By: Evan Waters

Do you suffer from sore joints and muscles after cardiovascular training?

The easy solution to this problem may be to take a joint support supplement with Glucosamine or something of that sort. However, if your body continues to ache, you may be forced to change your workout or stop training all together. In recent years, Aquatic Training has provided a pain-free and fun workout for people of all types.

Shake It Up

Many are looking to shake things up and vary your workouts. So they add inclines to their treadmills, varying paces on the elliptical machine, and greater resistance on the stationary bike. Still, many do not see their desired results. For the optimum shake up in a workout try Aquatic Training.

Also called Aqua Aerobics, this course is growing in popularity everyday. Many local YMCAs and town pools offer Aqua Training classes for a nominal fee.

So why water training instead of land training? Well, studies now indicate that land resistance work may not provide the same optimal opportunity as water. Not only does Aqua Training improve your cardiovascular system and help you get in shape quicker, it also helps lessen joint stiffness, and increase your stamina, all while you relax in the pool.

According to the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program, "Water exercise is especially good for people with arthritis, because it allows you to exercise without putting excess strain on your joints and muscles."

Many fitness enthusiasts that are over fifty years old, pregnant, and/or suffer from chronic joint pain are singing the praise of aqua aerobics. Duke rheumatologist Virginia Kraus, MD says, "the very best remedy for the pain that accompanies joint movement in people ... is movement itself." She notes that people weigh less in water and the water offers less resistance on the joints.

Clinical Proof
The Department of Health Sciences at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland completed a clinical trial where they specialists studied the effects of a progressive 10-wk aquatic resistance training on neuromuscular performance and muscle mass of the knee extensors and flexors in healthy women.

They concluded that the study showed that 10 weeks of progressive aquatic resistance training resulted in significant improvement in muscle torque of the knee extensors and flexors accompanied with proportional improvement in neural activation and with significant increase in the lean muscle mass of the trained muscles. They noted that Aquatic training can be recommended for neuromuscular conditioning in healthy persons. The elderly and women are not the only ones utilizing Aqua Training.

Professional Athletes
Many professional athletes perform their daily workouts in the team's training facilities. Runners, tennis players and other competitors find that the resistance from aquatic training gives them more of a workout than using weights or treadmills, said researcher Mary Sanders of the University of Nevada, Reno. And while land workouts provide one form of resistance - against the pull of gravity - water workouts provide resistance in any direction.

That's a tremendous advantage in sports training, trainer Bethany Diamond said, "Because athletes strengthen their muscles in exactly the motions they'll need in their sports." The awesome effects of aquatic training are being found each and every day. In a recent study performed by the Ohio State University of Columbus, Ohio, experts tested the effects of land vs. aquatic plyometrics on power, torque, velocity, and muscle soreness.

Experts found that Muscle soreness was significantly greater in the land compared to the aquatic plyometric training group at baseline and each time training intensity was increased. They said that Aquatic plyometrics provided the same performance enhancement benefits as land plyometrics with significantly less muscle soreness.

Recuperation
Many even use aqua aerobics to help recuperate stressed or torn muscles such as the hamstring. But the benefits go far beyond rehabilitation, because the resistance makes working out in water harder than working out on land, Sanders said. For instance, a 130-pound person running an 11-minute mile pace would burn 8 calories per minute on land but up to 15 calories in deep water.

It seems many people these days just are not having a good time when they work out and are not having fun putting their body through the stress needed to see favorable results.
Joanne Maybeck an AEA Aquatic Fitness Instructor says that something special happens when people enter the water to exercise. They have fun!

She adds, "And, they do not experience the hot and sweaty feeling often associated with land exercise. This does not mean that the workout is not as effective. Rather, the water helps to keep the body cool and comfortable."

The reasons to train in the water are innumerable. The benefits of such training not only parallels land training but in many ways exceeds it. Whether getting ready for a bodybuilding show or just getting in better shape, there is no reason not to take part in a water training class.

Summary
Aqua Training is great for all ages, young to old. While the elderly may be poolside during the day, the athletes usually take over the pools by late-afternoon. Do not let your ego get in the way and prevent you from becoming in the best shape of your life.

Physical Therapist, Deborah Ellison, explains it best when she states that targeted training will "ensure that we are optimally prepared for the challenges of daily life". So, don't forget to train muscles "wetside" for the "sport" of daily living "dryside!"

Evan Waters
waters_ev@msn.com

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