Anyone confused by calories burned from swimming?

Flissbo
Flissbo Posts: 302 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi All,

I was wondering if there was any regular swimmers out there who could give your opinion on something for me please?

I swim 3 times a week and always do a mile each time at the minimum. To swim a mile front-crawl (freestyle) takes me about 35 minutes or just under. I enter this on MPF as "vigorous effort freestyle" as everyone tells me that's a quick time to swim a mile in (64 lengths of a 25 meter pool)

Sometimes I do a bit of breaststroke and backstroke too, and this is where I am confused with the calories burned. When I swim breaststroke for 35 minutes I will probably only get up to about 40 or 50 lengths in that time but the calories burnt are the same for if I had done 35 minutes of front-crawl and finished my mile?

So how come I am swimming harder and faster for the front-crawl and yet it still burns the same number of calories on MFP as swimming less far in breaststroke? I am still putting in a lot of effort for the breaststroke but I can't swim it as quickly as front-crawl.

I hope this makes sense, it was quite hard to explain lol! Could it be that the calories burnt in MFP is just a guide or is front-crawl less calorie intensive than breaststroke? (Even though front-crawl gets me more puffed out and feels like a harder cardio workout than breaststroke?)

Thank you in advance for any opinions on this :-)

Replies

  • ShArKeYSurfs
    ShArKeYSurfs Posts: 8
    Do you surf?
  • catecn
    catecn Posts: 84
    because in breaststroke you have a lot more resistance from the water, its more of an effort to more forward. if you are pushing hard and not using it as ur leaiure rest time then ya, it would be about the same.
  • Nikstergirl
    Nikstergirl Posts: 1,549 Member
    The only way you can be accurate is to get a HRM that you can wear in the pool. Sorry I'm not much help on estimating, but swimming does burn calories pretty well!
  • Flissbo
    Flissbo Posts: 302 Member
    Ah that would make sense! I didn't think of it like that. Thank you :-)
  • LauriTerrell
    LauriTerrell Posts: 69 Member
    Initially, I was confused by this too, but it comes down to the combination of the higher resistance of the water and the combination of muscle groups that are working. When doing the breaststroke, your core muscles are engaged more, your arms are pulling harder and your legs get more of a workout from the frog kick than the flutter kick. It just goes to show that speed is not always where it is at! :wink:
  • Flissbo
    Flissbo Posts: 302 Member
    Initially, I was confused by this too, but it comes down to the combination of the higher resistance of the water and the combination of muscle groups that are working. When doing the breaststroke, your core muscles are engaged more, your arms are pulling harder and your legs get more of a workout from the frog kick than the flutter kick. It just goes to show that speed is not always where it is at! :wink:

    Yep that makes good sense, so I am going to continue mixing up my strokes to get an all over workout. thank you!
  • shelleycolton
    shelleycolton Posts: 400 Member
    Breaststroke is more resistance work and Freestyle is more cardio workout.

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