Aqua Fitness. Yes. Again

I just took my first water aerobics class! It was a blast! I think I will really tone up if I do this three times a week for even a month.

I tried a few Aqua fit classes several years ago at the Y, both shallow and deep. I had been doing my regular (intense) 4km (mixed set) swims in the lane beside the classes for months and thought I'd give it a try. Why not? The lifeguards were asking me too try it so that I could compare. So in I go. The age and fitness level gap was *large*, and the death stares that I received for splashing (not huge - but enough to upset several ladies) or creating some waves was not acceptable to them. I was trying to achieve the same heart rate I achieve while swimming. Didn't even come close. Gave both types of classes several tries. Alas, at this pool it was not possible unless I pissed off a lot of people. Back into the lane swimming I went. Perhaps in a different pool with a different set of participants would have created a different outcome.

SwimmyD wrote: »

I tried a few Aqua fit classes several years ago at the Y, both shallow and deep. I had been doing my regular (intense) 4km (mixed set) swims in the lane beside the classes for months and thought I'd give it a try. Why not? The lifeguards were asking me too try it so that I could compare. So in I go. The age and fitness level gap was *large*, and the death stares that I received for splashing (not huge - but enough to upset several ladies) or creating some waves was not acceptable to them. I was trying to achieve the same heart rate I achieve while swimming. Didn't even come close. Gave both types of classes several tries. Alas, at this pool it was not possible unless I pissed off a lot of people. Back into the lane swimming I went. Perhaps in a different pool with a different set of participants would have created a different outcome.

I both swim and do acquagym. They are totally different workouts. I usually swim laps for 40-45 min and then do 30 min of acquagym. As you've seen, the workout depends on what you put into it. I've been doing this for 20 yrs, and so can do more than the others. I go in the deep water at the very end of the lane, where I'm by myself. I work on doing more reps and faster, and am always moving even when the others take a pause between exercises. Splashing doesn't mean you're doing more, since the further you are under water, the more water you have to move. It gives me a deep down tiredness and uses muscles that I don't use swimming.

@swimmyd, I think you hit a bad class.

At the start of every class we are asked to spread out and be armpit deep to get the best work out. This us a shallow class, but deep participants are welcome too. My class range is men and women 20-80 and everyone puts in the effort they want.
I started thinking I was going to die and having to slow down a lot. Now when I do it I have a 30 min swim practice after.

My SO 6'2 used to swim while I did the aqua fit, now he joins me on a Friday and finds it a really good but different work out. He never realised how much energy it takes, nor how it can improve flexibility, posture, and balance.

It is a shame the class you went to was so disappointing.

Ooh, I haven't done it this year, maybe time to start it again.

Cheers, h.

SwimmyD wrote: »

Weirdly enough, MFP delayed my posting DAYS late, and only added it now. Just wanna say that I have never seen the active classes that are being done as posted above. It's gotta be a question of supply and demand! But kudos to all the folks who are doing it and loving it. It's all about getting active and doing what you love. As for injuries - there is no better bridge to recovery either.

I know that splashing isn't cool, but when you are six feet tall and the shallow end is only 3 to 3.5ft, I'm afraid you're gonna splash a bit and make big waves, even if you're bent over or squatting (which is not the best form all the time). It doesn't always work for everyone. And if you're in a class with ladies who get angry with a drop of water on their heads- it's not very fun at all.

I'm 5'11'', but have to sympathize if your pool is no deeper than 3.5'--are they using the kiddie pool? That's what we used when I started, but after a couple of years switched us to the regular pool. We get floating belts to buckle on. As said, I go to the deep end. Just came back and am deep down tired--but good. The majority of our ladies are younger than I am, and some swim too, so water drops aren't a great problem--and the rules say everyone with a swim cap.

I take aquatics at the Y. We use the aqua jogger belt in the deep water, Styrofoam resistant weights, & noodles. Water jogging, cross country ski and relay intervals & much, much more! I love it! BTW there is a great aquatics calculater on MyFitnessPal at the following link I have found helpful!
- MyFitnessPal Aquatics Calculator http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/calories-burned/water-aerobics-water-calisthenics-205

aqua Zumba is great as is aqua aerobics I teach both

hi. I'm Canadian too! I have been looking for an aqua aerobics thread for a while now. Great to have found you! I am an injured marathon runner. Thanks to water running classes I am back running. I now do 3 water running classes a week and run three days. I have lost the 21 pounds I gained from injuries. I love going to water running because the older ladies are fun to talk to. At almost 49, I am the youngest and thinnest in the class. That doesn't happen to me very often. I live in White Rock BC

I've found that water exercise classes vary a lot depending on the purpose. At my health club, many of the classes are combined with physical therapy for folks with back pain, arthritis, and such, and tend to tone down the speed and repetitions. There is one more difficult class a day for real exercise, but the amount of exertion still depends a lot on how much effort you make. Many of the ladies like to chat as they exercise and don't exert much. I like to challenge myself to do as many repetitions as possible in the time given, and I focus on feeling the resistance of the water so I know I am getting a maximum workout. I leave the pool very tired with heavy feeling limbs, so I know I've worked lots of muscles. Some instructors give advice on how to make the exercises more strenuous. I don't get the splashing issues. Your arms should stay under the water in order to exercise them, if that is where your splashing is coming from. Personally, I don't like the water Zumba classes, although I love regular Zumba. Part of the problem is that my knees don't like it when I do side to side movements, and the water Zumba seems to be almost all side to side. On land, I wear slippery shoes to minimize the torque on my knee joints, but no way to adjust in the pool. So I'll just stick with regular water aerobics for now.

I suppose part of the resistance to water aerobics as a regular form of exercise is the time it takes - driving to a facility, changing, showering, exercising, showering and shampooing, etc etc, takes a lot more time than just going out your front door for a jog. Maybe in Europe peoples' schedules are a little less hectic than in the US.