Why HydroTraining and Underwater Treadmills
HydroTraining allows for a high resistance, low impact environment to enhance a person’s physical training. HydroTraining takes advantage of the physical properties of water such as buoyancy, drag and resistance, hydrostatic pressure, and thermodynamics.
The buoyancy of the water greatly decreases the impact forces your body is subjected to in traditional land based training methods thus allowing you to be physically active with a lower risk of injury. A body immersed in water essentially counter balances the downward effects of gravity with the upward force of buoyancy. When standing chest deep high in water your body weight has been reduced by 80%. An individual weighing 200lbs on land only weighs 40lbs in the water thus greatly decreasing the impact forces your body is subjected to in traditional land based training methods.
The effects of viscosity (Drag and Resistance Principal) increases the resistance of movement in water up to 12% harder compared to on land. But with the added effect of buoyancy (reduce weight) that added resistance is often not felt thus allowing you to move more freely in water with reduced pain and at the same time increasing muscle strength.
Hydrostatic pressure is the force that is exerted on the body when it is immersed in water. This pressure can help control/decrease swelling in an injured area and can also help increase the range of motion of a joint.
When using the submerged treadmills the athlete is supported by the water therefore eliminating 50% to 90% of their body weight.
The benefits of running underwater include:
- provides similar cardiovascular benefits to land treadmill exercise without joint stress
- increases lean body mass
- significantly reduces muscle soreness and aids in recovery
- reduces the chance of re-injury during intense training
- increases mobility and balance through water drag and resistance
- the hydrostatic pressure of water naturally helps decrease inflammation
- provides intense interval sessions or Tabata training against the resistance jets and on the high-speed treadmill (up to 9 mph) for performance and VO2 Max training.
- recover after each session (on the land or in the water) with a soothing deep tissue massage that helps flush lactic acid from the tissues and expedites recovery time
- underwater camera allows for immediate feedback when working on gait analysis and training
Single best cross training modality
“One of the things that I asked my scientific advisors was ‘what are the cross training modalities that are best for distance running?’ and they told me that the one single best cross training modality out there for my distance runners was the HydroWorx underwater treadmill.”
– Alberto Salazar, Oregon Project Head Coach
Excerpt from Rethink Your Workout Train Like Olympians
Endless Pools Swim Current
Swim training in an Endless Pool is like swimming in open water.
The benefits of swimming in an Endless pool include:
- no turns, no shared lanes, and no stopping
- water flow from the swim unit is wider than your body and deeper than your stroke creating a smooth, comfortable
- river-like current for the swimmer to swim and train against
- current speed is adjustable so it is perfect for the beginner to the most competitive swimmer
- the 6 hp Hi-Performance Hydraulic Power Unit produces a top speed equivalent to a 43-minute Ironman pace (2.4 miles swim)
Hydrorider Aquabike - Professional
The Aquabike is a product that was developed in Italy. The underwater bike, allows the user to pedal while immersed in the water.
The benefits of immersed paddling include:
- the effects of the hydrostatics pressure while exercising may increase stroke volume and cardiac output
- the effects the hydrostatic pressure naturally helps decrease inflammation
- for athletes who have movement restrictions due to an injury or weight bearing limitations the Hydrorider may provide training without stressing the joint or muscles
- reduces the chance of re-injury during intense training
TESTIMONIALS
