Is Aqua Jogging any Good for “Real” Runners?
Aqua-jogging or aqua-running is the term used for running in a pool. It can be performed in two ways: feet touching and feet not touching. With the feet touching you will propel yourself across a pool pushing yourself with each stride. The feet not touching approach is done in deep water with a waist float that keeps you bouyant. You run in place. In either approach you can add upper body resistance training too.
Aqua-running is advocated as part of rehabilitation for injured runners. It is also ideal for cross training. So it can be integrated into a full-scale training program. It is running-specific which actually makes it better than all other forms of cross-training. It is also a good exercise during recovery periods such as post-marathons or long racing seasons.
There are benefits and detractions to each approach.
- Both give you relief from running on the hard surfaces (It’s excellent for shin splints, tendonitis, knee, fasciitis and many other lower leg ailments).
- Both provide resistance workouts while doing running specific movements (you run against resistance of the water).
- Excellent workouts can be completed in well under an hour.
- If you use the feet-touching approach no additional equipment is needed (ok, other than the pool).
However they also may not be the greatest cross-training for the following reasons.
- You need a pool! (Ok, if you are creative you might be able to use your local pond.)
- Public pool hours may not be year round or on days that you can make it.
- Though it does strengthen your legs due to resistance it may also make your legs sluggish (it’s neuromuscular training)
- It’s not as satisfying to some runners because you can’t quantify your mileage. ;-)
- It’s boring, boring, boring. (Not scientific… it’s my opinion.. some people love it)
So, does aqua-jogging benefit “real” runners or is it just a marketing and flavor-of-the-month workout? Aqua-jogging has been around quite awhile which is good because it has been studied. Researchers in various studies have found that it can “maintain conditioning for up to 8 weeks”. Since studies themselves don’t go on forever researchers cannot advocate beyond what their studies revealed. It is reasonable to extrapolate for everyday purposes that it indeed could be far longer. Integrated with traditional running workouts there is no reason to believe that it wouldn’t work long term.
Olympic level athletes have incorporated aqua-running into recovery & rehabilitation training. I have used it with numerous athletes myself and definitely conclude it will help almost any runner - injured or not. I had one runner who aqua-ran 3 times a week and run on land only once per week over a 2-3 months. We gradually increased runs on land and despite months of away from regular training she was able to race a 5k as fast as she did previous to the layoff. I have another previously injury prone runner who incorporates it into his regular weekly workouts. He has remained injury free for almost two years now.
Here’s how you do a workout. First and foremost it is not a steady state running motion that delivers optimal benefits. You also have to pay attention to your running form. Remember you are training your muscles to move in a specific manner. Though this may be part of your warm-up and cool-down (yes, you need to do that just like you would - or are supposed to do - on dry land) it is not referenced in the research. Interval like sessions are what works best. Any interval session you do at the track you can do in the water. Instead of distance go by time. adn instead of pace go by effort. One minute hard, thirty seconds easy repeated 20 times for a total of 30 minutes is a simple one. With your warm-up and cool-down you have a nifty 40 minute workout. Don’t be limited on your workouts. To keep variety and interest (the one thing that just slays me in aqua running) make your interval training more complex: ladder workouts (2-3 sets of intervals of :30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 1:30, 1:00, :30); pyramid workouts (hard repeats starting at 15 seconds and increasing by 15 seconds on each rep with half as much recovery easy “jogging”; or reverse the sequence); very short very hard intervals (alternate every 10 or 15 seconds).
To fight boredom try to do workouts with a companion or even a group. It’ll be more fun and keep you occupied.
Your effort is your only true gauge since you cannot measure your distance covered. This is one case that your heart rate can be used to be sure you aren’t going too easy. Efforts on the hard intervals should reflect mile pace effort. Remember, since you are “running” against resistance your legs will not move as fast as on solid ground. Again, it is the effort you are gauging. If you were to do just a steady run effort all bets are off as far as benefits go. Aqua-running may help condition a completely non-conditioned person that way but not a reasonably trained athlete.
