Swimming vs. Jogging

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Swimming vs. Jogging

May 29, 2008

If you're into mixing up your cardio by including swimming and running in your routine, then you'll probably want to know how the two compare. Take this quiz to test what you know.

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22 Comments

2 years

for the sake of the argument, you use your legs to run and you use a lot of different muscles to swim (including only a small proportion of your legs compared to running). The work you're doing and hence the calories you're burning is based on the rate and forces at work. we can only compare them for a given rate and time and distance like say 6 miles an hour for a half hour. I can run 6 miles an hour for a half hour without a problem but I can't swim that fast for that long. that may be because I'm not a great swimmer but also because you are dividing up all that work between all sorts of muscles of different sizes all over your body whereas when you're running its primarily your legs doing the work. your leg muscles are the biggest ones and therefore need the most energy to work (and burn the most calories). they are also the same muscles you use every single day walking around and are used to doing a lot of work. Those big muscles are going to burn tons of energy compared to spreading out that energy over lots of smaller muscles that can take advantage of many things in the water including the most efficient pivot points and your momentum which is considerably higher in the water than on land (think riding a bike - you can roll far peddling little). running is the way to go for more calories, but if you go all out swimming you're going to do fuller body exercise and get your heart rate up and still burn a bunch. depends what you want out of it.

runningesq 4 years

You will burn five times the calories swimming a mile than you will jogging the same distance. I don't think you can compare swimming and running with distance. On an 'average' run (5-10 mi), I run at about 9 min/ mile. In the pool, I average about 30 min/ mile. Of course I'll burn more calories swimming one mile than running one mile --- it takes 20 more minuets to swim one than run one.

4 years

Because of the vast difference in skill level calories burned should be measured by distance, even more so with swimming. You will burn five times the calories swimming a mile than you will jogging the same distance.

Cris1192 4 years

I love to do both

SassAndBide 4 years

i prefer swimming

ayuninur 5 years

2 out of 4 questions correctly. ..

the17thman 5 years

Another problem with this quiz is that it calculates calories burned running 30 minutes at a 10 minute pace. But when it comes to swimming it only states a vague moderate pace. What is a moderate pace? When I'm working hard I do 100's on a 1:10 interval. When I'm being lazy I do a 1:20 interval base getting 12 seconds of rest. SCY Freestyle. I think they need to define "Moderate" for swimming to compare. For example tonight I ran 5 miles AT 7.57 PACE. How many calories was that? Read my workouts online at http://the17thman.typepad.com

the17thman 5 years

sorry not 1996 that was 2006. wrong decade. guess i got lost in all this math

the17thman 5 years

I agree logically a lap would be two lengths of a pool but why do we call lap counters "lap counters" when we countdown they count down by length. Since "lap counters" are sanctioned by FINA/USMS/USA Swimming we must agree that a lap counter counts laps then one length of a pool is a lap. I swim distance events in USMS and have a top 10 time in my age group in 1996 for the 1500 SCM Freestyle and my counter and everyone else counted from 1 up to 59 with the lap counters.

fabchick 5 years

does swimming burn more calories than running??? i wonder..

kia 5 years

1/4, wonk wonk. I enjoy both forms of activity.

JanetG0307 5 years

i have to agree with ohanaani. as a swimmer for 16+ years, a length is not a lap...2 lengths equal one lap. someone once explained it to me that a lap is something where you end up in the same place as you started. when you complete a lap around a jogging track, you end up at the same place...same for the pool!

ohananani 5 years

Sorry, 17thman, but YOU are wrong. As an avid swimmer for 42 years including AAU, high school team captain and college, I can speak for swimmers. 1 lap= 2 pool lengths 1 pool length= 1/2 lap Ask anyone who swims in a Master's group or Swim club.....

the17thman 5 years

Sorry but Question #1 is wrong: One lap in a 25 yard long pool equals 50 yards. A swimmer's mile is 1650 yards (1500 meters), so that means you'll have to swim 33 laps to equal one mile. As a swimmer a 1650 is 66 lengths of a pool or laps. We don't say 2 lengths is a lap. One length is a lap. So a mile swim in a 25 yard pool is 66 laps while a mile swim in a 25 meter pool is 60 laps.

runningesq 5 years

MizFit, ask them to swim in open water for 1.2 mi and ask them how hardcore they feel then ;) IMO, it's best to mix it up... I'm tri training, so I swim, bike, and run, and all three sports are beneficial!

wiggle 5 years

I amy not sweat when I swim, but I certainly pant!

Puzzle2397 5 years

MizFit, I swear I have felt myself sweating while swimming before. You just don't feel it on you (obviously) because you're submerged in water. So, you tell your "hardcore" friends that =)

swimminnikki711 5 years

I had no idea. I always thought swimming burnt more calories. Glad I started running.

gigill 5 years

I tried to start a running program (couch to 5k) but had to quit not due to lack of dedication but because the high impact put some serious stress on my ankles and injured them. I couldn't run without limping for 2 weeks. Swimming, elliptical and low-impact aerobics it is for me in terms of cardio!

MizFit 5 years

the (fingerquote) hardcore (unFQ) peeps I know wont swim since they dont sweat and to them that must indicate it's easier. not me :) Im all about the not sweating whenever possible. M.

SkinnyMarie 5 years

I am the worst with swimming. I am stop a lot more then I would if I was running.

Renees3 5 years

I'm the worst swimmer ever so it definitely burn more calories because I'm flailing about like a lame.

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