Muscle Soreness Suggestion

Aquajock

Aquajock

Cathlete
Hi, all! At the risk of trumpeting the only mode of exercise I know how to instruct, I would like to suggest that anyone who is experiencing muscle soreness, welcome or otherwise, the day or two after a heavy-duty strength workout to HIT THE POOL!

Swim, aquacise vertically in shallow water, tread water in the deep end, aquajog . . . whatever you feel like doing. Doesn't have to be a cardio workout, and it doesn't have to NOT be a cardio workout; whatever you prefer.

Water has great properties for muscle conditioning, and for muscle repair: hydrostatic pressure and buoyancy to promote circulation and get rid of lactic acid build-up and other metabolites (which I call "blood crud"); resistance around the body through the full range of motion but submaximal resistance, so you're not overstressing already fatigued muscles; the cooling effect, so you can increase your core temperature but throw off the heat build-up in the water and come out feeling refreshed; and the massage effect of water on the skin and muscles.

If I'm sore on my off-days, I'm stiff the day after that. My water workouts really help me stay limber as well!

Just my $.02!

Annette
 
your 2 cents worth is worth a million.

I have had chronic pain for 15 years...and water is the only thing i can count on to sooth it.
(unfortunately I HATE getting in a pool! )
But it IS great..
 
That sounds wonderful...unfortunately I now live in the boonies of upstate New York with no facilities...BUT...a local school..about thirty miles away...has had the vision of actually putting in a decent gym for the kids and are working on an indoor pool....so hoping down the road to take advantage of it. I miss the amenities I had in Michigan...such a lot of choices for exercise and fitness there...so this is a challenge here.
 
"Core" work in the pool...

I finally got in the water today and it was so great.

I am having hip problems so i decided to do some ballet leg work in the pool to cool the hip inflamation and move it freely.

Thanks for reminding me how good the water is!

Anyone who wants to do a variation on " core " work should try doing standing work in the pool... even just walking in water backwards or forwards..... .....it takes alot of core strength to stay straight up.......

I like to hold on to the side and do leg lifts and rotations at various heights ... its fabulous for legs and abs.
Little web gloves make upper body work fun too.
 
RE: "Core" work in the pool...

Hey, Cinza! Glad to hear you're on the mend and in the pool!

Your suggestions about core work in the pool are great! Another thing to try is standing slow leg extensions forward with no wall support, holding the leg up at a 90-degree angle and standing absolutely still; keeping your arms up over the waterline will make this even more challenging, as you are balancing amidst currents flowing around you. Also standing slow leg abduction out to the side again with no wall support and arms over the waterline.

Splashily yours -

Annette
 
Hi, Annette! I thought you might find this interesting. I have been doing the college tour with my scholar-athlete son (soccer and basketball--division 3, mostly NESCAC schools)and we do interviews with the coaches as well as the admissions office. Two of the basketball coaches have their team members do aquajogging/ running because of the endurance and strength gains and the big plus is that the guys remain injury free and take the pressure off shins, ankles, knees. When there is an injury (e.g., sprained ankle), they can still do some water work apparently and bounce back faster. I thought it sounded great--since my son has had a couple of bad sprains and always feel frustrated sitting on the bench for too long.
 
RE: Water training for athletes

Hi, Lynda! That's neat to hear that water training is making even more inroads into competitive, collegiate athletics. Aqua jogging is quite good (although deathly boring, if you want the truth); what I'd love to see or hear about is bringing in shallow water training with reduced, rather that zero, impact - my guess is collegiate athletic trainers do not really have a good idea how good aqua can be for muscles in various exercises. Aquajogging seems to be the only thing they know about.

Good luck to your son!

Annette
 
Hi Annette,

I noticed that the college nearby has a water workout program. Can you tell me what questions to ask or how to tell if it would really be as good a workout as you do for your classes? You have really sparked my interest in this type of workout :)


Thanks,

Alison
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top