claries burned swimming vs. running?

oops, sorry about the typo in the title. i obviously meant calories, not "claries".

thorpedo wrote:

I have recently become injured and it looks like i'm going to be out of commission for a while. I have switched to swimming just to change things up and to keep from getting fat and going insane (my injury won't allow me to pool run or bike). I was wondering if anyone has any idea of the amount of calories burned swimming vs. running for a given time period and heart rate. Say you burned 500 calories on a 4 mile run, about 25 mins or so. Would 25 mins in the pool at the same "effort level" burn a similar number of calories? Obviously evceryone is a bit diferent and it is dependednt on efficiency, speed of each, etc, but i was just wondering if anyone had a ballpark figure.

thanks

I swim and run and I would say an hour's worth of swimming (interval work) is worth about 40 minutes of running. When I get hurt and can't run I'll switch to swimming 4-5 days a week for anywhere between 60-90 minutes a session and I never seem to gain weight.

If you can, get with a Masters Swim team. Swimming is far more interesting and fun working out with a team. You don't have to be a great swimmer to join Masters either, and you might be able to get some stroke technique tips.

thanks. good tips.

Go to:

http://www.wvda.org/calcs/sport.html

Good luck

i think thats a bit off. 185 calories for 25 min of swimming? i go pretty hard though, all they had was "swimming: general, leisurely" . i'd like to think its closer to 3 or 4 hundred....

I'm pretty sure swimming burns more calories because it works more muscles harder and it takes more v02 to swim. I wish i could swim at the same comfort level as running.

Does not burn as many calories as running because:

1. bouyancy of water makes work easier than fighting gravity (continuously raising center of gravity off ground)

2. horizontal position of body is easier for heart to pump blood. Max heart rate will not be as high.

just keep you heartrate relativly high...don't work too hard but just extended you workouts by like 15 to 20 mins more than usual. Some guys here go as far as saying 2 hours in a pool would equal 1 hour running but I found that its almost impossible to do on a consistent basis. For one thing the bordom will kill you! I have been able to maintain my weight for over a year in the pool by just doing 1 hour pool runs a day and somtimes a 1 hr 30min pool run...and i'm 5'9 , 140lbs

coachkritter wrote:

Does not burn as many calories as running because:

1. bouyancy of water makes work easier than fighting gravity (continuously raising center of gravity off ground)

2. horizontal position of body is easier for heart to pump blood. Max heart rate will not be as high.

Saying your max heartrate will not be as high is just plain stupid. That's like saying swimming is easier becasue you don't sweat. If you want your heartrate up, then swim HARDER!

The question is simple: If you are exerting the same effort for 25 minutes in the water versus on land, the calories burned will be the same. The reality is, however, that a typical runner can't maintain a decent effort in the water becasue they suck at swimming. Too much time is spent hanging on the wall or just plain swimming slow. Therefore, they don't burn as many calories.

coachkritter wrote:

Does not burn as many calories as running because:

1. bouyancy of water makes work easier than fighting gravity (continuously raising center of gravity off ground)

2. horizontal position of body is easier for heart to pump blood. Max heart rate will not be as high.

One more thing....... Have you not consideered the resistance the water creates? Takes more efffort to more through it. DUH! Bouyancy means nothing.

I had stress fractures in both my feet and had to go from running an hour a day to aqua running an hour a day and actually lost 10 pounds over the 6 weeks I was in the pool. I was worried that I had lost muscle. I knew my body fat % before I started aquarunning and had it checked again after I had lost the weight and my lean mass stayed about the same, so I had lost only fat. I think one good thing about pool running is that you can do a workout almost everyday because your legs don't have to recover like they would on land. So, as far as the calorie thing goes, I think that I may actually burn more calories aqua running but I am pretty sure I burn less swimming. For swimming I would guess it burns about 10 calories per minute. Swim for 60 minutes, burn 600 calories. Running for 60 minutes would get you more like 750-800 calories.

