When teaching a class or working with a client, are you often asked if water will provide the same benefits as exercising on land? Many people wonder if they are working as hard or burning as many calories because they perceive the exercises to feel easier in water. As aquatic professionals, we need to be able to answer their questions and provide quality information on how aquatic exercise is beneficial. Throughout this article we will look at and compare the physiological effects of aquatic exercise and land exercise to better prepare for our clients; impending questions.
Deep water running (DWR) has become one of the fastest growing water aerobic classes and ithas also become popular among a variety of populations including: competitive athletes, individuals with low back pain, and anyone looking for a good cardiovascular workout. Several studies have shown that DWR can sustain or improve aerobic capacity, or VO2 Max, and can maintain running economy (Kravitz & Mayo). Multiple studies have shown that endurance trained athletes can maintain their aerobic performance in water (Bushman et al, 1997; Wilber et al. 1996). Another study investigated the effects of DWR on 35 sedentary elderly women. After 10 weeks of training, the women had a significant increase in their VO2 Max (Long et al. 1996).
There are two factors contributing to the maintenance and increase of VO2 Max. The first factor is the hydrostatic pressure of water, which is the pressure exerted upon your body by the water. This increase in pressure causes the respiratory muscles to work harder causing a higher breathing frequency and therefore causing these muscles to consumer more oxygen (Kravitz & Mayo) The second contributing factor is the different running style. The major difference of DWR compared to land running is the running mechanics. When running in water, your upper body is used more than when running on land because there is nothing below you to push off of to supply the upward, rebounding force (Michaud et al., 1995). It has been shown that if you can match your running cadence in water with your running cadence in land you will actually work harder (Kravitz & Mayo).
Shallow water exercise can also produce some of the same benefits as DWR. Blanche et al. compared walking and jogging in waist deep water to walking and jogging on land. Six males participated in the study and their results found that heart rate responses were similar on land and in water and oxygen consumption was higher in water. The conclusion also states that adding resistance to the lower extremities while in the water produces high levels of energy expenditure. Another study, by Cassady and Nielsen, compared heart rate and oxygen consumption of land and water exercise. There were 40 participants that performed upper and lower extremity exercises at three different cadences. This study concluded that oxygen consumption was highest during water exercise but heart rate was highest on land.
Many participants also worry about their caloric expenditure and often ask if they are burning as many calories. The answer is yes. Coad et al. performed a study on energy expenditure of treadmill walking and running compared to deep water walking and running. The study indicates that deep water walking demanded higher metabolic costs than walking on a treadmill on land. DWR and treadmill running were found to have similar energy expenditure. Below is a list of exercises and their Kcal expenditure/min.
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Exercise
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Caloric Expenditure
Kcal.min-1
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Treadmill walking
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4.0
|
|
Treadmill running
|
11.8
|
|
Deep Water Walking
|
8.78
|
|
Deep Water Running
|
11.5
|
|
Circuit Training
|
5.1-6.1
|
|
Aquatic Exercise
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5.7-6.5
|
|
Aerobic Dance
|
6.2-6.6
|
|
Step Aerobics
|
6.7-7.7
|
|
Running 11 min mile
|
8.0
|
|
Running 9 min mile
|
11.4
|
|
Walking normal pace
|
4.7
|
Having and knowing the above information will help us be better prepared to answer our clients’ questions and hopefully win more individuals over to aquatic exercise .The multiple benefits of water allow us to train everyone from athletes with musculoskeletal injuries to individuals with joint pain but most importantly, the aquatic environment is a fun and exciting way to exercise!
Courtney J. Parker is an undergraduate student at West Virginia University currently studying Exercise Physiology with an emphasis in Aquatic Therapy. Courtney has a primary interest in physical therapy and is planning on becoming a PTA after graduation and hopes to work as an Aquatic Therapist.