I think you are better off swimming if you are in the pool, unless you are already at the front of the pack. You need to be really focussed to get in a good workout Aqua jogging. I did it years ago before triathlon while training for a marathon. If you can get in a class with a Really Good instructor than maybe but otherwise...

The reason I (and probably most people) "aqua jog" is because I'm injured and conventional running is not an option yet.

I do both deep water and shallow water running along with using the elliptical machine right now. Just to cover all my bases
I also do more bike climbing while standing which to me seems to mimic running somewhat.

I'll try and do actual running next Tuesday, by then It will have been about 5 months since I tore my hamstring so I'll see how it
turns out.

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Find out what it is in life that you don't do well, then don't
do that thing.

If done right, it can be one hell of a workout. Not that regular running isn't better for your running performance. But It's a good thing to do if you feel that more regular running is going to aggravate an injury or something.

By "done right" I mean

• Do it in a pool where you feet never touch the bottom
• Ditch the vest
• After maybe 20 minutes of easy water jogging, do about 20 minutes in which you do a series of 1-length or 2-length "sprints". In those "sprints", don't try to go fast so much as to push like hell against the water while moving. You'll naturally speed up a bit but resist the urge to start leaning forward and moving faster. Your goal is fight the water as much as possible while still moving normally, upright.
• Then go back to normal running.

I was going to respond that aqua jogging is not worth the effort but I reconsidered after reading JoeO's workout.

See Joan Benoit Samuelson & the 1984 Olympic Marathon...

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#swimmingmatters
Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.
The Doctor (#12)

Depends on how bad the injury is, I consider deep water running as "better than nothing at all" last resort.

If at all possible I'd greatly prefer shallow waist/chest level running on the bottom with shoes on. I have trouble running more than 35mpw without getting injured, so lately I've been doing my 35mi on the road, and 1-3 shallow pool runs per week to add soft mileage. Will see how it goes.

Insanely boring but water ipod helps!

Good stuff here.

It seems using a higher intensity (eg, intervals) during deep water running helps for on-land training.

But, intensity used needs to avoid pain from any injury you may have.

Buy a cheap polar heart rate monitor and do intervals. Make sure that you get your heart rate UP.
Can take a bit of practice to really elevate your heart rate - but it can be done.
Known people who have had much success with this - even for Marathon training - but then long "runs" may require buddies - the boredom factor!

I agree. You don't want to aggravate anything.

Incidentally, the boredom factor can be reduced dramatically if you do this with someone else. In particular, if you have any friends who are injured, convince them it's in their best interest to join you. Best of all, when you have another person there, you'll find yourself working harder on the hard parts and getting a better workout. Still have to resist the urge to race but just seeing someone else suffer along with you is a weird sort of motivator.

Aqua jogging is legit. I suspect it works better for very light runners or those who have already put tons of miles in their legs, as the thing that water running totally misses out on is the weight-loading on the tendons and muscles, which is usually the big limiter for triathletes once they get back to regular running.

If I were a triathlete, I'd favor improving swimming/cycling if run-injured, and only use pool swimming to occasionally remind the hip flexors in the legs that they are still needed, but I def wouldn't equal outdoor run time with pool run time otherwise. That's the nice thing about being a triathlete - if you get injured running, there are two nonimpact sports to fall back on, both of which will yield direct race gains if you improve on them.

We run a deep water aqua jogging program at the pool I work at. Very good feedback and results.

I swear by aqua jogging and it has given me great results in the past. When I was training for XC in the summer I would finish my runs with 20 mins of aqua jogging. But I wouldn't mimic the running motion. It was more like a leg/arm swing. To clarify, imagine your legs and arms are a pendulum and the pivot point is the shoulder and hip. It helped my arm carriage and my hips felt so much stronger and smoother while running. To me it's not the same hip work as with biking. I'll be doing it again this summer as I've become injury prone and cursed with pf.

I've been doing water running and using the elliptical over the past 2 1/2 weeks, as I'm battling some Achilles issues. I've been getting in around 2 1/2 hrs of elliptical use and water running over these weeks. I'm planning on giving running a shot early next week. I'm hoping my fitness hasn't degraded that much!

I've used water running the past, and feel it helped to not loose much run fitness. I think that run fitness (and muscle use) will be lost a bit by not actually running, but doing water running and getting the HR up can help to negate loss of fitness.

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I have had great results with aqua jogging (using the belt) while recovering from various injuries. Go for time and intensity in your workouts. I would not bother with a HRM due to the cooling effect. Just go with perceived effort. I matched a 5k PR 2 weeks after nothing but aqua jogging for 6 weeks.

