Swimming is typically thought of as one of the most gentle and relaxing sports. Indeed, thanks to how easy swimming is on the joints, doctors recommend it as the top form of exercise for seniors. However, while swimming can be relaxing, it can also make for an intense cardiovascular workout. If you're using good form and pushing yourself, you can burn calories rapidly in the water. But which swimming stroke is best if your main goal is to get your heart pounding and start burning calories? Different swim strokes use different muscle groups in different capacities, so it's easy to understand why one swim stroke would burn more calories than another. Below, we've ranked the most common swimming strokes based on calorie-burning potential, to help you build a great fat-burning workout in the pool. Do note, however, that the calorie counts provided here are only approximations or estimations and don't necessarily reflect how many calories you will burn during your swim workout. As with any exercise, the number of calories you burn while swimming will depend on several different factors, including your current body weight and the intensity of your workout.

 

Swimming Strokes and Calories

 

As you might expect, the swimming strokes that are the most difficult or that tire you out the fastest tend to be the ones that burn the most calories. For the purposes of this ranking, we will start at the top and work our way down the list.

  1. The Butterfly

If you've ever watched Olympic swimmers doing the butterfly and commented on how hard it looks, you guessed right. Typically labeled the most difficult of all common swim strokes, the butterfly is also the stroke that burns the most calories. With strong technique, the Butterfly can burn 150 calories every 10 minutes and have numerous effects on the body?from toned upper body muscles to improved flexibility. The issue with the butterfly, though, is the steep learning curve. Almost anyone who knows the basics of swimming can get in the pool and swim at decent speeds (and get a decent workout) with the front crawl, the backstroke, or even the breaststroke. The butterfly requires more coordination and a more technically sound technique?not to mention strong muscles. There's a reason that you don't tend to see many amateur swimmers messing around with the butterfly at the beach or the public pool. Quite simply, this is a stroke you might need a coach to master. However, If you do have someone who can teach you?or are willing to go through the trial and error of teaching yourself?then you can get an incredible workout with the butterfly. Just be careful, as an imperfect technique can result in back or shoulder injuries.

  1. The Front Crawl

The front crawl stroke is easily the most common swimming stroke. It's the first one you learn when you take swimming lessons and is the stroke most people think of first when they hear the word "swimming. In fact, the front crawl is so common that it is often referred to as the freestyle stroke, simply because professional swimmers will always do the front crawl in freestyle races. There's a reason the front crawl is popular: it's efficient, it's relatively easy to master, and it's ultimately the fastest stroke in swimming?particularly over long distances. Someone with a great butterfly stroke can reach faster peak speeds in the water than someone swimming the front crawl, but the butterfly's recovery phase costs speed and momentum in a way that no part of the front crawl's does. You also shouldn't feel you aren't challenging yourself if you just dive into the pool and only swim the front crawl. While you certainly can be adventurous and try out other strokes, the front crawl is second only to the butterfly in terms of calorie-burning potential. On average, this stroke probably burns about 100 calories every 10 minutes?though it's tough to gauge that figure, since it's easier to vary the speed and intensity of the front crawl than of the butterfly. Going fast, you can burn over 800 calories an hour with the front crawl?not far from what you'd get with a good-technique butterfly. Going slow, you're looking at closer to the 500-calorie range. Bottom line, given the speed, flexibility, and easy-to-master technique of the front crawl, the stroke is probably your best bet for a swimming workout. You'll cover considerable distance, burn loads of calories, engage most of your main muscle groups, and do it all without having to work through the challenges of mastering technique. It's also great for toning your back muscles, your shoulders, your abs, and your glutes. If you want to swim competitively or adopt a more eclectic workout, you'll have to master the other strokes as well, but for personal exercise, the freestyle/front crawl is a worthy choice.

  1. The Backstroke

Of the popular competitive swimming strokes, the backstroke is probably the most physically relaxed. When you take swim lessons, you are taught to float on your back when you need a rest from constant front crawling or treading water. Since the backstroke puts you on your back, it reduces the strain on the muscles by capitalizing on that floating potential. Add the fact that the backstroke allows for easy breathing, and it can feel like the most leisurely of the common swimming strokes. Still, the backstroke is essentially an upside down version of the front crawl, which means that it really gets your arm, shoulder, and back muscles working. As a result, the backstroke can burn a fair number of calories?even if it feels a lot more relaxed than the front crawl or the butterfly (or even the breaststroke, discussed below). The average number for 10 minutes is about 80 calories, and you'll feel the burn in your stomach muscles, your hip flexors, and throughout your arms and legs.

  1. The Breaststroke

The breaststroke is often forgotten, and there are a few different reasons for that. First of all, if you're watching Olympic swimming on TV, the breaststroke looks less elegant than the other competitive strokes?simply because most of the swimming motion is happening underwater and out of sight. The second reason for the breaststroke's lesser popularity is probably that it burns fewer calories than the other common strokes?perhaps leaving hobbyist swimmers with less motivation to master it. However, while the breaststroke is at the bottom of the totem pole as far as calorie-burning is concerned?it burns about 60 calories every 10 minutes, less than half of what you get with the butterfly?it's still a worthwhile stroke for your exercise regimen. The breaststroke, in addition to doing some good work on many muscle groups throughout the body (including the chest, shoulders, triceps, and hamstrings) is also an amazing exercise for the heart and lungs. Experts say that long distance breaststroke swimming will improve heart health and expand the lungs. In other words, this stroke might not be the quickest way to trim calories in the pool, but it will pay dividends in other areas of your health.

 

Other Types of Swimming

 

Of course, these four strokes, while the bread and butter of competitive swimming?don't necessarily include everything you'll be doing in the pool. On the contrary, simple doggy paddling, treading water, or leisurely swimming might well make up a part of your workout. It's fun to jump in the pool and just swim around in a relaxed fashion for a while, without worrying about picking a stroke and doing laps. Best of all, this type of swimming warms your body up for a more intense workout and burns a few calories along the way. Depending on what you're doing, leisure swimming can burn up to 50 calories every 10 minutes?not far off the breaststroke in terms of calorie-burning. Other types of swimming?from synchronized swimming routines to water sports such as volleyball and water polo?can burn hundreds of calories every hour. How much you'll get out of these workouts depends on length and intensity of exercise, but rest assured that any time spent moving around in the water can translate to a good workout. Whether you are looking to burn calories, lose weight, tone your muscles, or simply have fun, swimming can get you where you want to go.