A fitness trend from the 1980s is back in vogue: aqua cycling is a real fat burner and tones the whole body. Even top athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo cycle in the water. FITBOOK took a close look at the trend sport and found out what it can do.
Do you feel the same? When it comes to aqua fitness, the first thing that comes to mind is pensioners hopping through the water with colorful pool noodles. In fact, water workouts aren’t just for seniors. Aqua cycling is said to burn up to 800 calories per hour, train the whole body and also effectively fight unloved cellulite. And best of all: Apparently, the muscles don’t even hurt the next day. Cristiano Ronaldo also swears by it.
What is aqua cycling?
Aqua cycling, or aqua biking, is as easy as riding a bike. Basically, it’s nothing more than that – just in the water. You cycle on special ergometers that are not in the gym but in the swimming pool. The water reaches about waist high.
Under the guidance of a trained trainer, you not only kick vigorously, but also carry out various exercises that train your thighs as well as your torso and arms. In contrast to cycling in the dry, the entire body is used. Definitely sounds plausible. But what is the point of underwater cycling?
What does aqua cycling bring?
FITBOOK spoke to Dörte Cieslar from the Academy for Sport and Health. She explained to us the advantages of exercising in the water compared to a normal workout in the dry.
1. Gentle on joints and ligaments
In the water, the body is almost weightless and only has to carry about ten percent of its weight. «This protects tendons, ligaments, joints and the spine,» explains Cieslar. Aquafitness is therefore particularly suitable for older people and rehabilitation patients with back and joint problems.
2. The immune system is strengthened
«Since water is a very conductive element, the body gives off much more heat into the water than into the air,» says Dörte Cieslar to FITBOOK. «Your body has to compensate for that. The immune system is also strengthened by the temperature change.” In addition, the water pressure and resistance during aqua cycling puts more strain on the heart and circulation than on land and thus strengthens it in the long term.
Burn calories without sweating and sore muscles the next day – aqua cycling has some benefitsPhoto: dpa picture alliance
3. Boosts metabolism
The energy metabolism is challenged by the heat loss that the body has to compensate for – i.e. the part of the metabolism from which the body obtains its energy. And that also helps with weight loss.
4. High fat burning
Because the entire musculature works when cycling in water, more calories are burned than when training on land: Up to 800 calories per hour. Of course, this is also noticeable in terms of fat burning (supposedly three times higher than with the same physical exertion on land)!
5. Muscles are relaxed and strengthened
Cieslar on FITBOOK: «Because the muscle tension is lower under water, the muscles relax, which relieves painful tension – for example in the back area. Because the body has to constantly work against the water resistance during training, the muscles are additionally strengthened.”
Also interesting: Lagree – This brings the fitness trend from Los Angeles
6. The tissue becomes tighter
Because cellulite is due, among other things, to weak connective tissue and which is strengthened by any kind of movement, aqua cycling is of course also a way of fighting it. «I can’t say whether sport in the water does that more than other types of exercise,» says Cieslar. The fact is: the movement against the water has a massaging effect, which stimulates blood circulation and tightens the tissue.
7. And best of all: no sore muscles!
According to Cieslar, the likelihood of getting sore muscles is very low. Why is that? «The muscles are not overloaded in the water because different muscle groups are used alternately.»
Also interesting: How dangerous is sore muscles?
But there is one difference to cycling: aqua cycling should only be done with a qualified trainer who pays attention to the resilience of each individual during exercises and the level of difficulty.
By the way: Some health insurance companies offer aqua cycling as a preventive measure. Have fun diving in!