How to Add a Swim Spa to Your Workout Routine
Exercising on dry land isn’t your only option. In fact, traditional land-based exercises aren’t recommended for people with chronic joint pain and those recovering from injury. Thankfully, you can adopt all your favorite strength and cardiovascular workouts for the water. Let’s take a look at how a swim spa can fit into your workout routine.
Walk or swim against the jets
Swim spas offer the perfect way to exercise for those recovering from leg injuries. The water creates a low-impact environment that’s easy on the joints, allowing you to complete exercises that would normally be too difficult on dry land. Exercises such as walking and jogging are great in a swim spa because the water makes you engage different stabilizing muscle groups, improving balance and reducing the risk of future injury.
Powerful jets at the front of the swim spa let you walk, jog or swim in place as if you were on a treadmill. You can adjust the strength of the jets until it matches the speed at which you want to jog or swim. The right speed will allow you to stay in the middle of the swim spa without drifting forward or backward.
Hold onto the grab bar
The typical swim spa will come with a built-in grab bar. This feature lets you complete various aerobic exercises. For instance, holding onto the bar allows you to practice flutter kicks. To do this exercise, turn on the jets and put your body into a streamline position. Kick your feet while holding onto the grab bar. Flutter kicks in a swim spa make it possible to build leg endurance without the need for a huge lap pool.
Knee tucks are another great exercise to do with a grab bar. Water resistance from the jets helps you strengthen the core muscles. Turn on the jets, grab the bar and put your body in that same streamline position. Engage the core as you pull both knees to your chest. You should end up in a tight ball. Return to the streamline position and repeat.
Install rowing bars
You can practice rowing without a canoe or vast body of water. Many swim spas have a spot on either side of the tank where the user can install rowing bars. Rowing is the perfect full-body aquatic exercise because it strengthens your core and arm muscles at the same time. As you complete this exercise, engage your core the whole time and make sure both arms put in the same amount of effort.
Lift weights for extra resistance
The water in a swim spa offers a little bit of resistance. To make your workout more challenging, throw in some resistance bands or floating dumbbells. Unlike the weights in a gym, these specialized dumbbells are buoyant and covered in foam, making them perfect for the water. Floating dumbbells allow you to combine land-based strength exercises with the healing power of a warm spa.
Various swim spa models are available, so it’s important to purchase one that will help you meet all your fitness goals. The swim spa collection at Alcoe offers a wide range of versatile designs that let you complete all the exercises mentioned here and more. Visit our store to get started!
Categorised in: Swim Spas