Swimming burns way more calories than runniing because water is about 7,000 times more dense than air. Once a well respected exersise physiologist told me that swimming one mile (for a non-swimmer)is like running 4 miles as far as calories burned and fitness gained. of course, if you are a good swimmer then your body will be used to swimming and therefore require less energy.

p.s. You sweat like a mutherf***er while swimming, you just dont realize it because you are already wet.

I have heard the 4 to 1 ratio before, but remember that is in milage, not in time. If a not swimmer (an injured runner) swam 1 mile, it may take them 30 minutes. If this same person were not injured, they could run 4 miles in 30 minutes at a comfortable 7:30 pace. Therefore 1 mile of swimming is equal to 4 miles of running because each would take about 30 minutes for this person to complete. If one thinks that they burn the same amount of calories per minute in each activity then this is exactly correct. I really don't know which activity burns more, but I think for the purposes of not wanting to gain weight, you an assume they are about the same.

I have been doing the pool-runing/swimming route also because I have been injured for now over 3 months with a glute strain. I am having problems getting my heart rate up in the pool. I know it is supposed to be 10% lower, but I am honestly going all out as fast as I can move my legs (when I do intervals) and yet I am still not breathing hard or anything when I am done. I can easily hold a conversation. I have been using a belt, because I cannot do it without the belt... I have tried and I sink. My form is awful without the belt.

So basically what I have been doing is like 3 times a week doing a pool running "workout" which is some sort of intervals or fartleck type thing. (only about 30-40 minutes long usually). Then 3 other days a week I swim for 20 minutes, pool run at moderate pace for 30 minutes, then swim for 20 minutes = 70 minutes total. Then I have one long day a week where I go 80 minutes total... with pool running and swimming combined (but all at one time)

So even though I don't feel like I am getting my heart rate up, am I still benefiting since I am atleast getting my arms and legs moving? OR am I wasting time because I'm not getting my heart rate up (or atleast I don't FEEL like I am). I hope I haven't lost all my fitness.... this pool running swimming thing sucks and I've put a lot of time into it so I hope it hasnt been a total waste of my time.

I'm not really sure if you are benefiting as much as you should. When I aqua run and do intervals, I have sweat pouring from my head and don't think I could talk to anyone at that time. Aqua running is tricky, you really have to have the right form to get a good workout from it. Don't do it without the belt, your form will not be anywhere what it should be if you trash the belt. I have one thing that works for me that has made all the difference. I tie myself up. I know, it sounds totally weird, but it totally works. I have a rope that I tie one end to my aquarunner and the other end I tie to the ladder in the deep end. The rope puts me a few feet out, just enough so I don't kick the wall on my back swing. This adds some resistance and you don't have to stop your running every time you get to a wall to turn around. Other than that, just try to run like you would on land. Use your arms as if you were running, don't use them to tread water. More your legs like you are running, not riding a bike and try to get your leg turnover up. On land ideal leg turn over is 180 (each foot down 90 times in one minute). Try to get at least 140 in the pool. Just count the times your right foot comes through in one minute. 70=140 turn over. The closer you can get to 180 the better. It took me a while to get to 140, so don't give up if you are not there yet.

Interesting topic. As in any major exercise, calorie burn is determined by effort and energy expended. I could do a slow run and burn a lot less calories than I would in a bike race.

However there is some very interesting research about swimming and weight loss. Outdoor swimming did not efficiently result in weight loss because activity in cold water triggers a hunger reponse resulting in excessive eating after the swim.

Its a fact Jack.

Gary Hall III,

1. Max heart rates in swimming are 10% lower than running, because of the previously mentioned reasons.

2. 25min in pool = 25min. running?

more like 1/4 that total.

3. Resistance of water makes more work?

That's why you can push off the end, and coast halfway down the pool. Try doing that running.

I don't think swimming burns as many calories as running, as a general rule, but to say it's effect is 1/4 of running is crazy.

coachkritter wrote:

Gary Hall III,

1. Max heart rates in swimming are 10% lower than running, because of the previously mentioned reasons.

2. 25min in pool = 25min. running?

more like 1/4 that total.

3. Resistance of water makes more work?

That's why you can push off the end, and coast halfway down the pool. Try doing that running.