When it comes to athletic recovery, there isn’t much that can beat the forgiving nature of water. Buoyant yet resistant and almost gravity-free, water has the power to be both kind and heart-rate-raising at the same time.

Why Water Helps Recovery

Water provides a good deal of resistance for your aquatic workout, and it has a tendency to slow your movements down. It’s a lot harder in the pools to accidentally move too quickly and strain a joint. It’s impossible to drop a weight, or land too hard on your feet. This makes water workouts ideal for those looking to keep up their fitness, even while they recover from minor injury or strain.

Skip the Laps

But what if you can’t swim, or can’t swim well? Or what if you just don’t want to swim laps? It may be time to try…water aerobics!

We know, we know. Isn’t this the unofficial sport of the, er, elderly? Well, maybe. But don’t let that turn you away – we think they are on to something. It turns out aqua jogging, water aerobics, and shallow water workouts are not only easy on the joints – they get your blood pumping.

Water aerobic classes also tend to be creative. Have you ever tried to race on a pool noodle? It’s not as simple as it looks! Or what about balancing one-footed?

These different (and even kooky) workouts are harder than you might think, engage multiple muscle groups, and are more than a little fun to try out!

Non-Swimmers Welcome?

It may be surprising, but even in deep water classes, you don’t need to be able to swim well to join an aquatic workout.

Convenient waist floats hold you above water while you toe-touch, “bicycle” and flutter-kick your way across the pool.

So what are you waiting for? We think water workouts are a fun, unique way to recover from a hard day in the gym, or just a great way to add some fitness into your week. Most classes are open to all levels of skill, age, and swimming ability. We will see you in the pool!

Ready to swim or aqua-jog at MIT? Check out some of our group exercise and instructional classes in the pools:

Aqua Jogging
Shallow Water H2O
Beginning Swim