4 Ways to Build Strength in the Pool
We’re tackling two FAQs this week: “Is it possible to build strength with water workouts?” and “Is water exercise as good as land exercise for strength training?”
There’s a bit of a misconception that water workouts only have cardiovascular benefits, possibly because of the “water aerobics” classes that were popular in the 80s and 90s. Those classes were mostly aerobic in nature due to their format, lack of equipment, and lower intensity. Over time, research has shown that water exercise can be very beneficial for strengthening — for healthy individuals, athletes, and for those with injuries or chronic conditions - and it CAN BE* just as effective as a land-based strengthening program.
Did you notice the asterisk? Right. Water exercise has the potential to be as effective as land exercise for building strength (this study showed that to be true even for professional water polo players!), but it’s dependent on a few factors. If your goal is to win the USA Bodybuilding Championships, you need to lift heavy weights to achieve that level of muscle growth and definition. If your goal is to perform muscle-ups for your CrossFIT competition, you have to be in a gym practicing muscle-ups on the rings. And if you are more of an average Joe (no offense, so are we!), your water workout needs to be challenging and varied, and it needs to incorporate adequate resistance. If your exercises feel easy, they’re probably not helping (this is true on land, too).
The Strength & Conditioning Journal published a great article in 2014 summarizing the available research regarding the effects of water-based resistance training, so we’ll link it here in case you’re interested in learning more. To summarize, strength training in the water is advantageous (compared to land exercise) for many reasons: lower impact forces (joint compression forces), less delayed onset muscle soreness, and improved core muscle activation, to name a few.
If you want to avoid hitting a plateau with your water workouts, here are 4 simple ways you can change your exercises to achieve better results:
MOVE FASTER. Doubling your speed will quadruple your resistance (i.e. your muscles have to work 4x as hard), so even small changes in speed are great for strength training!
Aim to perform exercises at a rate of 44 repetitions in 60 seconds in order to counteract the effects of buoyancy. For example, buoyancy will assist with raising your leg during forward lifts so that your hip flexors and quads don’t have to work very hard. To recruit the hip flexors/quads, you must move faster or use drag equipment (like fins) or wear water shoes!
USE EQUIPMENT. Pool toys have a purpose (and it’s more than adding some “fun” to your workout).
Pool equipment can be buoyant (dumbbells, kickboards, beach balls), drag (plastic bells, paddles, ankle/wrist fins), or rubberized (cords, bands, resistance loops). Depending on the type of equipment utilized, you will work different muscles and in different ways.
Curious? (If not, skip this section!). A common exercise is the BICEP CURL (elbow flexion/extension). This exercise is called a bicep curl because, on land, you’re using your biceps — a concentric contraction as you bend your elbow and an eccentric contraction as you straighten your elbow. If you perform this exercise in the pool with a foam dumbbell, you’ll use your triceps muscle (eccentrically with the bend, concentrically with the straightening). If you use a drag bell, you’ll use your biceps muscle (concentrically with the bend) AND your triceps muscle (concentrically with the straightening). If you use a resistance cord, you’ll use your biceps muscle (concentrically with the bend, eccentrically with the straightening) - like land.
If that all sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, that’s okay… The point is that designing an effective strength training program is more complex than just adding more weight (like on land), and the type of equipment you choose to use will make a difference in what muscles you’re working (and how).
Consider using blocks (or steps) to increase weightbearing load, which will also increase resistance. For example, move your squats or calf raises to a block or pool stair.
Save the ankle/wrist weights for land. Weighted equipment isn’t as heavy underwater and can traction the spine/hips in unwanted ways. You might use medicine balls, kettlebells, or watermelon balls for overhead lifts and isometric holds. For example, add a med ball lift to your forward step up, or squat and press a weighted barbell overhead.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT OVERLOAD & SPECIFICITY. These are two principles of strength training that apply both on land and in water.
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD is to gradually increase the stress or demand placed on the body over time. You can’t do the exact same exercise routine every single time you get in the pool and expect to get stronger. You need to gradually challenge your muscles by increasing repetitions, adding sets, decreasing your rest periods, moving faster, or increasing resistance.
SPECIFICITY means you must perform a skill or exercise regularly to get better at it. Practice makes perfect. For example, if your goal is to increase your rotator cuff and deltoid strength, but you don’t do any upper body exercises in the pool, or you only use buoyancy dumbbells, you shouldn’t expect those muscles to get stronger. If you struggle with suspended exercises without a belt (like during a S’WET class!), you need to do these exercises more frequently. If you want to improve your balance during yoga, you need to practice your asanas more regularly.
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE. Changing your exercise routine will prevent boredom and encourage your body to keep changing, progressing and adapting. Your body responds to the demands placed upon it, and it becomes very efficient with repeated efforts (For example: if you always do the exact same loop for your morning walk). Unfortunately, that means you’ll burn fewer calories & you’ll be more likely to hit a plateau unless you try something new. In the pool, you have many options to mix up your workouts: perform your regular “routine” in a different order, add more sets, incorporate new exercises, try a different piece of equipment, or utilize different speeds for your usual exercises. If you attend classes, you should already know that we like to keep you on your toes! But you might also sprinkle in a few “different” types of workouts — a new class, an open pool session, a 1:1 session — to challenge your body in different ways. (If Wavemakers feels “comfortable”, can you keep up with the choreography of Water Warriors or the pace of Aqua HIIT?)
Hopefully we’ve given you a few new ideas! Do you have any questions? We would love to hear from you!
Content provided on this website is for informational and educational purposes only; it does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. Always seek the advice of your physician regarding your health conditions and prior to initiating an exercise program.
