Burn some calories outside without even knowing how to swim laps! Get outside this summer and try a pool workout! We guarantee it will be your favorite way to get your Sweat on this summer while staying cool. Swim workouts you can take anywhere that has a pool! Perfect when vacationing to those tropical climates or resorts with pools!

Pool workouts help you build fitness, strength, and flexibility—without risking injury. At Vision Fitness we love coaching our clients on proper swim technique as well as how to get your workout on even on these hot summer days!

Want to give it a try? We can come to you or…We have the perfect place! Vision Fitness has a pool for you in Santa Monica for clients and friends! Be our Guest at THE SHORE HOTEL and get wet no sweat!

CAN I USE THE POOL FOR MY CARDIO TRAINING?

Yes! The resistance of water offers a cooling workout that taxes the body enough to maintain cardiovascular and muscular-skeletal fitness, while its buoyancy and zero-impact environment aids in recovery and injury prevention. A study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness compared groups that did pool running with those that did treadmill running and found virtually equal VO2 max values (aerobic capacity). Another study by California State University Northridge found that when runners cooled down in water, they reported feeling more recovered compared with when they cooled down on a treadmill.

HOW DO I RUN IN THE WATER?

Running against the water’s resistance, in the deep end where you can’t touch, provides many of the benefits of running on land. A flotation belt will help keep you upright and give you stability. Keeping your body erect, with a slight lean, and your gaze forward, run as you normally would on land with your hands pushing back the water. Don’t expect to move forward much, says Craig Stuart, a pool-training instructor in Eugene, Oregon. Your leg action can vary: Do high knees and march in place, bend your knee slightly and move your legs as if you were cross-country skiing, or do a more long-striding leg extension.

To gauge your pace, compare how you feel while running in the water with how you feel running on the road (your perceived exertion). Or use your land times as a guide. If you typically do an interval workout of 8 x 400, take your time, say, one minute and 40 seconds, and run 8 x 1:40 at a hard effort in the pool.

In happiness and health,

The Vision Fitness Team