Water aerobics is not just for retirees and injured anymore, the Marine Crops is promoting low-impact pool running – rebranded as “water cadence” – to help even the fittest Marines up their game.
(Couldn’t find a Marine Corps water cadence video, so here’s some aqua jogging)
Sanctioned water cadence workouts require Marines to wear foam flotation belts, keeping their bodies submerged only up to their collarbone. Your nose and mouth must be above water at all times, officials said.
After a brief warm-up, Marines alternate between short bursts of high-intensity running in place and low-intensity “rest” periods that still require some movement. A related exercise, known as shallow-water running, requires that Marines be submerged only up to their waist or torso and allows them to push off the bottom of the pool with each step. It can incorporate weights.
Though easier on your joints and bones, either workout can be more strenuous than traditional road running, said Sherry Powell, the aquatics director at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.
“During the downward motion of running on land, you have gravity helping out,” she said. “But you have resistance for every movement in the water, so you are actually doing more strength training overall.”
Additionally, the pool water creates pressure on a Marines’ chest, forcing his diaphragm to work harder. That increases lung capacity, which can help with endurance during traditional exercising.
Read more here on Marine Corps Times
