Swimming , Water Sports,Water Polo

When one discusses what is an appetite suppressant they need to not only define what it is, but also provide examples to make it more useful information. An appetite suppressant is a substance, products, or anything really by definition that helps to reduce ones desire to consume food. The perceived benefit of this is for losing weight, and in most cases preferably body fat. Some examples of different appetite suppressants range from natural products to an actual prescription appetite suppressant. Many believe that natural ones are hoodia, various herbal diet pills, coffee, certain vitamins etc. But if you want to know which ones are actually FDA approved, from rigorous tests you would have to consider something like phentermine. A medication however usually has side effects that affect certain people and as such should only ever be taken under a doctor’s supervision. If this is a true interest of yours, don’t forget to incorporate into your daily routine some exercise and be sure to eat some healthy foods and not to eat too much. If you are in need of help losing weight, diet and exercise should be the first things you turn to. Always talk to a doctor if you feel the need for some sort of prescription diet pills are desired. They will only prescribe them to you if your health is suffering from being overweight.

Diabetes is one of chronic disease that could be caused by daily bad habit. Why do I say so? because diabetes is condition where the sugar (calories) in our body is in abnormality or in high level. Here, pancreas is getting difficult to produce insulin or even body cannot effective using the insulin itself. Anyway insulin is hormone that secreted by pancreas to regulate the sugar. When it is inability for regulating, sugar cannot be transferred well into other vital organs.

Diabetes basically has varieties types, each type attack body system through each way, but overall diabetes is needed to be prevented and cured well. Some people believe that diabetes is a kind of descent disease that could be integral through blood relation history. So you have to be aware more if your older family member was diabetes also. Hence it is quite important to know about diabetes resource to get trusted suggestion about how to prevent diabetes and even true medication if you have been infected.

Diabetes resource page will help you more on analyze and understanding more about the diabetes itself. You have to know that the diabetes is not only stopping on this level of disease, but it might trigger other complicated organ broken such as kidney failure, nerve damage, and so on.  So you need to acknowledge yourself first to avoid any inconvenience that might happen next.

Bart Icles asked:




A lot of specialists approve of taping techniques for muscle pains since they have been known to relieve pain and to heal them, in effect. However, not all taping techniques are effective since there are some that are said to worsen the situation instead of alleviate it, causing some doubts on some athletes to use taping techniques. Even though this is the case, a lot of people, especially athletes, still rely on them.

The 2008 Olympics gave rise to the popularity of a taping technique that was developed in 1973 by Dr. Kenzo Kase. It was developed based on the premise that taping techniques should not hinder normal body movements even in the event of muscle injuries. This technique is called the kinesio taping technique using what is now known in athletic circles as the kinesio tape. World-renowned athletes like Lauren Wenger (water polo), Tiger Woods (golf), Lance Armstrong (cycling), David Beckham (soccer), Kerri Walsh (beach volleyball), and Ari Taub (Greco-Roman wrestling) and a whole lot more prefer the kinesio taping technique over any other taping techniques since they are able to give a lot more benefits than the traditional ones. This is because conventional taping methods are designed to restrict movement, not to promote it, that is why they are generally applied then removed after any activity done using it. The kinesio tape, on the other hand, may still be used even after the activity because of their water-resistant nature.

To date, the kinesio taping method is found to be effective in a variety of ailments, from foot pain to headaches, and is still continuing to receive a lot of praises. The main benefit that it provides it its ability to give stability and to maintain support to injured muscles and joints without affecting their range of motion and their circulation in any adverse manner. Other additional benefits of the kinesio taping method are:

1. It is very economical since a roll of it can be used for about ten (10) applications depending on the area that needs to be protected.
2. It is usable up to 5 days.
3. It is water-resistant.
4. It is acrylic-adhesive.
5. It is heat-sensitive.
6. It has almost the same texture as normal human skin.
7. It is latex-free.
8. It is made from 100 percent cotton.
9. It is highly elastic.

The kinesio taping technique is now fast receiving different accolades from a lot of people from all walks of life, especially athletes who are always prone to muscle injuries due to strain. It is a revolutionary way to relieve ailments and it will surely remain being an amazing help to a lot of people.

Open water swimming workouts demand a greater level of skill and management than swimming in your local pool. You must compete against many different forces that you don’t normally have to worry about in a controlled environment.

The number one of these is your Primitive Brain. In order for you to be efficient and the highest quality athlete you must be able to manage the part of your brain that is hard wired for us to stay alive. Your primitive brain. Your Primitive Brain controls all of your fight or flight actions. Swimming is not natural for human beings as we are made for dry land and being vertical. When swimming your Primitive Brain doesn’t like it and can cause you to shut down and go into survival mode. This mode can include panic, you to stop swimming, hyperventilation, change of stroke to an inefficient one, and even in severe cases drowning. This is a huge impact to your success and should be trained often in the pool and in your open water swimming workouts.

Other differences are waves, current, wind, temperature, not being able to see the bottom, and possibly wearing a wetsuit. All these factors can cause a change in your stroke…usually for the worst. When training for an open water swim in the pool, try swimming without lane lines for added waves, or have someone use a kickboard to produce extra waves while your are swimming. What do you notice? Practice breathing with water in your mouth or splashing in your face (a drill for working on the Primitive Brain management), swim with lots people in a lane to get used to the possibility of it being crowded.

