Both running and swimming are excellent forms of aerobic exercise that provide great health benefits. Many people wonder how much swimming it takes to equal a 30 minute run in terms of calories burned, cardiovascular fitness, muscle toning, and other exercise effects. In this article, we will compare running and swimming to help determine how much swimming time it takes to equal 30 minutes of running.
Calories Burned
When comparing running and swimming calories burned, it depends on a variety of factors including your weight, intensity level, swimming stroke, and swimming speed. On average, here is how running and swimming compare in terms of calories burned per 30 minutes:
| Exercise | Calories Burned (130 lb person) | Calories Burned (155 lb person) | Calories Burned (180 lb person) |
| Running (6 mph pace) | 295 calories | 350 calories | 405 calories |
| Freestyle Swimming (light effort) | 146 calories | 173 calories | 201 calories |
| Freestyle Swimming (moderate effort) | 367 calories | 436 calories | 505 calories |
| Butterfly Stroke (light effort) | 175 calories | 208 calories | 241 calories |
| Butterfly Stroke (moderate effort) | 438 calories | 520 calories | 603 calories |
As you can see from the data, a 30 minute moderate effort swim (freestyle or butterfly) burns about the same number of calories as running for 30 minutes at a 6 mph pace. The exact amount can vary slightly depending on the swimming stroke and intensity. At a light swimming effort, it takes about double the time swimming (60 minutes) to burn the calories of a 30 minute run.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Both running and swimming provide excellent cardiovascular fitness benefits. For most people, running and swimming have similar cardiovascular benefits when done at equivalent effort levels.
Some research has compared VO2 max gains between running and swimming programs. VO2 max measures a person’s maximum oxygen uptake during intense exercise and is a good indicator of cardiovascular fitness. In one study, participants training 3 days a week for 8 weeks increased VO2 max by 11% with a running program and by 7.5% with a swimming program. While running led to slightly higher VO2 max gains, both activities significantly improved cardiovascular fitness.
For equivalent effort levels, running and swimming should provide very similar cardiovascular benefits over time. For example, 30 minutes of vigorous swimming will usually have the same cardiovascular training effect as 30 minutes of vigorous running when done on a regular basis. However, it’s important to note that swimming is lower impact than running, putting less stress on the joints. For some, this allows higher training volumes and intensities in the pool.
Muscle Toning
Both running and swimming help tone and strengthen muscles throughout the body. However, the muscle groups worked differ between the two activities:
Running
- Legs – quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves
- Core
- Arms
Swimming
- Shoulders
- Latissimus dorsi
- Chest
- Triceps
- Core
- Quadriceps and glutes
As you can see, while running focuses more on the lower body and swimming emphasizes the upper body, both work the core extensively.
For well-rounded muscle toning, a training program that combines running and swimming is excellent. The amount of swimming needed to equal running depends on your goals. To tone the upper body, longer swimming durations are needed. For lower body toning, shorter swims combined with running is most effective. About 30-45 minutes of swimming targets the upper body similarly to a 30 minute run for the lower body. But mixing both provides the best muscular balance.
Weight Loss
Running and swimming both burn significant calories and are excellent for weight loss. In terms of calories burned, 30 minutes of moderate swimming is roughly equivalent to 30 minutes of running as discussed earlier.
However, running may provide greater weight loss effects for a few reasons:
- Higher calorie burn. At intense efforts, running burns more calories per hour.
- Afterburn effect. Running creates more of an EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) effect, burning additional calories after exercise.
- Muscle building. The muscle-strengthening effect from running facilitates weight loss.
That said, swimming remains superb for weight loss. The water provides gentle resistance in all directions, engaging the body in a manner that burns fat and calories. Swimming also builds lean muscle mass all over.
For optimal weight loss, a training program that combines running and swimming is ideal. But in terms of direct weight loss per unit of time, running burns more calories than swimming in most cases.
Conclusion
In conclusion, here are some key points to consider when comparing running vs. swimming:
- For calories burned, 30 minutes of moderate swimming equates to about 30 minutes of moderate running. High intensity running burns more calories.
- Cardiovascular fitness gains are similar between running and swimming when training at equivalent intensities.
- Running focuses more on lower body toning while swimming emphasizes upper body. Mixing running and swimming provides excellent muscular balance.
- For direct weight loss, running burns slightly more calories per hour in most scenarios.
- Overall, combining running and swimming works optimally to achieve fitness goals.
While running and swimming have their differences, both provide outstanding health and fitness benefits. Alternating between 30-60 minutes of swimming and 30 minutes of running on different days supplies an excellent training effect for the average person. Adjust exact swim times based on your specific goals. But for an equal total time investment, expect similar gains in endurance, muscle tone and weight loss from running and swimming.
