On hot summer days it becomes our element, it cools, refreshes and carries us: water . Nothing then seems as tempting as a pool, a lake, the sea. So just go in. Because it is the best gym in the world. And not just for people who like to switch off while swimming. Every type of movement in the water is doubly effective: Due to the increased resistance, the muscles have to work harder, while at the same time the small currents and eddies massage the connective tissueand activate the deep muscles. Whether we work out or relax is entirely up to us. Aqua fitness can be designed in many different and varied ways. A course, like that offered in many swimming pools, is the right thing for those who like to play sports in company or need a fixed appointment. There you can test the various aqua fitness equipment: leg floats and belts for buoyancy, which makes aqua jogging in deep water easier. Waterproof dumbbells for arms in shoulder-deep water. And a pool noodle that keeps your torso afloat while your legs tread the water.
In fact, it can also be done without any aids, the water itself is sufficient as a piece of sports equipment. If we make running movements with our legs (without actually moving forward) where we can no longer stand, we feel the effect immediately. This explains why many top athletes use aqua fitness exercises to strengthen the body when training on land would put too much strain on the body. This trend was started in 1994 by skater Nancy Kerrigan, who fought her way back to the top within seven weeks after her biggest competitor’s husband had injured her badly in her knee. Since then, aqua fitness has been part of the training program for many competitive athletes.
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Exercises in water are twice as effective as on land
Who invented it? Two Swiss people who wanted to make the advantages of movement in the water usable for non-swimmers as well. Teenagers and parents with children now train together in the water, but for a long time it was almost exclusively seniors and people who were very overweight who appreciated the advantages of aqua fitness: Overstraining the joints is practically impossible in the water, because only ten percent of the body weight is there body weight on them. Instead, bone formation is stimulated, the postural muscles and the cardiovascular system are strengthened.
Anyone who works out properly in the water burns around 800 kilocalories per hour, which is 2.5 times more than when cycling and 150 calories more than when jogging. Instead of warming up, allow five to ten minutes to “get in the water”. Then we can start. Whether you ride a bike sitting on your bottom in the shallow water of a bathing lake, stand in the hotel pool and push the water forwards or to the side with your arms, or alternately pull your legs up and stretch them downwards in the sea – everything works. Since the exercises in the water are twice as effective as on land, ten minutes are enough for a full-body workout.
You will notice for yourself which movements increase your well-being and how long you can endure the effort. Always a pleasant finish before you go ashore: lie flat on your back on the water, feel how it carries and enjoy the state of levitation. Afterwards you get the feeling of having done a lot for yourself – without being out of breath. Because there is strength in stillness.
Perhaps you will develop a summer ritual from our five aqua fitness exercises that you can continue later in the indoor pool when it gets colder again.
10 minutes for body and soul
As a rule of thumb: 1 minute per exercise, then move on to the next, 2 sets. Start slowly and gradually increase the tempo as soon as you realize that you are no longer exerting yourself enough.
1. Beinheber
In shallow water, support yourself with both arms behind your back, legs pointing forward. Raise your right leg straight up, toes pointing forward. To activate the vein pump, draw your toes towards your face and then straighten your foot again before gently lowering your leg. Change side now. Too easy? Tighten your abs and buttocks!
2. Breast Slider
Bring your arms forward, the fingertips of the index and middle fingers are on top of each other. Now draw your arms to your body, shoulders stay down. Return to the starting position by pushing the water forward. The deeper your arms are in the water, the greater the water resistance and thus the effect on the upper arm and chest muscles.
3. Shoulder Strengthener
Lay your arms on the side of the water, bend your forearms under the water, tense your upper arm muscles, and clench your hands. In this pose, pull your fists up out of the water (photo below) and bring them back the same way. Finally, shake your arms out in the water. Caution: Don’t pull your shoulders up, this will keep your neck relaxed.
4. Trimmer
In the belly-button-deep water, your feet are shoulder-width apart, your hands are touching behind your neck. Now, while in this pose, twist your torso to the right, then back to center, then to the left. Let your breath flow: breathe out to the side, breathe in in the middle. The neck remains stiff, the movement comes exclusively from the hips.5. Push-ups
Stand at the edge of the pool, place your hands flat on them and now, without momentum, push up with the strength of your arms until your arms are straight. The legs stay straight. Slide back into the water until your feet touch the bottom. Shapes the upper arms and strengthens the neck and shoulders. Don’t jump, just push! Feel the movement – and exhale as you push up.