Another major concern is the temperature. Our pools are usually set to a temperature in the low 80?s. The lakes, rivers and ocean are usually not that warm (unless you are lucky to be somewhere tropical, jealous). The sudden jump into cold water will initially take your breath away, may cause slight panic, possible brief hyperventilating, and your muscles to contract causing your heart rate to sky rocket. That is all you need on top of your technical concerns. To prepare yourself to swim in the colder water definitely practice in your local cold body of water. Get used to the initial reaction, know whats it feels like, build your strategy for dealing with your bodies reaction, and try to stay calm to be efficient.

Most importantly, Have Fun!

Richard Chandler asked:




With summer fast approaching and the weather beginning to warm up, more and more people are turning to the pool as the ideal location for their fitness and physical therapy routine. Whether you are getting in shape, maintaining a toned body, or doing physical therapy exercises to recover from an injury, the pool can be the source of all of your exercise needs when you have the right aquatic therapy and aquatic exercise equipment.

As someone who has been a competitive swimmer and played water polo for years, I am completely familiar with the numerous benefits of aquatic exercise and aquatic physical therapy. Arthritis sufferers and those recovering from injuries will find that the pool serves as an ideal location for low impact exercise with just the right amount of resistance. Swimming is also an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise that not only gives you a full body workout, but also improves your posture by stretching your back. A variety of products are available that allow virtually anyone to not enjoy the pool, but to take advantage of the benefits of aquatic exercise and aquatic therapy.

ExerSwim Portable Swim Current Generator

Often referred to as an “endless pool”, the ExerSwim Portable Swim Current Generator enables you to enjoy the cardiovascular benefits of swimming no matter how small or oddly shaped your pool is. Easy to set up and completely safe to use, the ExerSwim gives you a fully adjustable, deep current to swim against that is virtually free of turbulence. By using the ExerSwim Portable Swim Current Generator, you eliminate the need to interrupt your workout by doing turns, making your swimming pool into an endless pool. The ExerSwim can provide speeds of up to 7 miles per hour with its patented propeller drive and includes a low voltage battery with charger.

SwiMP3 V2 Waterproof MP3 Player

For many, swimming a lot of laps in a pool can be boring and monotonous. With the SwiMP3 V2 Waterproof MP3 Player, you can enjoy all of your favorite music underwater while you get a great workout. Unlike other waterproof MP3 players that use ear plugs which can distort your music, the SwiMP3 V2 uses bone conduction technology which transmits the sound waves through your jawbone, giving you crystal clear sound quality. Now you can get more from your swimming workout by setting the pace of your swim to the rhythm of your music. The SwiMP3 V2 works with both Macs and PCs and easily attaches to your goggle strap.

INCLINE Aquatic Underwater Treadmill by Aquabilt

Every time you take a step on land, you put three to seven times the weight of your body on your joints. For those who suffer from arthritis, have had a recent knee or hip replacement, or are recovering from an injury, that added weight and pressure can be unbearable. The INCLINE Aquatic Underwater Treadmill allows you to do a treadmill walking workout underwater, letting the water’s natural buoyancy lift the weight off your joints. The double sided treadmill requires no outside power source and features two levels of resistance. The speed of the underwater treadmill is decided by the user. Athletes looking for a low impact workout and physical therapists seeking an alternative method for treating their patients will enjoy the INCLINE Aquatic Underwater Treadmill.

AQx Aquatic Training Shoes

The AQx Aquatic Training Shoes are designed for walking and running underwater. Designed with a series of hydrodynamic fins to increase resistance, the AQx sports water shoes protect your feet from the bottom of the pool while improving traction. They feature a cushioned insole for improved arch support, comfort, and stability. Aqx Aquatic Training Shoes are ideal for those looking for an alternative to walking in the hot sun or a cost effective form of effective low impact exercise.

AquaJogger Active Water Exercise Belt

Because of the low impact characteristics of aquatic exercise and aquatic therapy, working out in the water seems ideal for those with lower back problems. The AquaJogger provides the crucial lower back support you need in the water while suspending the body at an ideal depth for aquatic exercise. It demands use of your core muscles to allow you to maintain a vertical position, strengthening and conditioning them as you tone your legs with a variety of exercises. The AquaJogger’s resilient closed-cell foam will not absorb water while the easy to use buckle insures a secure fit.

AquaFins Aquatic Exercise Kit

The AquaFins Aquatic Exercise Kit allows you to get the most out of an underwater workout. The four predator fins are comfortably attached to your wrists or ankles and feature a unique hydrofoil design that provides lift and stability for optimal performance. The exercises featured in the AquaFins guide were designed by physical therapists and are ideal for those recovering from hip replacements and most orthopedic injuries. Each set includes a mesh carrying case for added convenience.

