Certain words come to mind when thinking about indoor pools. Swimming, diving, relaxing and of course some splashing. But folks at Move Up Sports Performance and Rehab in Aurora are utilizing a more unusual word inside their pool, running.
Benefits of Underwater Training
With the use of underwater treadmills, the Aqua Stride and Strength class has employed underwater training, meant for those coming back from injury or looking to avoid the harmful impact that comes from running on land.
“Running hits back, the road hits back and the water doesn’t,” said Mary Tobiason, a coach and the owner of Move Up. “So you can have the same benefits cardiovascular, muscle, and endurance wise in your performance in the water as you get on the ground.”
Tobiason said there’s a 98% decrease in impact from running in water versus on land.
What’s The Move Up Sports Performance & Rehab Class Like?
While the class is meant to be less stressful on joints and muscles, participants still get a workout out, running for about 45 minutes, covering roughly four miles during that stretch.
“I thought it would be easy and it’s not. Even today, getting up early I was like ‘oh I’ll just get in there and it will be over’,” said Taylor Tobiason. “And then you get in and you’re like ‘wow’. It’s difficult, you start sweating and you don’t expect it because you’re in the water.”
More Than Just Running
After their run, class members transition to the shallow part of the pool for the strength portion of the workout, or as Move Up calls it as ‘Aqua Boom’.
“You can do push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, pretty much anything you can do on a functional fitness rig on the ground, again all in the water [using your] floating body weight so you get the same benefits,” said Mary. “[It’s] also building confidence, ‘oh I can’t do this out in the fitness floor, but I can do this in the water’. It’s a great class.”
But if you’re not a fan of the water Move Up does have regular treadmills and other group classes available.
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Sports Story Sunday’s Christian Canizal reports.
