What stroke burns the most calories

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

aquajock — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:28:12 GMT

To me, getting a balanced workout is more important than burning extra calories, but I have to say when I do an all-free workout, I don't feel like I got much of a workout. I like mixing in strokes and IMs so I feel I've worked all my muscles and am overall in good condition. It also keeps my posture better (constant opening of the chest) if I do plenty of backstroke even though it is my worst stroke.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Allen Stark — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:54:21 GMT

I had an interesting workout today which speaks to the issue.As my main set I did 25 SCY sprints,all out,on the min. as-4 BR,4 fly,4 free,4 eggbeater kick with snorkel,4 dolphin kick (SDK going to kicking on the surface when I ran out of air) with snorkel.These were continuous with no break in between.During the 4 BRs I was not quite recovering between swims and my splits showed it-16,16,17,17(16 is a good workout 25 time for me.)The fly my recovery was about 100% between 25s with my splits being 15,15,15,15.(14 would be a good sprint time and that would be with no breaths ,where as this was with 2 breaths.)The free I felt stronger for the last than the first with splits of 14,14,14,13,so I was able to recover completely in the interval(13 is a good sprint time for me.) The eggbeaters nearly killed me with the splits being 20,20,21,24.I felt like my legs were on fire by the end and as fast as possible was pretty slow.The dolphin splits were 28,29,30,32.I think the biggest difference with them wasn't fatigue directly but rather ability to stay underwater which went from about 12.5 yd to about 9 yd.(this also shows that my SDK is slow and my surface dolphin kick is slower.)There is the confounding parameter that the strokes with the best recovery(fly and free) were also the ones with the most rest,but I am not sure how much difference 1-3 sec makes in this.My greatest perceived effort was in eggbeater,followed by BR,which fits with my idea of the big leg muscles taking the most energy.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Former Member — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:00:01 GMT

The BMI is mathematical snakeoil. Insurance companies love it because they can easily deny preferred rates. For me, Fly is the most intense swim I can do. Getting some IM in my workouts is great for all-around conditioning. I can see improvements in endurance when I include fly and IM in my workouts, even though I have no intention of racing IM, but maybe a 50 fly. I can't tell you how many calories it burns, but I would guess it is the highest, for me anyway. An easy way to add fly is to add a lap to the end of your sets. 4 x 200s on X:XX, last lap fly, 12 x 125s on X:XX, last lap fly, ect. I can see/feel endurance gains over weeks.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Redbird Alum — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:03:54 GMT

I knew there was a reason I hated those +&@!! short-axis strokes!

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

jaadams1 — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:54:02 GMT

Bike to practice - 3800 yds - run home. Repeat as needed. Looks good...problem is your bike is still at practice, and you're at home. That means you have to run back at some other time...and that is WAY to much running :afraid:

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Former Member — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:51:34 GMT

You're exactly right with the running -v- walking. If I walk a mile I'll usually burn more calories than running the same mile, according to my Garmin w/HR monitor. The slower I run (or ride my bike), the more calories I burn for that distance. Doing nothing does burn some calories, but not as much as doing nearly anything. Heck, eating carrots (for most people) usually results in burning calories rather than adding them. I don't think HR monitors do too good a job as calorie counters. Anyhow, this article indicates running burns 50% more calories than walking: www.runnersworld.com/.../0,7120,s6-242-304-311-8402-0,00.html But running vs. walking isn't the same as swimming hard at the various strokes. Also, I don't think the running vs. biking comparison is valid, since biking is machine-assisted. I think the valid comparison would be elite athletes, experts at each, going as fast as they possibly can at each endeavor. Personally, I think the slower you go, the more calories you are burning, which would be breaststroke. If you believe the fastest stroke burns the most calories, then you'd be voting for freestyle.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

orca1946 — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:45:21 GMT

Bike to practice - 3800 yds - run home. Repeat as needed.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Chris Stevenson — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:46:14 GMT

Breaststroke, no question. My HR monitor tells me so. :agree: That's going to be very specific to the person. Breaststroke is tiring to me because I use muscles I don't use in the other strokes, and my kick is so poor...but it doesn't get me out of breath or raise my HR as much as the other strokes. The kick is (ahem) the kicker. If I grab a kickboard and blast away, I will quickly get out of breath with either flutter or dolphin kick. But I can't "blast away" with frog kick: turnover is too slow and my knees simply won't take it. My muscles get tired and I can't go any faster, but my breathing stays pretty steady. This is a problem with me, not an indictment of the stroke. (But it's a terrible stroke that should be banned.) For me, fly gets the HR up the fastest. But I would tend to think that the constant start/stop nature of the short-axis strokes might make them more "energy hogs" than the long-axis strokes, similar to how gas mileage suffers in the city compared to the highway.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Rnovitske — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:55:10 GMT

This I believe. Chris, Karen's monitor, and Allen are right - the movement and exertion in the big leg and torso muscles burns the most muscles - breaststroke and butterfly. I also believe Chris is right in that efficiency makes a difference. For me, breaststroke & glide is efficient and relaxing. I probably burn most calories with flutter kick in kick sets - my legs need to be wild egg beaters to keep me from drifting backwards.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Allen Stark — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:34:13 GMT