Aquatrend Water Workout Station

Aquatic exercise is a great way to burn calories, increase strength, and improve flexibility without unnecessary strain on your joints. The Aquatrend Water Workout Station is a fitness machine that mounts to the side of your swimming pool and gives you a full body workout. Whether it is your arms, legs, abs, or shoulders you wish to focus on, the multiple configurations of the Aquatrend Water Workout Station offer an assortment of exercises. The increased resistance of water eliminates the need for weights. Each Aquatrend Water Workout Station includes a list of aquatic exercises to get you started.

AquaTrek Wheelchair

More and more physical therapists are exploring the use of aquatic therapy with their patients, but what happens when the patient is confined to a wheelchair? Since therapists’ pools are typically designed with ramps, the obvious solution is the AquaTrek Wheelchair. Uniquely designed to be completely submerged underwater, the AquaTrek Wheelchair features a furniture-grade PVC frame with stainless steel fasteners and a stainless steel axle. Unlike most wheelchairs for designed for aquatic therapy, this one does not completely fill with water when submerged.

PAL 1000 Portable Aquatic Pool Lift

So what happens you do not have a ramp going into your pool? Virtually maintenance free and designed corrosion proof materials, the PAL 1000 Portable Aquatic Pool Lift offers a safe and easy for therapists to get their patients in and out of the pool. It requires no permanent installation so it can be set up anywhere along the pool deck and the stored when not in use thanks to the locking wheels. The waterproof hand control allows the PAL 1000 Pool Lift to be operated by the user or an attendant. The pool lift is powered by a rechargeable battery and a mechanical actuator that can lift patients up to 300 pounds. An optional stability vest, spine board attachment, and armrests are also available.

Spa-N-A-Box Portable Spa

When someone has sore muscles or joints, they often think of how nice it would be to have a spa. With the Spa-N-A-Box Portable Spa, you can enjoy relaxing water jets on your pool deck, under an awning, or even indoors. It takes very little time to set up and requires no tools, plumbing, or wiring. The portable spa includes a thermal insulated cover, its own filtration system, and attractive rigid sidewalls that make a great addition to any home. At just over six feet in diameter, the Spa in a Box Portable Spa can be placed virtually anywhere.

Regardless of your level of fitness or the type of physical limitations you have to deal with, aquatic exercise and aquatic therapy can provide an assortment of health benefits, including relief from arthritis pain, rehabilitation from injuries, and low impact exercise. With summer just around the corner, it’s time to take advantage of the warm weather and enjoy exercising in the water.

Melville Jackson asked:




Swimming workout helps you to keep yourself fit and refreshing. It is basically a body exercise that tones your muscles, increases your blood circulation, and enhances your energy. You can also consider Swimming pool workout as an authentic way to increase you body flexibility and strength.

If you want to increase your cardiovascular stamina go for swimming. If you want to be a good swimmer, you should work with water. More you work with water, the better it is. Propel with your hips, shoulders and abs in order to do better.

While you are doing Swimming pool work out, you should have a better understanding about the unique properties of water. Basically, while you are in water, your body has no gravity at all. You loose almost 90% of your body weight and you become buoyant.

So you can easily float on water, in a completely relaxed mood without putting any extra effort at all. As air provides 12 percent to 14 percent less resistance than water, as you move about, you have more weight around you. So you have to keep moving while you are doing Swimming pool work out.

You may not know that swimming laps is a very good exercise in a swimming pool. Try to execute different types of strokes. You may try out with vertical or upright strokes. Trying different types of exercises will keep you balanced while you are doing Swimming pool work out.

There are different types of Swimming pool work out activities. Some typical water workouts are:

o water toning
o water therapy
o jogging
o water walking
o water aerobics
o water flexibility training
o water yoga

If you are swimming horizontally, you experience 75% lesser resistance than the amount of resistance you experience in vertical Swimming pool work out. During vertical Swimming pool work out, your resistance increases against your movements.

For elderly people, Swimming pool work out is of great help. It helps you to increase your heath and strength. It also helps you to increase your metabolism and physical activity as well. It also helps you to feel better. If you join a swimming class, it increases your social interaction; you make more friends and develop a community of your choice. This makes you feel sound and fit.

There is no age to join a swimming class. So do not delay. Join an aquatic class and extract all possible fun from it. Who knows, you may again get back your childhood days?

Johan Knutsson asked:




Medical science has done wonders for humanity and it still is. But while medications have always been developed to help people, sometimes they get abused. As far as getting healthy and strong is concerned, there seems to be a hovering belief that building strength and getting that super figure is not possible unless you’re on steroids. This is sad and we need to get out of this mind set. The best way I can think of doing this is to read about people just like my self who accomplished their (and mine) dream figure and health.

We all have our heroes, among those who are on top of the admiration list now-a- days are the Olympic stars. Let’s see how these athletes came to be the wonderful healthy people they are;

Hope Solo:

Hope Solo is a native Washington, and a legend in the sport of international soccer. She is dubbed the best all round goal keeper among countries like Italy, Germany, France, Spain, England, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Hope is 27 years old and an example of what ideal health is. Asking her about her routine tells a lot about where true health and strength come from. About her exercise routine she has this to say s that she’s a firm believer in bodyweight exercises and plyos. She lifts weights, but minimally. She does a ton of pushups and sit-ups, both with stability balls. She also does pull-ups, lunge jumps, squat jumps, box jumps and jump rope work, which, to her surprise, really work her arms. What about her diet? Hope says that a mandatory part of her diet is poy shakes. Even while the athletes are travelling, they keep blenders with them so they can make these. In addition she takes supplements through out the year but to get herself through the Olympics she also relies on multivitamins.

