Pool workouts help you build fitness, strength, and flexibility—without risking injury.
Pool workouts help you build fitness, strength, and flexibility—without risking injury. Like most runners, I'd rather look at lane lines on a track than in a pool. But 20 years ago, beset by recurring leg injuries, I took to the water in order to minimize the pounding. But I don't just count laps; I also "run." And what I've discovered is that when it comes to fitness, recovery, and feeling good, an hour in the pool is worth as much as an hour on the roads. 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 tread-mill running and found virtually equal VO2 max values (aerobic capacity) . Another study by California State University Northridge found that when runners coo...