Water Fitness Goes Beyond Lap Swimming

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Masters swimmers know first-hand the many benefits of swimming and the total-body workout it provides. Yet, the water can offer much more to boost overall health and fitness while also improving your swim.

The Benefits of Water

The properties of water offer a unique environment for working out both horizontally and vertically, and there are five key benefits of water related to fitness:

• Less gravity in the water means reduced impact on the body.
• Water allows for clean coordination, slowing down the body’s movements to better ensure proper alignment.
• Water provides consistent resistance, enabling training beyond what is possible on land. 
• Lack of “eccentric contractions” eliminates the source of muscle soreness and allows for reduced pain.
• A natural source of compression, water improves circulation and provides faster recovery.

Cross-Training in the Water

The latest wave in fitness is aquatic-based training, bringing traditionally land-based workouts to the water. Cross-training is a valuable component of any athlete’s regimen, working muscle groups in new ways to improve the body’s overall athleticism. Just as Speedo’s elite swimmers look to land-based workouts to improve their performance in the water, athletes across many sports—including professional and collegiate football and soccer teams, basketball players, and boxers—are turning to the water to increase their stamina, agility, and coordination when it counts most in the game and ring.

There’s Fit, and Then There’s Speedo Fit

In an effort to help all athletes achieve their goals in and out of the water, Speedo has introduced Speedo Fit: A new aquatic-based training and product program that goes beyond swimming. Created in partnership with EXOS, the industry leader in science-based training techniques,Speedo Fit is a revolutionary platform designed to inspire and equip athletes to explore the unique power of training in the water to reach levels of performance not found on land.

With Speedo Fit, existing training aids like kickboards and paddles are used in new ways to enhance performance and overall fitness. For example, while standing in the pool, hold any kickboard vertically with about two-thirds of it under water and push it while walking, jogging, or running for an intense leg workout with great resistance. Using paddles, stand with knees bent in the water and hands facing out, and rotate the torso to “punch” across the body, working the core, arms, and back. Many other workouts rely solely on body weight and the edge of the pool.

With these workouts and nearly 70 others, Speedo has created the blueprint to help you gain the benefits of cross-training to improve your swimming and get more out of the water, while helping to protect your body from joint damage and muscle pain. Visit SpeedoFit for more information and the full range of Speedo Fit workouts, products, and more.