The wonderful par in Hope’s routine is how intensely focused it is on ensuring thee body gets nutrients and a great work out.

Natalie Golda:

Natalie Golda is a star in the world of water polo. She’s 27, a native Californian and already an Olympic Bronze Medalist (2004). So how do the US women gain strength and shine with such a healthy light? Natalie tells with beaming pride that the US athletes pride themselves on the fact that they lift well. According to her, they have very structured weight programs that complement the cycle of training that they are in. They really focused on gaining strength in the fall, and have worked on maintaining their strength levels while improving power. This quad, they have added more bike work to improve leg strength, and have also added more fin work in the pool. Lately, they’ve been working on their fast-twitch muscles in order to get ready for competition.

Of course most of us aren’t training to compete for water polo matches, but the dedication and discipline of this routine is contagiously thrilling. So what’s the exact workout like? Natalie says that they begin with a good stretch and active warm-up, sometimes even an occasional run around the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, Calif. Before they left for China, they were splitting the team up into groups and some would bike while the others lifted. Squats, bench presses, pull-ups, step-overs, core work, and lateral slide board usually dominates their workouts. Natalie takes pride in her natural diet, which is all nutritious.

Reading about these healthy, fit an outstanding women, who started with a passion for success and health and achieved such wonders is amazing. Motivation for me and I hope for you as well.

R Garcia asked:




Let’s deal with the weight loss issue right off, because if we don’t, you might bypass one of the best exercises around.

Swimming, tradition has it, is not a good way to lose weight – an enduring piece of misinformation that admittedly isn’t dispelled by newspaper photos of Hindenburg-size marathon swimmers stumbling from some frigid ocean.

True, when you swim, your body is supported by water, and because you aren’t forced to fight gravity, there can be less calorie burn. It is also true that some marathon swimmers won’t be modeling underwear anytime soon (actually, it behooves marathon swimmers to carry some fat as valuable insulation against frigid water). And it’s true that a 150-pound man swimming at a leisurely pace burns roughly 6 calories a minute. He could burn nearly twice the calories running at a pedestrian 12-minute-mile pace.

But before you turn your back on the pool, consider this. That same 150-pounder can double his calorie burn by swimming faster. Swimming butterfly (the most difficult of swimming’s four strokes) burns roughly 14 calories a minute – a better caloric burn than tennis, squash, or football (soccer). What we’re talking about here is intensity, and that explains why Olympic swimmers (unlike marathon swimmers) have the sort of body that gets the role of Tarzan.

Swimming offers others other benefits that can’t be ignored. Because you are supported by water, it’s a low-impact sport and thus virtually injury-free. For the same reason it’s also a great exercise if you’re overweight, since it spares your joints the pounding experienced in gravity-bound sports like running.

The varied strokes used in swimming take your joints through a full range of motion that can improve flexibility. Most important, few exercises give you the head-to-toe muscle workout that swimming does.

You are using almost all the major muscle groups of the body. the legs, hips, abs, chest, shoulders, and upper back – all of these muscles are working. You can also get tremendous stimulation to the heart and respiratory system. As far as general health goes, swimming is an excellent conditioner.

Getting Started

Here’s a likely scenario: Excited by the prospect of all these benefits, man goes to the pool. Man dons suit and goggles. Man pushes off the wall and makes for the other end. Man gives self and lifeguard a serious scare.

Swimming, it needs to be said, is not a sport that comes effortlessly. Witness recreational pools, which are typically filled with folks who look like they’re more interested in self-preservation than exercise. We’re going to show you how to make that transition from thrashing wheezer to graceful swimmer and how to improve even if you’re already at home in the water.

Get Qualified Instruction – Learning to swim may seem like something for preschoolers in water wings. But even if you can successfully navigate from one end of the pool to the other, proper technique is not something that you can learn on your own.
Be Patient – We expect to pick things up quickly. Swimming won’t be one of them. Learning proper stroke techniques takes time, and that takes patience. People want results right away, but swimming is extremely technical, which is really frustrating for a lot of people. Learning swimming’s four strokes – freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly is not difficult, but it is essential that you learn how to do them properly if you want to get the most out of swimming.
Relax In The Water – When you’re learning to swim, relaxing is the most important thing that you can do – and the most difficult. When people are learning to swim, they get nervous and they tense up. And when they do that, they find themselves sinking, and it’s just that much harder. You need to relax and stay loose. If you happen to be one of those people whose muscles lock into a state resembling rigor mortis whenever you go near the pool, you may want to pick up a pair of swim fins. They make your kick more powerful, which means that they will keep you up and planing across the surface, even when you’re tense and tight.
Get The Right Equipment – There’s not a lot that you have to buy, just a suit and swimming goggles. The choice of suit is yours. Racing suits are light and comfortable. More important, they offer virtually no drag in the water. Swimming goggles are a must. Keeping the pool from becoming a virus reunion requires liberal use of chemicals and many of these chemicals are hard on the eyes. Occasionally, you’ll see swimmers wearing nose plugs or earplugs. Save your money. Unless you’re particularly prone to swommer’s ear, the human body is designed to withstand moisture in these particular orifices. In any event, earplugs tend to fall out while you’re swimming, and nose plugs make it hard to breathe – and when you’re swimming hard, you want to be sucking in all the oxygen you can.
Swimming For Fitness

Swimming? looks easy, especially when you watch experienced swimmers glide through the water. But swimming is an extremely demanding sport; for beginners it can be a fight just to get to the other end of the pool.

