Do pool exercises help tone or are they only cardio?
Verity1111
Posts: 3,309 Member
Just curious. I am trying to join the gym near us and I am super excited because they have a pool and I haven't been swimming in years. I love to swim. I know there is a little bit of resistance in water, but are there ways to use a pool for strength training exercises or only cardio?
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There is definitely some resistance while swimming. It is not a replacement for strength training though. Strength training does a lot for your bone health (especially for women) and swimming just cannot give this benefit because gravity plays no role.0
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They should have weights that are made for the water. They are hard to do, just like regular weights!0
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Do those exist? That's what I was wondering. Are there strength exercises for in water? I may have to Google this to find out more lol0
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I've done whole training rounds on them. That was for physical therapy in the water, but I'm sure I've seen some of the same weights at the local Y pool. I have a neck/back problem, so I basically stood there in the water up past my neck and just lifted like you would with dumbbells, lol. Then there were walking drills where you hold something in front to slow you down, etc.0
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I used to do water aerobics at the Y and there were foam dumbbells to use. There were only 2 different dumbbell options, which isn't too bad actually. I loved water aerobics!0
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Thank you for the info! I definitely will be looking into that. I know they probably have water aerobics classes at the gym and I would be really interested in those. Hopefully I have time to join one and I'm not too insecure to be seen in a bathing suit. lol.0
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While there are some exercises you can do to increase strength, pool work is limited to only certain types of exercises that will achieve this. Normally it would include explosive work (like jumping up out of the water) for legs or fast swimming in short spurts. Squats in the pool would NOT emulate even just doing body squats on a flat surface outside the pool, due to much less resistance. And strength is built on resistance that's progressive in overload not duration.
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It depends on what your goals are. I doubt swimming will help increasing the weight you can lift, but it will help with muscle definition.0
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Verity1111 wrote: »Thank you for the info! I definitely will be looking into that. I know they probably have water aerobics classes at the gym and I would be really interested in those. Hopefully I have time to join one and I'm not too insecure to be seen in a bathing suit. lol.
Don't be worried about the bathing suit! Usually there are all sizes there.
You could probably buy and bring your own weights if theirs aren't strong enough for you. It's not that they are heavy, quite the opposite! You have to push them down in the water, usually, and also control them on the up move. It's harder than it sounds.
Or the things you push in front of you: you have to push the water, too. Mine looked like an enormous cutting board or riot shield that I held in front of me, and it's hard to push! I never tried water aerobics, but I did water weights the whole hour in PT.0 -
I'm limited to the pool. You can get both cardiovascular n strength. More cardio. Dumbell for resistance. They also make ankle n wrist weights0
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Swimming is primarily a cardiovascular exercise. Not much weight bearing involved. However, cardio increases your energy expenditure, which increases your calorie deficit, reducing your body fat. If your body fat reduces enough to reveal the muscles underneath, you will then have the toned look.0
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cafeaulait7 wrote: »Verity1111 wrote: »Thank you for the info! I definitely will be looking into that. I know they probably have water aerobics classes at the gym and I would be really interested in those. Hopefully I have time to join one and I'm not too insecure to be seen in a bathing suit. lol.
Don't be worried about the bathing suit! Usually there are all sizes there.
You could probably buy and bring your own weights if theirs aren't strong enough for you. It's not that they are heavy, quite the opposite! You have to push them down in the water, usually, and also control them on the up move. It's harder than it sounds.
Or the things you push in front of you: you have to push the water, too. Mine looked like an enormous cutting board or riot shield that I held in front of me, and it's hard to push! I never tried water aerobics, but I did water weights the whole hour in PT.
Thank you for this. I lost this thread and forgot I could find it in my discussions. But yeah Im very insecure. Even when I was thin I thought I was big. I have a complex (thanks mom lol) and its stuck I think. Until I reach my goal and have something to really be proud of. I will look into the water weights and board you mentioned
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Verity1111 wrote: »I know there is a little bit of resistance in water, but are there ways to use a pool for strength training exercises or only cardio?
Yes, but if you're capable of doing a proper strength training program, you'll get better results from that.
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Verity1111 wrote: »Thank you for the info! I definitely will be looking into that. I know they probably have water aerobics classes at the gym and I would be really interested in those. Hopefully I have time to join one and I'm not too insecure to be seen in a bathing suit. lol.
