Many fitness facilities now have in their building an underwater treadmill available for the use of people seeking a rigorous exercise program, or people rehabilitating from injury. While in the water your body is weightless, but motion in the water burns more calories because of resistance.
The water creates somewhat of a barrier for your body in the sense that it is a mass that you r have to work to get through. Because of this your muscles have to work harder to move because this mass is working against it.
On the other hand, when you are moving your legs in the pool, you are not putting any of your body weight on your joints. This allows you to get in a strenuous workout without feeling the painful muscle and joint aches the next day.
Many athletes incorporate the use of running on an underwater treadmill because it strengthens the muscles in a shorter period of time, and forces you to work harder. This allows for more intense workouts without the risk of injury.
They also like their increased performance level on land because of the pool workout. When the athlete gets out of the water and runs using the same amount of energy, they are moving significantly faster.
This is because on land there is not this wall of water that you are trying to push through. This translates to higher performance in their sport, and more endurance to keep playing.
Many people also use the underwater treadmill for rehabilitation purposes. When people have knee surgery, hip surgery, break a leg, tear a muscle, or are working through sprains, they have continue to work out in the pool without having to worry about worsening their condition.
Oftentimes, when an athlete injures and part of their body, it takes a long time for them to be able to train with that body part. They must wait a long time to heal fully before putting any weight or strain on that body part.
If an athlete tears their ACL for example, they must wait several weeks, if not months before they can put significant weight or pressure on their leg. If they do put all of their weight on it or put the muscle under strain, they could worsen their condition prolonging their injury, or even cause permanent damage.
This could be detrimental to a career, especially since most sport seasons only last a few months at a time. That is why many trainers and physical therapists are turning to underwater treadmills to help athletes heal their injuries.
The pool exercise allows them to start training and strengthening their joints and muscles much earlier than would be allowed on the land. The zero weight on the body allows them to move around and strengthen muscles without putting weight on them.
This means athletes can progress in their rehabilitation efforts much faster than if they would have had to wait to work out on dry land. This valuable time can get athletes healed and back to playing their sport in significantly less time.
If you do not have any injuries and just want to burn more calories in less time, an in pool fitness routine is a great way to strengthen and tone your body. In fact many people not only use the underwater treadmill, but do water aerobics and other exercises to help stay in shape.
The water puts more resistance on your body, which forces your muscles to work harder to move your body. In fact, a person burns three to four times as many calories in the water than they do on dry land.
The fact that you burn more calories in less time, while reducing the negative impacts on your body by making you weightless is enough for many people to incorporate underwater treadmill exercises into their normal fitness routine. These benefits are a significant innovation as far as exercise science and innovation are concerned.
Author Resource:-
Jack R. Landry has been writing about the exercise and health industry for years. He recommends using a treadmill to stay healthy and fit.
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