The many aqua jogging benefits are why many people are starting to look at it as a standalone workout, as opposed to a rehabilitation exercise.
WHAT IS AQUA JOGGING?
Aqua jogging is a form of cardiovascular exercise that imitates jogging while submerged in water. This is made possible by a floatation device or running device that keeps your body suspended in the air.
As a result, it gives your arms and legs freedom to move freely while keeping your head above the surface of the water.
For a long time, aqua jogging has been looked at as a rehabilitation exercise. A form of exercise used to rehabilitate an injured athlete.
However, aqua jogging is actually an effective form of exercise in its own right packed with numerous benefits. Some of these benefits include:
INCREASED STRENGTH
Water is primarily thicker than air. As such, due to water’s density, you are likely to receive about 12 to 14% per cent more resistance running in water than on land.
The act of aqua jogging is therefore commensurate to jogging with weights all around your body. This is because the surrounding water acts as a form of built-in resistance.
This, therefore, makes it easier to engage muscles that you’d struggle to engage on land. In general, the added resistance you face from running in the water increases strength.
LOW IMPACT
It is a flexible form of exercise. Both in terms of its exercises and intensity. It is effortless to tailor water exercises for yourself depending on fitness levels, age or agility.
Having these factors in mind means that you can engage in water exercises with very low impact.
As such people with arthritis, the obese, the elderly, the pregnant or any other impeded person can engage in water exercises.
INCREASED FLEXIBILITY
The limited range of motion within the human body is largely due to gravity. Although gravity affects water, its influence isn’t as strong.
As a result, while aqua jogging, you can move your body through a wider range of motion. The fortunate thing about this is that it facilitates muscle memory.
Consequentially you end up having improved flexibility.
BETTER LUNG CAPACITY
The conditions your body goes through while doing water exercises are typically much harsher than on land. In an actual sense, this makes your body work harder than it would on land.
Consequentially it gets your lungs a solid workout which improves your lung capacity.
ALLEVIATES PRESSURE OFF THE LOWER BODY
The lower body is responsible for handling most of our body weight on most occasions while working out. As such, excessive pressure on joints such as the knees and hips lead to discomfort.
Also, it significantly reduces pressure on the lower body, thus alleviating pressure on pressure-bearing joints.
PROVIDES YOU WITH CHOICE OF TEMPERATURE WHILE TRAINING
It provides you with the opportunity to specify the temperature you want to train under. If you’re exercising in an indoor pool, it means you can control the external temperature.
As someone who has a fitness plan, having such an option is priceless. This is because you can continue training according to the goals you’ve set rather than conform to nature’s will.
CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUT
Water exercises are not just for the rehabilitation of injuries. If anything, water exercises can play a huge role in preventing injury.
This is because they improve your cardiovascular fitness and improve your running form, thus reducing injury chances.
GOOD FOR HIP FLEXORS
Hip flexors are generally expected to be tight and weak among unprofessional runners. This is because your days probably involve sitting behind a desk and hip flexors reflect your daily routine.
This is remedied by water exercises as you drive your knees up against the resistance of the water you allow the flexors to be strengthened in a full range of motion.
IMPROVES RUNNING FORM
It is highly recommended to develop your running form in water. This is because the reduced influence of gravity leaves one more flexible.
When you run on land, this form is replicated as it was on the water. The improved running form ensures you get the best out of running as an exercise and prevents injuries.
INDUCES WEIGHT LOSS
According to this study, it is associated with reduced body fat. It also plays a huge role in reduced waist circumference, improved aerobic fitness and quality of life.
There are various types of aqua jogging workouts for runners with varying intensities and variations. For instance, a sample of water exercise would look like this:
Warm-up at an easy effort for 5 to 10 minutes. You could also do the warm-up poolside if the surface doesn’t aggravate the injury or you’re not injured. High knees and jogging in place should work as warm-ups.
Perform two to three higher intensity laps by sprinting to one end of the pool and jogging back at 50 per cent intensity.
Perform 10 rounds of 2 minutes jogging at high intensity, followed by 2 minutes at low intensity.
Cool down for 5 minutes.
Some examples of aqua workouts include:
EASY POOL RUNNING
Easy pool running is used before or in between intense aqua jogging workouts. Performing easy running is just like running on dry land.
However, if you’re using a heart rate monitor, a heart rate of 65-70% of your maximum rate is recommended.
For something a little more intense, try this:
THE PYRAMID
The pyramid is an aquatic exercise that involves a series of aquatic runs with varying intensity. The choreography is as follows:
10 minutes easy warm-up
1:00 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
1:30 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
2:00 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
2:30 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
3:00 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
3:30 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
4:00 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
4:30 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
5:00 hard running, 30 seconds easy running
Come back down the pyramid (4:30 hard, 30 easy, 4:00 hard, 30 easy etc.)
10 minutes easy running to cool down
FARTLEK
10 minutes easy warm-up
30 seconds sprint (95-100% of maximum heart rate or all-out sprint)
30 seconds medium sprint (87-92% of maximum heart rate or what feels like tempo effort)
30 seconds sprint
30 seconds medium
30 seconds rest
Repeat 12-15 times
10 minutes easy cool down
These are some choreographed water exercises that have been proven to be effective.
CAN YOU AQUA JOG IN SHALLOW WATER?
Water running can be done in either shallow water or deep water. Water jogging in shallow water will give you results; however, it is more taxing.
When compared to deep-water running, deep water is significantly more effective and is less taxing. As such, whilst you might get results with shallow-water running, deep-water running is empirically better.
CONCLUSION
Aqua jogging has been pigeonholed as purely a rehabilitation exercise over the years. However, it is capable of standing on its own as a form of cardio.
Not only is it versatile, but it also gives you options and can be tailored to become low impact. It is, therefore, a form of exercise that people of all ages can do.
When done at an intense level water running is just as effective as running on land.
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