Water provides valuable benefits, especially when nursing an injury. Exercising in water helps to give the muscles a good workout and prevents risk of future injuries. Running with water or deep water running is beneficial to athletes. It serves as a type of cross training exercise and also helps in the healing of injuries. An athlete who is injured can benefit from water running as it helps him recover and not lose any of his fitness. One can also improve the running form with water running. The risk of injury caused by the stress of uneven and hard surfaces is eliminated here. One of the water running devices available is a type of belt which is strapped around the waist. This serves as a flotation device that helps keep the body afloat while the individual performs running movements. This prevents any kind of stress to the body.
Once an individual is submerged in the water, he will experience resistance all around the body. This resistance makes all opposing muscles perform equally. Moving the arms and legs against the water gives the body an excellent cardiovascular workout. Working against the water’s resistance also provides strength training to the body. There are also some devices which could be used to make the workout more intense. These include dumbbells, gloves or socks which force the body to put in more effort. Water running increases an individual’s resistance of movement, but it also reduces the stress on the joints. The individual’s range of motion is also enhanced. Since water running does not involve any kind of impact, injured individuals can improve their strength and fitness levels, while allowing the injuries to heal. Athletes mostly use water running when they are down with an injury. It helps them to practice their technique by increasing resistance, without the risk of further injury.
There are some tips to be kept in mind during water running. When in water, it is important to stick to one’s usually running style. One should also not paddle, but rather maintain loosely closed fists, while allowing the legs to move the body forward. Attempt to allow the bottoms of the feet to kick against the water behind your body. Strides should be short and quick. Remember that when running in water, the heart rate tends to remain approximately 10 percent lower than what it tends to be on land. You may take some time getting used to water running but being focused and constant training, one should be able to master it rather quickly.