A swim spa is an alternative to a backyard pool, and provides a convenient, comfortable space for water fitness. Sometimes called a swim-in-place pool, a swim spa generates a continuous water current you swim against. You can also walk, jog, and perform other exercises against the current. Exercising underwater protects your joints from the impact of traditional exercises, and the extra resistance offered by the water intensifies the moves. Warm water also heals, soothes, and relaxes. Let’s learn more about how to get the most out of your swim spa. 

How to Exercise in a Swim Spa

Hydrotherapy and aquacise offer opportunities for fitness and fun for all ages and abilities, including those with limited mobility or who suffer from chronic pain. Because of water’s physical properties, resistance, pressure and temperature, it’s a fantastic exercise medium. With the buoyancy of the water counteracting the pull of gravity, weight is taken off your muscles and joints allowing for freer movement. The intensity of the cardiovascular aspect of the workout, while enhanced by the warm water remains much the same as it is outside of water.

Swim spas are compact and can be installed indoors or outdoors, making them a convenient option for year-round exercise from the convenience of your home. By generating their own current, swim spas offer a ton of exercise opportunities. The swim-in-place experience is no doubt the most obvious, but a number of other workouts, from aqua aerobics to resistance training can also be enjoyed. The speed of the current is adjustable, allowing you to choose the intensity of your workout, and you can also adjust the water temperature, if you prefer cool water for swimming or warm water for exercise and therapy. 

With a huge selection of additional fitness extras, an Endless Pools swim spa grants you access to an even greater variety of exercises including: walking, jogging, running, cycling and rowing, to name a few. Other accessories like the underwater mirror and pace display, are designed to improve swimming fitness and form by offering instant and insightful feedback. Here’s an idea of some of the things you can do with your swim spa:

• Swimming: enjoy a deep, wide and turbulence-free current that can be set to your preferred speed, from slow and gentle to almost Olympic. Add a swim tether for increased resistance, use the underwater mirror to check your swimming form, and the pace display to keep an eye on your performance.
• Aqua aerobics: with the gentle current and warm water, you can enjoy a no-impact workout using your bodyweight and the water’s resistance, or add weighted resistance. 
• Walking, running and jogging: in addition to the resistance of the water, using an underwater treadmill allows you to walk, jog and run in comfort with added resistance.
• Cycling: with an aquabike, you have an entirely unique form of aquatic fitness. The water offers gentle resistance, which can be dialed up by increasing the rate of the current.
• Rowing: the water rower attaches to either side of your pool, and offers an upper-body workout that can be made as intense or gentle as you’d like.
• Resistance training: similarly to the gym, using a range of resistance bands offer freestyle training, allowing you to work whichever group of muscles you’d like.

Coming up with a swim spa exercise regime is a little different than working out in the gym, but you can follow a similar structure. 

Swim Spa Exercises

A swim spa offers the benefits of both a swimming pool and a hot tub, providing a great environment for various types of exercises and of course rest and relaxation. While everyone’s goals and routines will be different, here are some ideas to help you get started with an exercise routine using your swim spa. 

• Prepare: start by immersing yourself and doing a gentle warm up of stretching or walking. 
• Adjust the current: so that it’s strong enough for you to swim against or provides the right resistance during your workout.
• Strength exercises: resistance bands are an effective way to tone your muscles for a full-body workout. Attach the bands to rowing bars, or push against the bands combined with the current.
• Add weight: free weights provide a more challenging workout. You can strap on ankle weights or use buoyancy cuffs to vary your workout, adding resistance without weight.
• Walk and run: walk against the current, then walk with it, which is like walking uphill and then downhill. Pushing against the current, then resisting in the other direction, gives you a two-dimensional leg and core workout.
• Use exercise equipment: use a kickboard, rubber-coated dumbbells or kettlebells to vary your workout to strengthen your whole body.
• Recover: the warm water of your swim spa will naturally relax your muscles. Once you’re relaxed, take a few minutes to wind down and stretch. 

There are countless specific exercises that you can do in your swim spa with just your bodyweight or additional equipment. Remember to warm up and cool down afterward, start slowly, listen to your body, and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your swim spa exercises, and enjoy the benefits of exercising in the water.

Whether you’re looking to manage pain, rehabilitate from an injury, or increase your fitness, a swim spa is a perfect way to do it. Give us a call at 970-879-4390 or drop us a note to learn more.