Comparing calories burned running versus swimming is like answering the question, "How long is a string?" Both forms of exercise provide excellent cardiovascular workouts, and both burn energy in the form of calories. Running enthusiasts prefer working out on dry land to develop endurance and fitness. Swimmers excel in the buoyant aquatic environment, and work on technique to improve swimming times.
Variables
Burning 3,500 calories equates to approximately one of excess weight or fat stored, according to the Mayo Clinic. How many calories a person burns while running or swimming depends on who exercises and how. The heavier a person, the more calories he expends on exercise. The age and metabolic rate of the person also determine how many calories exercise burns. Women have a lower base metabolic rate than men, the Mayo Clinic adds, due in part to their higher percentage of body fat to lean muscle. Finally, the intensity of the exercise determines how many calories a person burns.
Features
Running builds leg muscles and improves cardiovascular fitness. Heavier runners must exert effort to overcome the effects of gravity on their frames, and might suffer painful joint injury because of the prolonged, jarring impact on them. Professional long-distance runners tend to be lean and small-framed, whereas sprinters can be heavily muscled.
Swimming also improves cardiovascular fitness and tones muscles, but does so in a non-weight-bearing environment. Elite swimmers tend to be taller and heavier than are most runners, as they use flexible strength and length to overcome the resistance of water.
Calories Burned
In its 2008 guidelines for adults, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that performing 2 ½ hours or more per week of moderate aerobic exercise, such as running or swimming, yields substantial health benefits.
The Mayo Clinic compares the average number of calories burned per hour for different sports, and reports that a 160-pound person who runs at 8 mph burns 986 calories in one hour. This translates to 7 ½ minutes per mile, which is a fast pace for average fitness runners. The more moderate pace of 5 mph, which requires the runner to complete a mile in 12 minutes, burns 584 calories per hour. A person of the same weight burns 511 calories per hour swimming laps, the clinic adds.
Benefits
In addition to improving lung and heart fitness, running builds lean muscle mass, due to its high-impact effect on the body. Running for a full hour is not easy. The pounding against pavement on joints causes injury in some, particularly those who are overweight.
Swimming does not increase lean body mass, but it is easy on joints. Swimming might be easier for people with higher body weight to continue for long periods, thereby burning more calories in a workout. Low-intensity swimming also burns more fat than high-intensity swims, according the USA Swimming.
Considerations
Exercise alone does not always result in weight loss. Reducing calorie intake helps dieters achieve success. Cutting 500 calories daily, or 3,500 calories per week, results in one pound of excess weight lost. Exercise burns even more calories and thus helps speed weight loss somewhat, as it builds muscles and overall fitness.
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