Water gym is short for water gymnastics, a sports-related
water aerobics workout that uses water as a powerful gymnasium. It also refers to aqua gym, which is similar to ground gymnastics except for the fact that water resistance in every underwater movement is 12 times bigger than the movement done in the air. Since rhythm is slower in water, the exercise is made more efficient, and the absence of gravity will allow one to perform an exercise without fear of injuring his knuckles. It is also effective for losing weight by focusing on burning calories an aerobic workout that can also make lean muscles stronger through strength training.
The
benefits of water gym are endless. As water provides beneficial massage for you, it is also useful for your blood circulation and for melting your cellulite cells, if any. It also improves your flexibility while giving you cardiovascular and muscular strength. The other good part of water gym is that it can be done by almost anybody.
Water gym offers a wide range of water aerobics from senior splash to
water yoga, water tai chi, and water horse workout, among others. The senior splash is designed for persons over 50 years of age having arthritis, recovering from an injury, or who are pregnant, in the case of women. This exercise combines the gentle but effective aerobic workouts for muscle training and strengthening and posture improvement. Water yoga blends the static and flowing movements to connect the mind and body while enhancing strength, breathing and flexibility.
Water tai chi, on the other hand, is a combination of its beautiful, graceful and flowing movements with the resistant but relaxing properties of the water. Its benefits include improvement of balance, flexibility, agility, strength, coordination and grace. The
water horse workout is designed to bring strengthening and cardiovascular benefits because it uses simple but versatile flotation aid that can lead one to new and innovative forms of exercise.
The other water aerobics that you can engage in include the aqua combo splash, aqua attack,
water works and liquid force, which are
water exercises that reduce stress on joints and muscles while increasing one’s core stability, aerobic capacity, and flexibility. The aqua combo splash is for beginners to make their body leaner and slimmer but stronger through a workout of walking variations, kicks, circular movements and lunges. The aqua attack demonstrates the different kicks, jabs and punches used in martial arts and self-defense techniques. Water works focus on the upper body toning by using kicks, lunges and leaps to perform variations of intensity and impact, as in swimming. Liquid force improves posture, strength and balance by maintaining contact with the bottom of
water pool against the water resistance, and by lowering the shoulders under the water surface.
For some of these
water gym sports that strengthen the muscles of the lower half of your body, and your buttocks and thighs, you will need a flotation belt for water aerobics, water weights for upper body strengthening as well, and a heart rate monitor, a water-proof device, to monitor the intensity of your workout.