To achieve solid basic fitness, try swimming three to four times a week, logging between 2,000 and 3,000 yards (roughly 1.5 to 2 miles) each workout. Most swimmers can get that kind of distance in about an hour.

If you’re fairly fit but new to swimming, experts recommend swimming between 500 and 1,000 yards each workout. Then build slowly from there. Swimming is a vigorous activity. You’ll be using new muscles, and it’s easy to stress them. Shoulder injuries are especially common among overzealous newcomers.

Start With A Warm Up – Swimming may be a forgiving sport, but you still want to loosen up before plunging into a high-bore workout. Experts advise swimmers to warm up with a 400 yard swim – 200 yards freestyle, 100 yards of backstroke, and 100 yards of breaststroke – mixing up the strokes to bring all the muscles into play.
Work Up To Intervals – Although you can get an excellent workout by swimming straight time, doing the same stroke at the same pace for half an hour or so, you’ll burn substantially more calories by doing an interval workout. This is nothing more than a series of swims separated by a specific amount of rest (the interval). For example, you might do ten 50-yard freestyle swims, leaving the wall every minute. Or you might do five 100-yard freestyle swims leaving the wall every 2 minutes. A typical swimming workout consists of several sets, with roughly 10 to 30 second intervals between each swim of the set, then several minutes rest between each set. The important point is not to allow too much rest during the set, you don’t want to fully recover between swims.
Mix Your Speeds – A lot of people just condition themselves to swim at one speed because they do the same kind of workout all the time. If you want to improve, you need to learn to swim fast. It’s not that every swim needs to be a sprint. The idea is to mix things up. Rather than swimming the same half-mile pedestrian plod every day, for example, do intervals instead. And make at least one of those interval sets involve fast swimming. Swimming fast brings more muscle fibers into play, taxes the heart and lungs more, and burns as much as twice the calories. Of course, when you’re swimming fast, you’ll need to rest longer between each swim so that you can really make a quality effort. For example, when doing ten 50-yard swims, you may want to leave the wall every 2 minutes instead of the 1 minute recommended for a slower pace. You’re resting more, but I guarantee you will be beat. An additional point: It’s always a good idea to do your sprints set early in the workout while you’re still fresh.
Mix Your Strokes – Many swimmers swim nothing but freestyle. If you’re one of them, you’re missing out. Tossing swimming’s other strokes into your workout will help you hit more muscles and improve your flexibility by bringing different motions into play.
Put Your Arms And Legs to Work – Pulling (swimming using just your arms) and kicking (using just your legs) are good additions to any swimming workout. Pulling is a great upper-body conditioner. Kicking hits your legs; add a pair of fins, and you’ll increase ankle flexibility, making your legs work even harder. And because they involve large muscles, kicking and pulling elevate your heart rate almost as much as swimming the complete stroke. When kicking, don’t use a kick-board. Holding on to the plastic foam board raises your upper body and drops your hips and legs down. Good swimming means balancing the hips and head near the surface of the water; having your legs angling down like anchors doesn’t accomplish that.
Get A Fast Burn – If you’re looking for a tough workout that you can do in minimal time, here’s a challenging option. The key to this workoutisn’t speed, but reducing your rest periods to the absolute minimum. Using the stroke of your choice, keep the effort fairly easy, say 60 percent of your maximum heart rate. But keep the rest period between swims very short, no more than 7 to 15 seconds, depending on the distance you’re swimming. For example, if you’re doing a series of short swims (say, 50 yards), you may want to rest about 7 seconds between each one. For longer swims of 200 yards, for instance, take 15 seconds between each one. Keeping the rest periods short allows almost no time for recovery. This keeps your heart rate up? and banging, giving you a terrific workout in a relatively short time. You’re training your heart to be a lot more efficient. And it doesn’t mean more time in the pool. It means swimming more laps in the given time. You can get in a great workout in an hour lunch break.

Kate Steplton asked:




Aqua fitness is used quite often by people looking to get in shape in this day and age dominated by the fitness craze. There are many reasons why aqua fitness is so popular, and there are many redeeming qualities for the body when it comes to aqua fitness, but the best feature about aqua fitness is the fact that for most people, it is fun. There is little in the universe that is more fun than swimming, and quite frankly, swimming is one of the best forms of exercise for the muscles in the human body, but there’s much more to an aqua fitness workout than JUST SWIMMING.

