The Benefits of Walking on a Pool Treadmill
Walking on a treadmill in your own personal, temperature-controlled pool provides an amazing workout experience. The natural buoyancy of the water supports your body weight, while the optional current adds resistance that challenges muscles and enhances workout intensity.
Even elite athletes are gravitating toward the aquatic treadmill for cardiovascular and strength training. Ask your Physical Therapist how you can incorporate it into your exercise routine.
Reduces Stress on Joints
Water treadmills allow people with injuries and conditions to walk, run or exercise without the heavy load of body weight. The buoyancy of the water decreases the force generated by the ground starting at the feet and traveling to the knee, which reduces stress on joints, soothes aches and improves balance. In addition, the warmth, hydrostatic pressure and fluid resistance of the water help strengthen muscles in a safe environment.
A pool treadmill with adjustable speed and current is a perfect addition to any fitness regimen. Athletes who use them say the water’s resistance — which they can increase, decrease or pre-program to match their workouts — provides a great muscle workout while lessening joint stress.
While the workout is different from walking on a land treadmill, studies show it requires similar energy. This workout is perfect for those looking to add high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to their cardio routine or improve their overall cardiovascular endurance.
Increases Endurance
Water treadmills provide a weightless exercise experience, eliminating the gravity-induced pounding on joints. This allows people to walk and run without stress. The calorie burn is similar to traditional jogging, but it can be higher. The amount of calories burned is dependent on the duration and intensity of the workout.
In addition to reducing joint stress, treadmill therapy in warm water helps to strengthen muscles and improve balance. In one study, patients pool treadmill with osteoarthritis who underwent treadmill pool exercise experienced improvements in knee flexion and hip abduction and adduction. The sensory effects of warm water also encourage relaxation and decrease pain and stress, allowing patients to feel more inspired about their rehabilitation and training programs.
An Endless Pools underwater treadmill is motorized, allowing it to reach speeds of up to 8.5 mph and be adjusted in 1/10th mph increments. It can be combined with a swim current to create the ideal environment for measurable and immediate rehabilitation results. This makes it popular with athletic trainers who have injured athletes perform pylometric exercises in their HydroWorx pools.
Strengthens Muscles
Water treadmills allow clients to run and exercise without putting much strain on their joints. This helps reduce the risk of injury as well as promotes muscle strength and endurance. Clients may also benefit from improved flexibility and joint motion due to the buoyancy of the water.
The resistance of the water challenges muscles and helps burn calories at a quicker rate than running on land. This is great for people with a goal of losing weight. Clients should follow the same warm-up and cool-down protocols as they would with any other workout routine to get the most out of their workout.
Water running is popular among runners and athletes who want to increase their mileage without the stress on their joints. It is also beneficial for injured runners who can’t take on hard-hitting workouts on land but still want to build up their endurance. Some athletes choose to wear spandex or fitted technical apparel while others like to run barefoot in the water, which helps strengthen small muscles in the feet and ankles.
Improves Balance
Researchers have found that aquatic treadmill walking decreases the force that starts at the foot and travels up to the knee (called ground reaction force). Variable water depth allows you to walk or run with less stress on your joints, which improves balance and mobility. This can be especially helpful for patients suffering from neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks and more.
Athletes also enjoy using underwater treadmills to maintain their running fitness without the impact of land workouts. Many elite runners, including a four-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and elite coach Budd Coates, use an aquatic treadmill to keep their mileage up while recovering from injuries.
Endless Pools underwater treadmills offer adjustable speed and resistance settings for precise, individualized exercise. Our swim current can be adjusted to increase or decrease the intensity of your workout, as well, so you can customize your sessions and achieve immediate rehabilitation results. This flexibility makes it easy to incorporate the therapeutic effects of warm water with the familiarity of treadmill walking or running.
Relieves Pain
Whether you are injured or simply looking to tone up your muscles, an underwater treadmill can help you achieve the results you’re seeking. The ability to begin moving muscles sooner with the treadmill can help you pool treadmill have a better outlook on your healing process and encourage you to take a more proactive approach to your rehabilitation.
Typically, an aquatic treadmill is built right into a physical therapy pool, but there are also portable units that can be used in any type of pool or rehab tub. Some of these systems, like the Endless Pools aquatic treadmill, are motorized and have a display monitor, different speed settings, removable handrails and programmable workout routines.
In addition to boosting endurance and strengthening muscles, exercising on the treadmill helps relieve pain in joints and muscles. In fact, Utah State University found that patients suffering from osteoarthritis can perform the same types of exercises as those who are healthy without experiencing pain or discomfort. Combined with the soothing effects of warm water and the massage hoses attached to HydroWorx pools, this system can provide an effective rehabilitation tool for many patients.