Water aerobics, or aqua aerobics, are a low-impact way to get a healthy cardiovascular workout. The exercises, while feeling like a less-intense workout most of the time, burn more calories than land-based exercise and condition the body. During a water aerobics routine, your heart rate will remain lower than your land-based heart rate, so finding your target heart rate is important in getting a healthy, heart-friendly workout.
Your Heart Rate
For a water aerobics class, you may want to invest in a waterproof heart rate monitor to make heart rate training easier, but it is not necessary. You can also take your pulse by placing the first and second fingers of your right hand on your left wrist about an inch under the thumb. Press gently until you can feel your heart beat. It is normal if you have to feel around before finding it. Count how many times your heart beats in 10 seconds and multiply that number by six to find out how many times your heart is beating per minute.
Maximum Heart Rate
The maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart can beat during any activity before failing. You can figure out your maximum land-based heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. For instance, someone who is 20 years old will have a maximum heart rate of 200 and should not allow her heart to go above that number during any exercise routine or physical activity.
Target Heart Rate
A land-based target heart rate is between 50 and 85 percent of the maximum heart rate. However, target heart rates during water aerobics will be about 13 percent lower than a normal, land-based target heart rate even though you will experience the same level benefits, if not more, from the water-based exercise as you do on land. To calculate your target heart rate for water aerobics, simply consider how many beats per minute fall between 37 and 72 percent of your maximum heart rate.
Body Positions and Heart Rate
Your body position in the water also affects how fast your heart will beat. In the water, when you are upright in a vertical position, the heart will beat about 10 beats slower. Horizontal positions will leave you with 17 less beats per minute. Pressure from the water, gravity or temperature may be the culprits for this change in heart rate while being submerged in water.
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