Of course swimming laps isn’t all that there is to aqua fitness routines, though swimming laps in a concentrated effort with varied strokes is certainly a part of any routine. Many muscles can be strengthened, toned, and stretched by swimming a number of laps, depending on your level of fitness, with different strokes. The butterfly, for instance, as an excellent way to workout your upper body torso, including your pecs and your lats. Even the doggie paddle strengthens your neck, back, arms, and legs. The biggest benefit of aqua fitness can come from simple static exercise. Herschel Walker, the famed Heisman Trophy winner, used aqua fitness techniques to build the endurance and strength in his legs by simply running under water. The resistance from the water itself helped build those oak trees that Herschel called legs. There are plenty of resistance and isometric exercises that can be used to build strength and muscles, from simple flexing and movement to more advanced routines involving light weights under water.

There are plenty of enjoyable water sports as well that can be used to help build the body. Sports such as water polo, water soccer, and water volleyball, while competitive and fun, are very good for building muscle. The great thing about aqua fitness is that it tends to use the whole body as you train and exercise. Bodybuilding in typical fashion generally requires exercises involving free weights and machines that focus on a primary and secondary muscle structure. For instance when you do curls with either a dumbbell or a barbell, you are using the resistance of the weight to strengthen the bicep as you curl the weight up, and you are stressing the triceps as you lower the weight back down. Two muscles are exercised, and unhealthy strain is placed on the back which supports the exercise as there is little to no support behind it. The same exact exercise done under water with far less weight is more effective and is safer as well. First of all, the back is reinforced by the water itself. Secondly you can use far less weight, putting less pressure on the back, because of the resistance of the water, which exercises the muscle. In the water, all of the back muscles and abdominal muscles are utilized as well, due to the resistance of the water, so it is a far more effective work out.

Mike Geary asked:




If you have been a subscriber to my newsletter for some time, you know that I’m always trying to give you ways to make your workouts more interesting and fun, while also stimulating big-time results. Don’t you agree that your training should be fun? This is what separates the people who jump on and off the “fitness bandwagon” a couple times every year without ever making any real progress from the people that actually adopt a true fitness lifestyle and finally achieve the body they have always wanted. Make it interesting, make it fun, and make your fitness a priority, and you’ll have the body that you want.

What I have noticed over the years is that many people will train regularly for a few months and then will either get bored with the same old weight training and cardio routines, or will get discouraged because their progress comes to a grinding halt after a while. In my opinion, I don’t think your workouts ever need to get boring or stale. You just need to have an open mind to the huge world of various training styles and techniques that are out there. Seriously, there are so many different and fun training styles out there, that there is no reason you should ever get bored with your workouts and give up on that lean ripped body that you’ve been looking for. Also, mixing in various training styles builds stronger joints by reducing repetitive movement pattern overload and varying your training stressors.

Now before I start with some of my favorite non-traditional training styles, I will state that I think one of the best ways to achieve a lean, muscular and healthy body is through a consistent weight training routine with free weights. You can choose to integrate some of these alternative training techniques with your weight training routines on the same day, as alternative workouts on separate days of the week, or even as separate training cycles where you try some of these techniques for several weeks at a time before cycling back to a traditional weight training workout. Try some of these training styles out and you’ll be on your way to never being bored again with your workouts…and your body will thank you with muscles popping out that you never knew existed!

Alright, here are some of my favorite non-traditional training techniques:

1. Staircase Workouts – This is great because stairs are everywhere. You can go to a football field and do stadium stairs, any building that has stairs like a hotel (most people take the elevator, so you will not even have many people looking at you while you’re working out), or even the stairs in your own home. For an awesome full body workout, try mixing stairs sprints with an upper body exercise like pushups or pull-ups. If done with a high enough intensity, stairs workouts help to create changes throughout your entire body due to the muscle building and fat burning hormonal response and metabolism increase that you get through working the biggest muscle groups in your entire body. If you thought that going up and down the stairs was the only way to get a good stairs workout…think again. My fellow trainer and friend, Virgil Aponte, has developed a website that focuses on creative stairs workouts using all kinds of exercises you never would have thought of before. You can find out more info on stairs exercises workouts at my ‘fitness products’ page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.

2. Wind Sprints and Hill Sprints – Find any open field in a park or athletic field and try 50, 75, and 100-yard all-out wind sprints. After each sprint, rest long enough to catch your breath before the next one (generally 1-2 minutes). Try workouts of anywhere from 6 to 20 wind sprints for a great “cutting” workout. Also, if you have a hill nearby, hill sprints are also great workouts. Sprint up the hill as fast as you can and walk down for your rest interval. Repeat until you’re whooped (a 20-30 minute hill workout is plenty). These sprint workouts are so amazingly effective at changing your entire body for the same reason as stairs exercises…by powerfully working the biggest muscle groups in your entire body, you greatly stimulate your metabolism while simultaneously increasing your fat burning and muscle building hormones.

Just look at any world class 100-meter sprinters and notice how ripped-to-shreds those guys are. Now compare that to the emaciated weakling physiques of many marathoners, and you’ll see that sprinting is where the action is at for a healthy, ripped, powerful body! Now I don’t want to upset all of you distance runners out there. Hey, if distance running is something you enjoy, then go right ahead. But don’t say you’re doing it for the health benefits, because I might just have to disagree. You can read my full story on why I believe variable intensity training is far superior to steady-state endurance training in one of my other ezinearticles.com articles at Cardio-Enthusiasts: Discover a More Effective Training Method for Fat Loss and Heart Health!