All things being equal(and they never are) at maximal intensity BR should burn the most calories as it most uses the big leg muscles,however it is probably the easiest stroke to add glide/rest to.For me it is very hard to slow down BK much or my legs sink(followed rapidly by the rest of me.) so I burn an inordinate amount of calories in BK.For most people swimming fly slowly is hard so it will burn a lot of calories.Then there is the whole SDK thing which can totally change the calories burned,especially in SCY.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Karen Duggan — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:17:45 GMT

My HR monitor is pretty accurate. I have programmed all possible settings: height, weight, age, gender, income. LOL Gotcha! I think it is right because I have warn it sitting and I burn about 100 cal/hour not doing much. I am currently doing a weight loss program that keeps specific track of my intake (food calories) and exercise (calories burned). The program tells me that I burn about 2400 calories in a 24 hour period (just breathing)- therefore I think my HR monitor is accurate. (Pretty science-y for a history teacher huh?) :bow: The only thing I wish I had that was more accurate is percentage of muscle, body fat, etc. I will need to jaunt over to CSU Hayward to use the BodPod sometime soon. It's 15 bucks and is almost as accurate as hydrostatic weighing. BTW, for me, br still burns the most calories.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Former Member — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:09:08 GMT

Why wouldn't the slowest stroke (breaststroke) be the one that burns most calories?

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

aztimm — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:31:15 GMT

By that logic, walking burns more calories than running. And sitting on the couch burns the most of all... You're exactly right with the running -v- walking. If I walk a mile I'll usually burn more calories than running the same mile, according to my Garmin w/HR monitor. The slower I run (or ride my bike), the more calories I burn for that distance. Doing nothing does burn some calories, but not as much as doing nearly anything. Heck, eating carrots (for most people) usually results in burning calories rather than adding them.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Chris Stevenson — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:18:38 GMT

Why wouldn't the slowest stroke (breaststroke) be the one that burns most calories? By that logic, walking burns more calories than running. And sitting on the couch burns the most of all...

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Karen Duggan — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:15:28 GMT

Breaststroke, no question. My HR monitor tells me so. :agree:

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Glenn — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:56:24 GMT

Congratulations on getting back to normal. When I went in recently they said I was overweight as my BMI was 25.1. The point 1 put me in the overweight category by 1 pound. I should have taken off all my clothes and gotten weighed again, I then would have been OK. In terms of burning calories, you will burn the least with your most efficient stroke and burn the most with your least efficient stroke. As our technique gets better in a stroke we burn less calories with it as time goes by. So, if you want to burn calories, just do a lousy stroke.:D

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Rnovitske — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:57:36 GMT

Yesssssss. My weight and BMI are back to normal as of today. 12 pounds gone since this first post with just a little effort. Officially I am not a fatso any more.:bliss: I had an all-you-can-eat pizza lunch to celebrate.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Celestial — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 10:23:25 GMT

I was delighted to see that *** stroke burns so many calories! I've always said that if you do *** stroke right it's nearly as exhausting and the butterfly! It's good to know that I can burn an extra 400 calories by taking a nap after practice!! (If only I could!!) My song after practice is: Hi ho hi ho - it's off to work I go. . .

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

orca1946 — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 03:33:52 GMT

Too much free & my left arm gets sore. Too much fly & I die !!!!!!!! I like the nap:bed: thing after practice:)

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Former Member — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:04:59 GMT

Another thing I've noticed is that while swimming definitely tones and shapes my muscles, it doesn't help lose the flab. For that I have to either diet or get on the exercise bike:badday: Although that's probably just me and my rubbish metabolism

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Former Member — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:07:23 GMT

According to my heart rate monitor, I burn more calories on a 100 IM than 100 free. However it told me that I burnt more calories on Tuesday doing 4800yds than I did today doing 5000yds of similar workout mix. :dunno: FWIW I always feel I get a better all-round workout if I include some IM work, and it makes things more interesting. I agree with this. I burn more doing an all-around workout. Also, I can't stand swimming just free. I get incredibly bored and eventually just get so lazy that I start doing 50's of sidestroke!!

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Rnovitske — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:16:44 GMT

Your weight can also grow if you lift weights That must be it! Lifting those cookies and glasses of drinks.

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

chowmi — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:47:03 GMT

I think if you take a nap, that's like 400 calories. I would think the stroke that burns the most calories is the one you least want to do. tee hee hee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Former Member — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 08:23:20 GMT

The best weight control: do not eat or drink any food with added sugar, nothing fried, whole grain cereals! Yeap!!! it sounds as if “life’s flavor” is taken away:D

RE: What stroke burns the most calories

Rnovitske — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 08:00:33 GMT

Do you recall the source of these numbers? I'd like to take a look. I found several sources for information to compare. I posted stats from this one, which was the easiest to copy: www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist3.htm This also looked more accurate since it used specific weight: www.everydayhealth.com/calories-burned-swimming.htm