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Dean Wilson
http://www.anaerobiczone.com
Bicycle Protection Indoors & Out

For me, aqua jogging was worth the time. Background:

3yrs ago, the summer after my freshman year of HS xc, I got a stress fracture in my talus bone. Into the pool I went. Very frustrating at first. Ended up figuring it out and spent probably 5hrs/week in the pool for the better part of 4 months, doing a LOT of ballbuster intervals. Intervals that make it difficult to get out of the pool! Prior to that summer, my 5K pr was 19:29 on the track in a workout, and within 2 months of running on land I ran 18:30 on a tough xc course.

2yrs ago, summer after my sophomore year of HS xc, I got a chronic stress reaction in my tibia (off of very low miles?? WTF?), and back in the pool I went! 5K PR going into the water was still the 18:30 from the year prior. Same deal, lots of hard pool running, and this time I could bike a lot too. With less than 10 miles of total running on my legs, I ran an 11:10 2 mile in our opening time trial on the xc course in tryouts. Ran a 17:45 that year, reaction didn't fully heal over the summer and did eventually become a fracture (in the race after the 17:45).

The keys for me, which don't line up with what some others here have said, was getting enough flotation out of the belt to where I could run with my normal form and engage the right muscle groups. I had to use 2 belts for that to happen. Some sample workouts (all have a 10 minute warmup and 10 minute cooldown):

-40 minutes of sprint down and easy back
-2x(4/3/2/1 minute hard, with equal recoveries)
-1hr of 3 laps hard, 1 lap easy

These were some staple workouts for me. Make sure your form stays good - it should mirror your form on land!

Disclaimer: I didn't know how to swim at the time. I do now. I'm not sure if I would choose aqua jogging over swimming now, especially being a triathlete. I also tend to run pretty well off of very low mileage (10-20mpw), so I would likely spend the time swimming anyways. If you don't think you're getting the right benefit (ie form is different, HR is way too low) I would scrap aqua jogging and swim more.

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"Don't you have to go be stupid somewhere else?"..."Not until 4!"

I am recovery from a broken fibula, and want to do some Aqua jogging during my downtime.

What combination of gear do people use:
Belt?
Shoes?
Hand weights?
HR monitor?
Waterproof MP3?

Thanks

A belt is a great start!

We make a belt that is awesome for Aqua Jogging. It felts snug and comfortably, and the buoyancy is just right.

The Aqua X Belt



Jake

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Get outside!

Unless you're injured and can't run, I think your time would be better spent SBRing.

http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2016/05/how-constraints-make-you-better-coach.html


Example of a sub-1:50 collegiate 800m runner.

I'm been water running as part of my rehab from a torn ligament in my ankle.

As per my physio's instructions I use a water running belt. I would check if your local pool has ones you can use before going out and buying one - the five local pools I've run at all have belts. They're not always in the best shape, but they have them.

I don't wear shoes as I'm in deep water and don't touch the bottom, and I don't use hand weights as my focus is on getting my legs back in shape. I do enough swimming that my arms and shoulders are taken care of.

I have borrowed a waterproof MP3 player but haven't used it yet as I have a friend who is also injured and I do my longer runs with her.

I found some good videos online and got tips of what I need to work on from my physio so really try to focus on my form. I also do rehab on a water treadmill with a kinesiologist, that is totally worthwhile.

Would certainly prefer to do normal running, but I broke my fibula and just had surgery. Aqua jogging seems like one, albeit very tedious, way to maintain some of my run fitness.

I messed up my foot about three weeks out from my first 70.3 - rolled it pretty badly on a training run (my wedding morning, but that's another story!). Nothing broken but sprained metatarsils, and the doc said no running for two weeks....right during the peak. I went to the local pool, grabbed a float belt and did my long runs in the water. Talk about mind numbing boredom- try 2.5 hours water running with no music, and nothing to look at but the walls of the pool and the bemused swimmers. All the same, I think the workout was worth it. When I finally got back to running in the final week before the tri, I felt stronger, ran faster, and had allowed my foot to mostly heal. PR'ed the run in the 70.3. Whether it was from the pool running or the enforced rest, I dunno, but I definitely felt like I was getting a good workout. YMMV

I did it the final month leading up to a HIM after a slight groin pull from a wreck on my bike. Running on hard surface would aggravate it more than the aqua jogging. I did lots of intervals with the aqua jogging. If you just do steady state stuff you'll go insane

I think aqua jogging is great