3. Kettlebell Training – If you’ve been reading my articles for some time, you’ve probably heard me praise kettlebell training many times before, but I will have to reiterate that it has been one of the best training methods that I’ve ever tried and has taken my physical capabilities to a whole new level. Kettlebells are an alternative type of free-weight training instead of barbells and dumbbells. Their unique construction and weight distribution (basically a cannonball with a handle) allows for a whole different realm of exercises that’s available compared to dumbbells and barbells. Kettlebells have been typically used for training hard-core athletes, military units, martial arts competitors, and other tough individuals, but there is no reason that anybody looking to get stronger, bigger, or more cut can’t learn the exercises and benefit from them.

It’s been a little over a year now since I’ve incorporated kettlebell training into my routines, and I’ll admit that I’m hooked for life! At between $100-$150 per kettlebell, they are definitely not cheap, but they are well worth the money. Just one or two kettlebells and you’ve literally got yourself an entire home gym that you can use for the rest of your life…worth every penny in my book! If you want to give these body-hardening kettlebells a try, you can find more info at my ‘fitness products’ page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.

4. Bodyweight Workouts – For a change of pace, try adding to your routine one or two workouts a week at home with just bodyweight based exercises. These can be great because you can get a high intensity workout done in only 15-30 minutes without having to go to the gym on days that you might not have time for a trip to the gym. Try alternating bodyweight squats, pushups variations, lunges, and floor abs exercises continuously for 15-30 minutes. Try to take very short rest periods or none at all to really amp up the intensity since this will be a brief workout. If you’re more advanced, you can even incorporate more challenging exercises like handstand pushups, one-arm pushups, and one-legged squats into your bodyweight training routines.

5. Ring Training – This type of training basically uses portable gymnastic rings that you can take anywhere with you. You throw the straps up over any high bar like a pullup bar, the top of a power rack, or even over a football field goal crossbar. Then you can quickly adjust the rings to do exercises like ring dips, ring pushups, ring pull-ups, hanging leg raises, horizontal body rows, L-sits, and more. Dips and pushups on the rings are my favorites and the rings really make them a hell of a lot more difficult, while also incorporating your stabilizer muscles to a much greater degree. The rings allow your joints to move in a more natural pattern and can help you prevent or even recover from shoulder injuries. Personally, when I try dips on a normal dip stand, it hurts my shoulders. However, dips on the training rings feel perfect, and also give me a much better muscle pump. The training rings are one of the best training devices I’ve ever bought. Give them a try…I think you’ll like them if you’re up for a challenge. I found my rings, which you can hang up easily on a power rack, pullup bars, or at a park, at ringtraining.com.

6. Swimming – A great full body workout that stresses the muscles and joints in a much different way than most resistance training. Incorporating swimming workouts once or twice a week into your normal training routines can really enhance your physique. I recommend trying a “sprint” style swimming workout, which will help more for building muscle compared with endurance long distance swimming. For sprint style, swim as hard as you can to the other side of a 25-meter or 50-meter pool (or sprint swim similar distances in a lake or the ocean if you like to swim outdoors). Rest enough to catch your breath between sprint swims (about 20-40 seconds). Try to keep the rest intervals fairly short with swim sprints. You can also mix different strokes (crawl, breaststroke, sidestroke, backstroke, butterfly) on each swim sprint. I’ve found that sprint swimming gives me a great muscle pump (especially in the upper body), without any soreness the next day as is typical with weight training. This is because swimming has no eccentric movement (the negative portion of a lift), which is what causes muscle soreness. Keep in mind that even though swimming works your muscles well and is a nice alternative workout to mix in once or twice a week, it does not strengthen your bones. You still need to do regular weight training to do that.

7. Sandbag Training – This form of training is a nice variation to mix in with your strength training. It works your body with an unstable object, which makes muscles that might normally be neglected get in on the action to perform the movements. I’ve been mixing some sandbag training into my routines for over a year now, and I’ve found it is a very intense method of training that works your muscles in a different way and gets you huffing and puffing like crazy. You can make your own sandbags to train with by filling various sized duffle bags with sand, or you can use those construction type sandbags that come in several shapes. Sandbag exercises can be done as squats, cleans, presses, lunges, shouldering, throws or heaves, carrying up hills, etc. Make no mistake, training intensely with sandbags will get you ripped in no time flat! I’ve actually found an entire book devoted to sandbag training, which gave me some great ideas for doing sandbag based workouts. If you’re interested in this type of training, you can find more info at my ‘fitness products’ page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.

8. Mountain Biking – As you may have figured by now, I’m not a proponent of steady pace endurance exercise, but rather, highly variable intensity exercise that works with bursts of exertion followed by recovery intervals. Well, mountain biking fits this bill perfectly. You get the leg pumping exertion during the uphill climbs, while also getting the adrenaline rush of the downhill acting as your recovery intervals. Mix it all together and you get a super-fun, high-intensity, leg burning workout that will melt fat off of your entire body and build awesome legs at the same time. The climbs can be tough and will challenge you both physically and mentally as you pump away trying to make it up steep hills without having to resort to getting off of the bike. Then after you make it up the challenging climbs, you get rewarded with the adrenaline rush of flying down steep hills while jumping off of boulders and logs and trying not to stumble or fall off the bike. It’s such an addicting thrill…I love it! See, who says that working out has to be boring!