The hardest thing I had to do was squish my (at that time) 285 lb body into a swimming suit and head to the pool. I did it and it was the best thing I ever did. I started with a water aerobics class that is a mix of cardio and strengthening and eventually moved into laps. After the first day, I didn't care and realized nobody else cared either.
Just remember . . . people there are all running around in shiny, wet lycra wearing condoms on their heads. They will not care what you look like!
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Aqua - Zumba employs some moves that are a SERIOUS workout! You might look for a class just to learn some moves.
But just plain old laps are my favorite-- and a set on the kickboard is great for toning.0 -
It depends on what your goals are. I doubt swimming will help increasing the weight you can lift, but it will help with muscle definition.
Look at the old Tarzan movies from the 40s...those actors (IIRC there were more than one over time) were Olympic swimmers! The first one was for sure.0 -
I have been to 3 different pools and several types of aqua classes.
Each pool had an assortment of weighs and floaties in several sizes that were free to use during the class. (And people in different weights and sizes, too! )
The teachers were all great. Just tell them this is your first time at the class and they will help you pick out the equipment that fits you.
They will also give you extra hints as the class goes along so you know how to do the moves correctly.
One of the things I really like about the classes is that it's easy to follow along at your own pace. I never felt like it was too hard. I just did what I could do, and that was ok. I felt very relaxed almost immediately.
Aqua-size was mostly aerobic. Aqua-Zumba was extra fast aerobics with cool music.
Aqua-fit focused more on strength training using different equipment to create resistance.
One of my favorite things at the class was, under the starting boards for swimming races there were bars for doing pull ups. I've never done a pull up in my life, but with the buoyancy of the water helping I was able to do it. I worked up from doing about 5 to doing 30 at a time. It felt great to be able to do pullups.
I think these classes are a great stepping stone for folks who are just starting out with exercising, are recovering from an injury or if you just want something fun and different.
People who work out hard with weights or do serious aerobic workouts probably would not find the classes challenging.
I hope you have fun. Good luck.
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I'd recommend doing weight training then swimming laps. I can't see how any strength training done in the water would be as beneficial as on land.
Although when you combine the two it's a great workout because swimming works most of your body. I swim twice a week between lift days and I can always feel the muscle group I worked the day before.0 -
Another aquafit enthusiast here.
It was the first exercise I did when starting to get fit. I still love it. People come in all shapes and sizes for the class so don't worry about putting a swim suit on.
It did help me with muscle and strength retention as it was a 50% split of cardio and strength. Using those floating dumb bells can get quite challenging, and the ab work floating on your back is effective too. You can up your intensity in the class quite easily as you become more accustomed to the moves.
It is also excellent for; balance, flexibility, mobility, and posture.
Cheers, h.0 -
I have taught water fitness and aqua jogging for 10 years now and I can tell you there are definitely ways to do strength training in the water. Like others have said, it's no substitute for lifting weights. However, depending what your goals are it might be possible to achieve them in the pool.
Most pools have foam barbells and paddles of some sort. These can help add resistance to many movements in the water. If your pool doesn't have them, they can be easily found at a sporting goods store. Also, ankle weights are helpful if you are looking to really up your resistance to any sort of jogging motion. But be careful because they can be dangerous when used incorrectly or in deep water.
Hope you enjoy working out in the pool as much as I do! 0 -
Pool is not the number one way to increase muscle strength, but I LOVE it (I also do gym machine/body strengthening) and have figured out a few ways to help make a difference.
One thing to keep in your subconscious is keeping your belly abs engaged and hiney tight whenever possible.
Some things I have done - - - These are all with water bar bells - - - 1. use the medium or heavy resistance barbells (or noodle for lighter resistance) for push ups - you must keep your body in the same position as traditional push ups (i.e. butt tucked, abs in, shoulders down, chest in line with hands. - - - 2. Breaststroke but use medium resistance barbells held in your hands using the same stroke as normal breaststroke swim.
3. I have used regular light wrist weights when swimming. - - - 4. Face side of pool and raise foot behind, place noodle under ankle, flex foot - slowly raise and lower foot to ability. You get equal benefit if you let it rest up behind you and you tighten your butt, stand straight, abs in, keep knee and leg in line w/hip - slightly push knee back and tighten hold release 10 or 20x's. - - - 5. Can use wrist or heavier leg(wrap) weights by SLOWLY doing leg raises.
***Very important - - - DO NOT TRY to kick swim with leg weights on.
Anytime you feel uncomfortable or pain - - stop.0 -
By the way - - - don't discredit Toning. The pool is awesome for toning0
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