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I am looking for alternatives to doing effective cardio running in the water. Big plus if there are ways to get all of the same muscles to fire, to scale workouts easily, to be able to have an ultra intense workout, for options that someone with foot or knee issues could do, and a plus if it can be done in most "larger" pools.

I would like an answer that does not rely on the runners feet ever touching something. I would like some workout plan examples, equipment needed, progressions, and good insight in the answer!

Example use:

  1. Athlete with turf toe injury.
  2. Severely injured person recovering from spinal or leg injury.
DMoore
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    See Pool Running – BackInShapeBuddy Aug 06 '13 at 07:10
  • Hi @DMoore, does the question BackInShapeBuddy linked to answer your question, because else I'll close this as a duplicate. If not, be sure to make clear what kind of information you're missing – Ivo Flipse Aug 06 '13 at 10:05
  • I saw this question. This covers traditionally running in water. I am wondering how effective of a workout can be produced where your feet are not hitting the floor at all. – DMoore Aug 06 '13 at 15:09
  • @JohnP I think if you are 'running' in the open water there is more than just the resistance of air (I mean there is … water and not air). I have seen people do this in a pool before; their body below the water was pointing straight down and they were doing running-like movements, while at the surface they were doing breaststroke-like movements to actually move. No idea why these people did it, though. – Baarn Aug 06 '13 at 18:07
  • @Informaficker - There is resistance. Where in my comment do I say otherwise? I specifically say that "water running works because there is resistance to the legs movement". Anything suspended where air is the only resistance (since that is very minimal) won't produce a stress. – JohnP Aug 06 '13 at 18:33
  • @dmoore - Clarification - I misunderstood your comment. Water running works because there is quite a bit of resistance in water. (For example, bullets lose velocity within a very short time under water, often within 3-6 feet). I thought you were asking about air running in a suspension type thing. Water running is a very effective alternative when injured. – JohnP Aug 06 '13 at 18:36
  • @JohnP could be that I've misread your comment… now that you've deleted it I can't reproduce it. – Baarn Aug 06 '13 at 19:34
  • @dmoore, the water running handbook linked to in the Pool Running Question question covers both deep water (where your feet do not hit the floor) and shallow water running (where you can progress to in varying degrees as the injury heals). – BackInShapeBuddy Aug 06 '13 at 19:46
  • I would like to know some workout plan examples, equipment needed, progressions... Really interested in this. The other question barely touches on this aspect. – DMoore Aug 06 '13 at 20:02
  • @dmoore, you may want to add "I would like some workout plan examples, equipment needed, progressions" to your question. – BackInShapeBuddy Aug 06 '13 at 20:34

2 Answers2

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I used pool running while I had a stress fracture in my tibia.

I liked using the flotation belt, so that I could pool run in deep water, to make sure the activity was very low impact. I also had a lot of difficulty maintaining proper form without the flotation belt. To avoid being in the way by moving very slowly forward down a lane, you can tether yourself to a pool ladder in the corner.

I took a few sessions to get used to the running form, but after that, I used pool running to mimic on-land high intensity interval training. I used the same work-rest ratios that I would on land.

Maybe this seems too simple an answer, but really, once you get the form correct, you can take any land-running program and transfer it to the pool.

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No movements in the water will come close to that of running. "running like movements" will have very little resistance in the water compared to propelling your body. The principle of specificity says that the best way to train for something is whatever is closest to that thing. The best you are going to get from swimming is general cardiovascular endurance.

James Christopher
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  • This question wasn't asking for advice for those who want an alternative to running. It is those who cannot run. What is the best simulation they can get in water? – DMoore Aug 07 '13 at 16:21
  • And the answer would be "next to nothing". If you can't run, you can't train for running, as the question asked. – James Christopher Aug 07 '13 at 16:23
  • So you are saying that kicking in a pool for an hour would have the same impact as doing nothing in building the stamina and muscles needed to run? – DMoore Aug 07 '13 at 16:26
  • If the person wasn't someone who had been bedridden for a long time or something, no it wouldn't. The intensity of that exercise would be far too low to provide the average person with any training effect, as their fitness level with regards to that type of movement would already be much higher than the intensity than running-like movements in a pool would provide. You can't train for moderate-high intensity work with super-low intensity exercise. – James Christopher Aug 07 '13 at 16:30
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    Injured olympic level distance runners use pool running as an effective bridge between inactivity and returning to sport. You're wrong to say that the benefit is "next to nothing". –  Aug 07 '13 at 16:43
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    See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/27/sports/othersports/27radcliffe.html?_r=0, http://sweatscience.com/the-physiology-of-aquafit-and-pool-running/, http://sportmedbc.com/article/pool-running-0 –  Aug 07 '13 at 16:44