Free tool
Swimming calorie calculator. Calories burned.
Choose a stroke and effort, enter your weight and how long you swim, and get an estimate of the calories you burn. Free, no sign-up.
How it works
MET times weight times hours.
A MET is a number that rates how much energy an activity takes compared with resting. The estimate is the activity's MET value, times your body weight in kilograms, times the hours you swim.
The MET values come from a published table, the Compendium of Physical Activities. The table below lists each swimming entry used here, with its code. A table value is a general estimate, so your own energy use can be higher or lower. Treat the result as an estimate, not a measurement.
9.8 MET × 70 kg × 0.5 h = 343 kcal
| Stroke and effort | MET | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Freestyle laps, slow, recreational | 5.8 | 18240 |
| Freestyle, medium speed (about 50 yards a minute), vigorous effort | 8.0 | 18290 |
| Freestyle laps, fast, vigorous effort | 9.8 | 18230 |
| Backstroke, recreational | 4.8 | 18255 |
| Backstroke, training or competition | 9.5 | 18250 |
| Breaststroke, recreational | 5.3 | 18265 |
| Breaststroke, training or competition | 10.3 | 18260 |
| Butterfly, general | 13.8 | 18270 |
| Leisurely swimming, not laps | 6.0 | 18310 |
Source: 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, Water Activities (category 18). Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 2024;13(1):6-12.
Your swims, in your plan.
SwimSensei is an adaptive swim coach. The app plans your pool sessions around your pace and adapts the next week to what you swam.