Jumping In: My Afternoon In Water Aerobics

Water aerobics gets a bad rap. If it were a category on “Family Feud”, a survey of 100 people would probably tell you it’s for middle-aged women in gaudy glittering swimsuits, the elderly, those recovering from sports injuries or people who can’t do dry-land workouts. While water aerobics does fulfill a lot of those needs, it is also a great alternative to a traditional workout, especially in these warm summer months.

I’d tried out water aerobics before but it had been a few years. I was called back to the pool by a good friend of mine who insisted we try something different. This time, it was the deep stuff: AquaCardio in the diving well of one of the university pools.

We arrived early and exchanged nervous greetings with some other first time students while we waited for the instructor to arrive. She rolled in with 5 minutes to spare and looked like a woman on a mission. She wheeled in giant carts of buoyancy belts, Styrofoam weights and aqua noodles. At the same time, three middle aged women came out of the locker room. Fears of a future filled with floral-print, skirted swimsuits entered my thoughts. What had we gotten ourselves into?

We put on our belts, grabbed the noodles and a pair of weights and jumped into the pool. I sat on the edge of the deck before launching myself into the water. My belt kept me from going under and it was nice to be in the deep end without having to work so hard. I thought, “This is going to be a breeze. A little kicking, maybe some floating on my back and we’ll call it a day.” I really should’ve known better.

Our instructor, Leah, turned on the boombox and played some dance-mix style pop music. She showed us the four or five basic moves on land before getting in the water. When you’re in 12 and a half feet of water, there’s only so much you can do. We learned the jog, the wide jog, the jumping jack, the cross country ski and the flutter kick. Our hour of cardio was based on these five simple motions.

Actually, I shouldn’t say that; they’re simple when you’re on land and telling your roommates about them in the kitchen. When you’re in the pool and feel like you’re running through sand, it’s kind of a different story.

The format of the class was straightforward. The class doesn’t move to the music, or with each other. Leah would call out what we were doing and we did it at our own pace until she told us to change moves, directions, or intensity.

The beginning of the class went well. “Cross country ski to the left,” Leah yelled over the music. I kept my fingers together and bounced around in the water like a maniac. Water aerobics, especially the deep stuff, is great for your abs since you spend the better part of an hour trying to keep your core upright. You can feel it almost right away, but since it’s low impact, nothing is too sore afterwards. I was flying through the motions, still pretty proud of myself and then…

“Ready to begin the workout,” Leah barked. Whaaaaa? I was already getting tired. For a moment, I could’ve sworn I was sweating in the water and the workout hadn’t even started yet. I gritted my teeth and decided to woman up. How bad could it be?

45 minutes later I had my hands extended over my head in a V-shape. My legs were kicking feverishly. “Chins dry everyone!” Oh God. Do you know how hard it is to keep your head above water when your arms are outstretched? I had a new respect for lifeguards, capsizing survivors and people who’ve made it out of quicksand.

The deep water class was no joke. I’m doing a triathlon in just under two weeks and I think this class was harder than most of my workouts. It’s a different skill-set and a set of muscles you don’t think about everyday. But unlike my Tri workouts, I felt refreshed afterwards. No soreness, not too tried and pretty invigorated. I could’ve taken on the world…or at least a big sandwich.

So maybe those middle aged women with their ugly swimsuits and foam noodles are onto something. I don’t know if I’ll make the trip twice a week but I can definitely see adding deep-water aerobics to my exercise arsenal. If your college or health club has a pool, chances are they offer it as well.

Have any of you tried out water aerobics? What are some other classes I should look into? I’ve heard good things about Zumba, but is it just hype?

Photo: UW-Madison Division of Rec Sports