Filed under: Running, Science & Running, Training Effectiveness
If I hurt myself running, I’d rather just not do any sort of motion of running. I’d rather take a rest. If I’m going to get in a pool, I’m going to learn how to swim. I think that would be better than running in place in water.
Well, I completely understand your point. All I can say is that you will lose conditioning with swimming (as far as being a runner is concerned) and you won’t with aqua-running. The neuromuscular-specific conditioning benefits from swimming to running are little to none. On the other hand, swimming is better than doing nothing at all while laying off running.
I have a stress fracture and am out of collegiate competition for a while so i have taken up aquarunning and i was just wondering if it is necessary to alternate with hard and easy days like you would land running.
Great question. Since there isn’t the pounding you get on hard ground you can workout pretty hard but you do have to obey the principles of conditioning - You break down during workouts and build up during restdays - the hard-easy concept. Everyone is individual so experiment. At the same time, I would push more often aquarunning than the usual terra firma running. Use a variety in your workouts - different interval times; add some resistance work with your upper body while you’re at it. Of course cycling (doing interval nature workouts) is good also. You’re doing the right things… keep it up and drop me a line on your progress.
thank you! Also, I was just wondering, is it just wishful thinking or actually possible to get better from aquajogging, or will i just maintain fitness these few weeks and be the same speed and all that i was prior to my injury?
The key to answering this question is really with more questions. What condition are you in to start? At elite levels, it’s doubtful to progress. However, at more novice levels you certainly can progress. As a collegiate runner if you do not usually do any type of quality work during the fall and instead do most of it during track season, then it is possbile gain some conditioning. What is interesting about the research is that it is limited to the time of the study - so they aren’t documenting what would occur if they continued or if they infused workouts with progressively more difficult intervals. I have several injury prone runners who I have doing aquarunning year round at least once a week in place of a terra firma running workout. They do great. One has set PRs from the mile to the ultra-marathon. So, I think the bottomline is this: the science supports this as a viable replacement or supplement to running and improving conditioning. As a college athlete you know what it is like to work very hard. Apply the same effort and intensity you would on the track… I think you will surprise yourself. You may lose a step do to the loss of the “feel” for running on the ground… but your return to pre-injury paces may be VERY short.
I was searching around today to find some quality info on pool running when I came across your blog. I’ve since added it to my “Leaders of the Pack” blog list and will continue to peruse your site. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve references this blog for my post today. I just really agreed with the info you gave on the subject.
Thank you for giving pool running it’s due respect. As a collegiate runner we incorporated it regularly into our weekly routine during specific times of each season. And of course used it when faced with the inevitable injury.
You definitely get out of it what you put in…. and mentioning the heart rate monitoring as a way to gauge effort was appreciated.
I’m currently nursing some left leg issues (hamstring and calf) and find not only benefit in pool running workouts but also find the pool an excellent place to stretch and just loosen up. Actually , my college coach would even have us go in the pool to walk around/ loosen up after a long run. Any insight on whether this actually does help as a recovery tool?
Thanks again for this post/your input on this topic.
Thanks for adding me to your site. I like your site… some very nice PRs.
I wish I did have some concrete research based info on using it post long run recovery. However, I woudl say that it absolutely won’t hurt (unlike some other things) and it most likely will give subjective relief. But, probably much like a massage, there is scant data that supports it as a recovery tool. My advice - if it feels good and you believe it helps recovery - definitely do it!!!!!
PS
Ok, from now on I’ll call it “Pool Running”. And if I’m ever in NYC I’ll join your Wet’N'Wild Wednesdays!
I could probably handle aqua running… since after thinking about it a bit more, I do recall a time in Tulum, Mexico where I went for a nice run in the Atlantic (which obviously can’t be labeled as a pool). I think it’s more or less the “jogging” that needs to go. Ha!
Thanks for the feedback!
