You can and you should! You don’t need to be able to swim to do water fitness. During the training a person is chest-deep in water, feeling the support of the bottom of the pool – his life is not threatened. If necessary, he can practice using inflatable armbands or a belt.

 

Can pregnant women exercise?

You can! But only after consultation with the doctor, who leads the pregnancy. If the state of the expectant mother does not cause concerns, regular exercise will help her to maintain the muscles and skin of the body in tone, which will help to avoid the appearance of stretch marks. In addition, training can ease the burden on the musculoskeletal system and normalize the psycho-emotional state of the woman. Thanks to them, you can get rid of edema, improve vascular functions, and relieve spasms in the lower back. And visiting the pool in the third trimester of pregnancy, will help the baby to take the right position and prepare him for the future process of childbirth.

 

Effectiveness of aqua aerobics for weight loss

Water fitness classes promote weight loss. Their high efficiency is based on the natural and artificially created properties of water.

– Resistance – to overcome it, all muscle groups will be involved, and a large number of calories will be spent.

– Massaging movements of the water stimulate the muscles and skin, toning them up and speeding up the metabolic process.

– Water temperature is lower than body temperature – the difference of 6 – 100C forces the body to expend more energy (calories) in order to warm up and feel comfortable.

Thus, a person loses weight not only under the influence of exercise, but also under the influence of water. In this extra pounds go gradually – without stress to the body, which ensures a stable long-term result, without gaining weight again.

Taking aqua-aerobics, you can lose weight from 2 to 20 pounds or more. In this case, everything depends only on a person’s desire, his efforts and discipline. To comply with the latter, training can not be skipped – they should be regular, at least 3 – 4 times a week.

Important to know! Excess kilograms accumulate over months, or even years. Therefore you should not wait for a very fast weight loss result. It will be noticeable not earlier than after 3 to 4 weeks of regular training. Over time, its manifestations will increase. And if you follow a healthy lifestyle (diet, exercise), the achieved result will last a lifetime.

 

Basic exercises for losing weight

For effective weight loss, you can use the following set of exercises.

– Warm up – for 5 to 10 minutes

– “Rinsing arms” – turns of the body in the water, with arms stretched forward, overcoming the resistance of the water.

– “Screw” – with your back against the side of the pool, you must perform side-to-side turns with your knees bent or straight legs.

– “Scissors” – resting on the board, one must rhythmically cross the legs stretched forward.

– “Boxing” – intensely box your arms while standing in the water at neck level.

– “Jumping” – you need to jump up out of the water (as much as possible), while trying to straighten and bend your legs.

– “Kicks with your foot” – the exercise is similar to “boxing”, only done with the help of your feet.

Important! To achieve the desired result, each exercise is repeated 15 to 20 times. Perform at least two approaches, gradually increasing their number. At the end of training is recommended relaxing exercises – slow swimming or just smooth movements in the water with arms, body and legs.

 

How many calories are burned while doing aqua aerobics?

A person can burn about 400 to 700 calories in just one hour of water aerobics. This table clearly shows the calorie consumption depending on body weight.

Body weight 50 kg 60 kg 70 kg 80 kg

1 workout lasting 60 minutes 379 kcal 454 kcal 530 kcal 606 kcal

Of course, these figures are approximate, since it all depends on the intensity of the workout, the individual characteristics of the body and the metabolism. But they also give a clear idea that with the help of water fitness you can successfully lose weight and keep your body in great physical shape.

 

How do aqua aerobics group classes work?

Before you begin classes, a newcomer to aqua aerobics is assigned to a group whose members have a similar level of fitness. There are three such groups.

– The initial level – for 30 to 40 minutes of group members perform the simplest exercises.

– The medium level – a little complicated set of exercises that are performed at a comfortable pace, for 50 – 60 minutes.

– Advanced level – a complicated set of exercises that is performed practically without intervals, for 60 minutes.

Important! If after 1-2 training sessions you feel that you cannot cope with the load or, on the contrary, it is not enough for you, you should inform your trainer. The instructor will transfer you to another group whose requirements meet the level of your fitness. To achieve the desired result, you will be offered an effective set of exercises.

Exercises for legs, hips and buttocks

This can be walking or running in place (or with the movement on the bottom of the pool). Various jumps, hops, leg swings and lunges. Exercise “Screw” and “Scissors”.

Exercises for the waist and abdomen

These are various bends and rotations of the body and (or hips). Lifts of the legs, pulling up the bent knees to the body give a good result.

The main apparatus for aqua-aerobics

To increase the load on the muscles of the body, arms and legs, you can use a variety of sports equipment for water fitness – noodles (flexible floating pole), aquadisc, modular aqua-step, expansion band, ball, weights for arms (legs), special dumbbells and a bar for aqua aerobics.

Important to remember! To avoid injuries, you cannot use ordinary sports equipment made of metal or wood for training. Also, when training with equipment, it is necessary to observe safety techniques – the participants of the group must maintain a comfortable distance for the exercise.

 

Tips for effective training

For regular exercise you will need an elastic swimsuit or swimming trunks (for men). It is also desirable to have a protective rubber cap. If you do not know how to swim, you can use a special belt, muffs or vest. And to achieve the most positive effect of training, it is recommended to observe the following recommendations.

– Do not pass before training – the meal should be about 1 – 1.5 hours before training.

– After training, eat within the next 90 minutes – as long as the so-called “anabolic window” is open in the body. Despite the appetite that usually appears after water procedures, you should not overeat! It is better to give preference to dairy products, cereals, lean meats, fish, nuts.

– Before visiting the pool, be sure to take a hygienic shower.

– After visiting the pool, take a shower and lubricate the skin of the body with a nourishing agent.

– During training, you should drink enough fluids, focusing on your own sense of thirst. It is better to give preference to still mineral water, freshly squeezed juices, green tea or homemade compotes.

– During training you should carefully monitor your health, and if your condition worsens, you should stop training.

– Do not go to the pool when you are drunk or intoxicated, or if you feel generally unwell.

– Any load must be dosed, their rate of increase gradually – do not bring yourself to overwork.

– During the class should follow all the recommendations fitness coach.

Try not to skip training – this will help to achieve the goal of the classes.