9. Indoor (or outdoor) Rock Climbing – This is yet another fun way to get in a great workout that will also challenge you both physically and mentally. Indoor rock climbing gyms have starting popping up all over the place in recent years and will be more accessible than outdoor rock climbing to most people. Rock climbing is a great workout for your legs, arms, shoulders, and your entire back. It also really works your grip strength and forearms like crazy. Whenever I go indoor rock climbing (which is only on occasion), my forearms are sore for about 2-3 days afterwards. Give it a try if you’ve never done it…it may be just what you’re looking for to spice up your fitness routine.

10. Stick Wrestling – This is a killer full body workout and can also be a great competition between you and your friends. This is probably more of a guy thing for most people. You could even come up with your own “fight club” and have stick wrestling competitions with your buddies to see who is toughest. There are actually sticks designed specifically for stick wresting, but you can even just use a strong broomstick cut down to about 30-36 inches long and taped up with some athletic tape to prevent splinters. For your stick wrestling workout, stand on a soft mat or carpeted area (or grass if outdoors), match up with a friend or foe. You’ll both grab the same stick toward the ends with your hands on the outsides of your partner’s hands, on the inside, or staggered. Then you simply push, pull, jerk, and thrash your opponent around trying to knock them off balance until they either fall or lose their grip of the stick…and you win that round! Be careful not to get the stick up high and knock each other in the face. Use common sense. You can do this in 1-2 minute rounds or just keep going until someone gives up. Be creative and keep going until you’ve gotten a killer workout. Your forearms and legs will be screaming!

11. Strongman Training – This type of training is a little more hard-core, but it’s a blast for those who are into trying something different. The premise is based on the types of exercises competitors perform in the “worlds strongest man” competitions. If you have a yard, you can even set up some of these exercises in your yard and do some outdoor workouts to have a little fun. Your neighbors will probably give you some funny looks, but it’s fun, so who cares! You can get one of those giant tractor tires and do tire flips (which is basically a deadlift followed by a push-press). You can also try your hand at log lifts, boulder lifts and carries, keg lifts and tosses, weighted sled dragging…anything that involves pulling, pushing, lifting, or heaving any types of odd objects. You don’t need to be a monster to enjoy this type of training…just handle whatever size objects are challenging for your individual strength. Strongman training works your entire body in a very intense fashion and could easily spark some new results. If you’re interested in finding out more ideas for strongman training, check out my ‘fitness products’ page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.

12. Rope Climbing – This goes back to the old high school days of climbing the rope in gym class. Seriously, if you have access to a rope, either at a gym or somewhere outdoors, rope climbing builds a powerful and ripped upper body like no other exercise. A great way to incorporate rope climbing into intense workouts is to do a climb up, then lower yourself back down. Then while your upper body is recovering for the next climb, you can do a lower body exercise like squats or lunges, or go up and down stairs. Keep alternating the upper body rope climbs with the lower body exercises in between and you’ll get one hell of a full body workout.

13. Bag Boxing – You can use a heavy bag, a speed bag, or even one of those rebound bags to get a great workout. Among the three, the heavy bag is the best all around full body workout, while the speed bag will test your rhythm and timing and give you a great upper body workout. If available at your gym or if you have a bag at home, try mixing these in as a good warm-up or as an intense finish to your strength routine.

14. Rope Skipping – You can’t beat rope jumping as a great full body exercise. I like to use it as a warm-up for my weight training workouts. I prefer to use the really cheap “speed” ropes with a plastic rope instead of a fabric rope. Once you get good, you can jump rope much faster with the plastic ropes than the fabric ones, which will allow you to get a more intense workout. And don’t mess with the weighted handle ropes…they’ll just slow you down. Your goal is speed when rope skipping. Try mixing together two legged jumps, one-legged jumps, arm crossovers, double jumps (rope passes under feet twice for each jump) to keep things interesting and increase the intensity. Also, try alternating 15-20 second high intensity bursts where you jump as fast as you possibly can, followed by 15-20 second recovery intervals where you jump slowly to get ready for your next burst. Keep repeating until you’re whooped, which might happen pretty quick!

15. Jumping exercises – squat jumps, box jumps, lunge jumps, and broad jumps are some of the best ways to incorporate explosive jumping exercises into your routines. The explosive and powerful nature of jumping exercises works your leg muscles in an entirely different way than most normal slow grinding strength training moves. I’ve even seen a university study cited once that found squat jumps to elicit the greatest testosterone response of all exercises studied. That means more muscle and less fat on your entire body, not just your legs. Try super-setting jumping exercises with upper body exercises for some really intense workouts.

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed all of these ideas for ways to really shake up your workouts and make them fun again. I know some of them may seem a little “out there”, but open your mind to the possibilities and you’ll never be bored again…and your body will respond with new found results!