This is my third year of aquajogging - tethered and off the bottom - I am in for an hour + 20 minutes. I began because of Achilles tendonitis and haven’t looked back. I play racquetball and have rencently won my 4th “A” level club league that has many decent players of al ages. I am 66. I begin with a “sufing” arm motion, legs running, tilted back 45 degrees for warm-up. I go prone and do 100 circular arm rotations, I do 300 breaststroke and 1200 freestyle for a swim. I do the surfing thing and arm/shoulder rotations again. Then I do 1500 running strides, changing arm movements and angles for a varied upper body workout. You could use the clock but I prefer counting….the Rainman was my favorite movie. thanks…tc (ps…don’t drink anything 2 hours prior)
[...] interval like, high quality high intensity versions of your exercise on exercycles, ellipticals, aqua-running etc. It has been shown to retain conditioning effectively for as much as 6 weeks. Though you may [...]
My question revolves around using pool running to increase and improve your aerobic base for young runners who are not mature enough to log a lot of land miles without additional risk of injury. For example my 14 yr. old son (bday is end of May) is logging up to 30 miles/week but we have capped his running at this level. He would do more work and wants to excel, can spending 1-2 sessions in the pool work to add to aerobic base?
Also you mentioned something about steady state runs not being as beneficial in the pool. Don’t you need to still have a balanced training plan versus relying on alot of interval training? Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying.
Rick,
Good question.And congratulations on being smart about capping his mileage.
First I believe it certainly won’t hurt to do the aqua-running and it may help somewhat in increasing his base. This is a strategy in fact that one Olympic coach uses in allowing his low mileage runners to slowly increase miles and become accustomed to more of a work load. However, there are no controlled studies to support either of these points. The only studies involving aqua-running are in relation to injury recovery - for which conditioning maintenance is well supported.
Interval type training is the best way to use aqua running. Why? Due to the resistance in water, you are training your legs to go VERY slow. That is never what you want as a runner. This will have little to no effect on other workouts in my experience. Therefore, if you have a balanced program on ground you should continue to have a balanced program. This is a matter of doing cross-training effectively and it far less effective if it is done at a steady state.
Coach Dean
I am on my colleges xc and track team. My freshman year did not go to well with racing, i got hurt a lot and when i wasnt hurt i was sick. So my training was not very good. This year i have more consistant training, and was able to compete in cross country and partially in indoor. However, i have not gotten in good enough shape to compete at the level i want. I am maxing out this spring with 55 miles. (i got hurt in indoor when i went to 60 too quickly) I am at 50 this week. But i am finding myself really tired with the runs and workouts i have to do. Do you think exchanging aqua jogging with one run a week, and/or adding a session of aqua jogging on to a regular run day will help me not be as fatigued from running and in the end help me at all with my training? Also, is aqua jogging equivilant to running, can i add it into my total mileage in my running log each week?
Ssarah,
These are really good questions. My first comment is that your experience going from HS running to college is very common. The demands of college - perhaps being away from home, miles of running, the season after season demands add up to new dimensions of coping not expereinced before.
I am not a fan of running, x-c, then indoors then straight to outdoor track unless the indoor season is low-keyed. There is a cumulative effect that just beats most (not all) runners down. Injuries are the most common side-effect to this kind of mileage. I do not know your history of mileage/training prior to now but the 50 miles per week is hefty for a freshman in college.
Given all that - first I would not add any more miles and instead get comfortable with what you have. The research is really quite definitive that at this point, WHAT you do with your miles is more important than your miles.
Next, aqua-running is an excellent adjunct to a full training program. This is exactly how Deena Kastor went from 70 miles per week to now more than 100. It took several years. In the mean time, extra wrokouts were conducted in the pool.
They don’t exactly translate to ground miles. It is an extra workout. It will b urn calories. It will help recovery from the ground running. It does build running-specific strength through resistance.
My recommendation:
Run the pool on your off day.
Use the aqua running for a second workout on your double-workout days.
Be sure you follow the advice in making these interval-like workouts.
If you are truly fried one day… then make it a steady state recovery workout.
How much you do and how much it fatigues you is very individual. Experiment. Drop a line to tell me how things are going.
Coach Dean
[...] on 3 April 2008 by coachdeanhebert Here is an interesting inquiry sent to me as a follow-on to aqua jogging (or aqua running or deep water running): I’ve just read your September 2007 Aqua Jogging [...]