about 50 yards a minute, code 18230 is 9.8 MET for fast freestyle laps. Sidestroke, general, is code 18320 at 7.0 MET. Gross kcal ≈ MET × kg × hours, using 77.1 kg (170 lb) on this page. Not a lab measurement for you.

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