One of the main beneficial effects for the human body of practicing activities in the water is the improvement of muscle tone. The water carries a load and external resistance of low joint impact. Which, promotes the improvement of muscular activity by adapting to said external load.
As we have explained, this load does not imply a high effort, as a general rule, with which it becomes an achievable activity that mixes both cardiovascular aspects, due to the duration of the swimming session, and bone-muscular when performing tractions or thrusts of viscous medium itself.
At the respiratory level, it is optimal for problems such as asthma, bronchial or alveolar. Due to the pressure exerted on the intercostal muscles and the rib cage itself. In addition to the own respiratory rate to move in the water, which forces us to improve our oxygen consumption and create resistance to favor the inspiratory-expiratory process.
Finally, highlight the improvement on a psychological level. The aquatic environment tends to promote an environment of ‘movement guidance’, of calm. Therefore, it could be a great anti-depressive or anxiety state mechanism.
We care about the abdomen, let’s face it
To all those people who like to maintain their physical image and health. Surely, they care about the abdominal perimeter, the control and domination in the ‘Core’, or, those six-pack so aesthetic and lucid in front of the mirror.
Such people may find it monotonous to perform abdominal crunches or isometric planks. Well … There are other options, and one of them is to train said body segment in the aquatic environment.
Exercises to train the abdomen in the water
Let’s see in a simple and easy to understand way how to train the abdomen in the water. But beware, fellow athletes, as a general rule, the work will be more specific to the ‘ Core ‘ in these exercises. However, we cannot isolate it from the rest of the muscle groups as if it were a machine with analytical and guided movement.
1. The classic swimming styles:
In each and every one of them, to carry out the translation movement in the water. We need the generation of movement in which the abdomen will always be involved to a greater or lesser extent.
For example: In the movement of the lower extremities in ‘Carol’ or ‘Back. The scissors movement will have a direct impact on the work of the abdominal area. Let us remember that the body is a whole, and, as it possesses kinetic chains, a distal act entails a proximal variation and vice versa.
2. Curb Grip Exercises:
The manual grip itself provides greater ease when learning a technique in the water. Well, we do not all have the same swimming level, however, these exercises are a preliminary step to progress in it. As we have said before, any distal movement of the pedal ends will affect the movement-creating nucleus, the abdomen.
3. Inclusion of hypopressive training:
Any training exercise can be done in a more complex way, if we perform abdominal contractions and breaths. These exercises create an extra intensity in the activity itself by forcing the abdomen to remain contracted in certain stages. And, in this way, stimulate a much greater improvement.
4. Collective aquatic classes:
One of the main benefits of these activities is not only the physical improvement, but also the possibility of interacting harmoniously with fellow users of the pool. It is important to know that a training club is not only an infrastructure where you can improve physically, but also where you can interact with other people. Some group aquatic classes that can come in handy are: aqua gym, aqua running or aqua fitness, among others.
