Although water exercise is often associated with injured athletes, senior citizens, the obese population and pregnant women, the National Center for Biotechnology Information notes that underwater walking can be very effective in creating lean body mass. Underwater workout are also used as athletic cross training and as an alternative workout during hot weather. Depending on your needs, you can add swimming pool workout equipment to add challenge to you workout, or to assist in some of the movements.
Swimming Pool Physical Therapy
Swimming pool physical therapy, also called aquatic physical therapy is sometimes used for patients with cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, muscular-skeletal and neuro-muscular disorders. Equipment used in a therapeutic facility may include underwater treadmills, water weights and web hands. The underwater treadmills can be used for morbidly obese individuals, or for people with cardiovascular or cardiopulmonary disorders. Performing the exercises in the pool is helpful for people who have trouble with heat dissipation. Water weights and web hands add resistance and intensity to aerobic conditioning workouts.
Swimming Pool Athletic Conditioning
Many elite athletes use swimming pool aerobic exercise equipment as a cross training tool. The water provides resistance without impact. An aqua jogging belt is required for buoyancy in deep water. For shallow water running, some athletes purchase special aqua running shoes.
Upper Body Pool Aerobic Equipment
Deconditioned individuals can begin with an easy water walking program. Add intensity by using web hands, a type of aquatic glove that adds resistance, or aquatic weights. Since water walking is performed in waist deep water, these types of equipment are effective for people who lack swimming skills, or people who are afraid of deep water. They are also effective for people with extremely low body fat. These folks have less buoyancy in deep water. As a result, it's difficult for them to get the benefits of deep water aerobic exercise.
Noodles and Flotation Vests
Noodles can be used for water walking in deeper water. Place the noodle between the legs and align it so that it is higher in the back than in the front. A flotation vest is another option for providing buoyancy. Since deep water exercise is more challenging, these devices help progress your aqua aerobics programs.
Dance Oriented Water Exercise Equipment
Attend any fitness instructor's convention, and you are bound to see a variety of dance aerobic classes performed in the pool. The aqua step is a non-skid step that is placed in the pool. It can be used to perform the same type of step movements used in land-based step aerobic exercise. EnerQi flow scarves are made of a quick-drying wrinkle-free nylon blend material, and provide extra drag and resistance in dance-oriented aqua aerobic classes. The scarves can be used for sensual, ethnic-oriented dance moves as well as partner exercises with each partner holding one end of the scarf.
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