OK, last post for now.
What's this "deep water workout", and should I really be afraid of all those older, larger people? ;-)
Deep water workout (DWW) is a form of jazzercise that's done to "disco-ified" music from the 60's, as far as I can tell. The draw of DWW is a combination of "zero impact" plus the buoyancy of water. DWW is a godsend for older folks, larger folks, and anyone who risks injury doing normal fitness activities like jazzercise or running. DWW is especially excellent for late-term pregnant ladies. Most classes are about 45 minutes long, with warmup, intense activity, and cooldown with stretch. The classes I'm in are populated by some really nice folks. At 50, I am among the youngest.
So why am I, a 50 year old male technical diver, doing DWW? Simply put - flexibility. My build is not a flexible one, and I have never been very flexible. Even the usual stretching stuff doesn't really do much for me. However, DWW does work. With water supporting you, you can really stretch to do the motions without fear of falling down or pulling something. Many of the DWW exercises mimic the motions we make as divers (various leg flexes, arm reaches, etc.). Thanks to the resistance of water, you can work as hard (or not) as you want to.
So - to sum it all up, I would recommend swimming lengths 1-3 times a week (whatever you can manage in your schedule). If your goal is fitness AND weight loss, you also need to adjust your diet to something healthy. Finally, I recommend trying out a DWW class if one is available - both to help flexibility, but also just to vary the workout.
Cheers and best wishes,
-R
What's this "deep water workout", and should I really be afraid of all those older, larger people? ;-)
Deep water workout (DWW) is a form of jazzercise that's done to "disco-ified" music from the 60's, as far as I can tell. The draw of DWW is a combination of "zero impact" plus the buoyancy of water. DWW is a godsend for older folks, larger folks, and anyone who risks injury doing normal fitness activities like jazzercise or running. DWW is especially excellent for late-term pregnant ladies. Most classes are about 45 minutes long, with warmup, intense activity, and cooldown with stretch. The classes I'm in are populated by some really nice folks. At 50, I am among the youngest.
So why am I, a 50 year old male technical diver, doing DWW? Simply put - flexibility. My build is not a flexible one, and I have never been very flexible. Even the usual stretching stuff doesn't really do much for me. However, DWW does work. With water supporting you, you can really stretch to do the motions without fear of falling down or pulling something. Many of the DWW exercises mimic the motions we make as divers (various leg flexes, arm reaches, etc.). Thanks to the resistance of water, you can work as hard (or not) as you want to.
So - to sum it all up, I would recommend swimming lengths 1-3 times a week (whatever you can manage in your schedule). If your goal is fitness AND weight loss, you also need to adjust your diet to something healthy. Finally, I recommend trying out a DWW class if one is available - both to help flexibility, but also just to vary the workout.
Cheers and best wishes,
-R
!!!
