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What is Water Jogging?

Jacob Queen
Jacob Queen

Water jogging is a workout method where people get into the water and mimic the motion of jogging. This workout routine relies on the resistance of moving inside water to build muscles and increase endurance. Many people also believe that water jogging is a good way to stimulate weight loss because it is considered very effective at burning food energy. One of the more well-known benefits of water jogging is that it doesn’t generally put a lot of strain on the joints, and this can potentially make it good for people recovering from injuries.

When people attempt this workout method, it is usually important to be floating in the water at a depth that doesn’t allow the feet to touch. The tenseness of the body while doing these exercises can make it difficult to remain floating, so most people use some kind of buoyancy tool. The main devices are belts that keep people floating at an exact depth so that they are submerged to shoulder level. People also often wear special shoes that increase the resistance of the water, although this is sometimes something that people add after the workout gets too easy and they need to increase the challenge.

Water jogging puts little strain on the joints and can be beneficial for injury recovery.
Water jogging puts little strain on the joints and can be beneficial for injury recovery.

Water jogging can potentially be useful for almost anybody, but many of the people who try this exercise method are attempting to recover from injuries. It is considered particularly good in this situation for a lot of reasons. For one thing, when people are floating in water, they are generally weightless. Being removed from the effects of gravity can allow for movements that don’t put as much strain on the body, especially in the joints.

Overweight people may benefit from water jogging.
Overweight people may benefit from water jogging.

The water has other potential benefits as well. For example, some movements have increased resistance underwater, including any movements of the arms. When running on the ground, there is no significant resistance against the arms, but water jogging can potentially allow a person to build muscle in that area. Sometimes overweight people can benefit from water jogging for the opposite reason. For them, running may be too difficult because they have to carry around their weight on land, but underwater, they are weightless.

Sometimes water jogging can be very difficult for people who are just starting out. Some people also claim that they find the exercise doesn’t hold their attention very well. To deal with the issue of boredom, some people may find ways to alter the workout by mixing in different levels of intensity. This can potentially decrease the sense of repetitiveness.

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    • Water jogging puts little strain on the joints and can be beneficial for injury recovery.
      By: Monkey Business
      Water jogging puts little strain on the joints and can be beneficial for injury recovery.
    • Overweight people may benefit from water jogging.
      By: Ljupco Smokovski
      Overweight people may benefit from water jogging.