Swimming vs Bicycling
Which burns more calories, and by how much — from the same Compendium MET data.
Swimming burns more — about 588 kcal an hour versus 588 kcal for bicycling, for a 70 kg adult. That is 0% more, or 0 extra calories per hour. The gap comes from their MET values: 8 for swimming against 8 for bicycling.
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Take the activity's MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities — the measured ratio of its energy cost to sitting quietly.
- Convert MET to a rate using the ACSM relationship: multiply by 3.5, then by body mass in kilograms, then divide by 200. That gives kilocalories per minute.
- Multiply the rate by the number of minutes actually spent.
- Round to whole kilocalories. Nothing else is applied — no age factor, no sex factor, no proprietary adjustment, because the underlying data does not support one.
kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × mass(kg) ÷ 200 kcal = kcal/min × minutes
Side by side, by body weight and duration
| Body weight | Swimming · 30 min | Bicycling · 30 min | Swimming · 1 hr | Bicycling · 1 hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 210 | 210 | 420 | 420 |
| 60 kg | 252 | 252 | 504 | 504 |
| 70 kg | 294 | 294 | 588 | 588 |
| 80 kg | 336 | 336 | 672 | 672 |
| 90 kg | 378 | 378 | 756 | 756 |
| 100 kg | 420 | 420 | 840 | 840 |
| 110 kg | 462 | 462 | 924 | 924 |
| 120 kg | 504 | 504 | 1,008 | 1,008 |
Both columns use the same equation and the same reference data, so the comparison is like-for-like.
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How to read this
A higher MET means a higher energy cost per minute — but the activity you will actually keep doing beats the one that scores better on paper. Swimming wins on rate; if bicycling is the one you enjoy, the extra 0% is easily recovered by doing 0 more minutes.
Both figures assume a 70 kg adult and steady effort for the full hour, which is a generous assumption for anything vigorous. Realistic sessions include rest.
Questions
Does swimming or bicycling burn more calories?
Swimming burns more — about 588 kcal an hour versus 588 kcal for bicycling, for a 70 kg adult. That is 0% more, or 0 extra calories per hour. The gap comes from their MET values: 8 for swimming against 8 for bicycling.
Both numbers are models. Neither knows your gradient, your gear, or how hard you were actually trying.
MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.
