Deep Water Training provides a unique and open environment free from gravity and impact. It is the one place on earth that you may push and pull against powerful resistance or propel up with buoyant assistance with negligible stress or wear and tear on the joints. Even the astronauts train in deep water to experience what it is like to move without gravity pulling you down.
Why Use a Belt
Wearing a buoyancy belt in the water is recommended to assist with best exercise performance.
A belt can provide a balance between work and rest without constantly using the legs to keep the head above the water. A belt allows for separate use of the arms or the legs for specific muscle targeting or increase in intensity. If a participant is constantly fighting buoyancy it is impossible to maintain good alignment throughout the program.
Very few people have the same body composition. Any two people may be built with the same height and weight, but it is unlikely that their muscle to fat ratio is identical. Muscles move, fat floats. As the water becomes deeper, the buoyancy effect will increase. Therefore, some participants may be “floating” more than others and will have more surface area to drag through the water. To achieve a good workout each person needs to be educated to work through his or her own comfortable range of motion and speed. Everyone will work at a different speed. A participant with longer levers will move slower than someone with shorter arms and legs. Additionally, someone who is skilled will probably move faster than someone who is less coordinated or familiar with the exercise.
Choosing A Belt
Body composition plays a big part in finding the correct amount of buoyancy required for that particular body type. It is important for each person to find a belt that provides the correct amount of support; one that keeps the head above water easily, the shoulders submerged, and does not tilt the body forward. A belt should help place the body in ideal posture and body position. Choose a belt that works for you! It needs to be mentioned that a belt should feel “uncomfortably tight” (snug) when put on before entering the water. Once in the water the hydrostatic pressure or the bandage effect of the water takes over and a “traction effect” pulls the body into a slimmer line. If a belt is not fit properly on land – it will ride up in the water and will not be effective for posture and abdominal training. By utilizing a buoyancy belt, your arms and legs are unrestricted and you may engage and target specific muscle groups to tone your body. By maintaining good posture and body movement everyone is able to naturally engage the abdominal muscles (to maintain vertical or any other body postures). The belt allows the participant to move in all directions and balance a cardiovascular (aerobic) workout with muscular endurance and flexibility sets. A properly fitted belt is worth investing in. It can make a huge difference in training results – especially posture.
