Make the Pool Your Gym: No-Impact Water Workouts for Getting Fit, Building Strength and Rehabbing from Injury

by Karl Knopf

Step into the non-impact, total-body benefits of water exercise with workouts for general fitness, sports conditioning, cross-training, and more.Once used primarily for rehabilitation, water exercise has been proven to build strength, improve cardiovascular fitness and burn calories—all without the strain and trauma of land-based activities. This flexible training tool can help muscular strengthIncrease flexibilityEnhance cardiovascular fitnessAlleviate painRehabilitate injuriesWith step-by-step instructions and clear photos, Make the Pool Your Gym shows how to create the effective and efficient workout best suited to your needs. Whether you’re a non-swimmer, an elite athlete or someone with a chronic condition, you can make a splash in your fitness level without even getting your hair wet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Reference

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2012

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great reference material for aqua fitness instructors! I cannot wait to incorporate these exercises into my classes for my students.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y love it, information about pool exercise to improve your movements when you suffer arthritis is great, I only would like to have more illustrations that are very helpful to understand the instruction. I enjoy it and gave a lot of answers to my questions.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very small amount of content. Easily found online. I wish it was spiral bound and water proof for the side of the pool. That would be the value of the book.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice summary of the exercises I do in aquafit class, laid out in a way to allow me to make my own workouts tailored to my needs.

[Cindy McVay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

I teach a circuit water class and use many of these exercises in my classes at a slightly more elevated level. Thank you for the fresh ideas, as well.

[Lynn Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonfiction

[Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for beginners. Straight forward, no fuss, includes lots of exercises showing movements above and below water, and which exercises compliment which muscle groupings.

[Shala Kerrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have some pretty serious back and knee issues, and without regular exercise, they can get worse. Water aerobics is perfect for people who have mobility issues and it's a regular part of my week. It's also something that you can do even if you can't swim.

Make the Pool Your Gym: No-Impact Water Workouts for Getting Fit, Building Strength and Rehabbing from Injury by Dr. Karl Knopf is a photographed manual on how to start water workouts for absolute beginners who might not have a class available to attend.

If you've never done water aerobics, some moves are done using flotation devices like pool noodles, and some are done using something for resistance like paddles, webbed gloves or foam dumbbells. It's something that can be done at almost any fitness level.

It starts with a short introduction to water fitness, and explains the benefits and a bit of the physics. There is a strong emphasis in the book on safety.

Getting into actual workouts, there are sample workouts and suggested exercises for various issues. Each of the exercises listed has the page number to see how the exercise is done. The exercise photographs are clear, shot underwater and easy to see the movement and correct posture.

If you have arthritis or other issues, and feel like you can't exercise as much as you'd like to, I do recommend trying water aerobics, and if you don't have a convenient class to take,this book is an excellent start.
[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste. My reviews are always my honest opinion]

[Gerald Kinro · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this short, well-illustrated guide, Knopf discusses the benefits of water exercises—low impact, lower heart rate, the cooling effect, resistance, and therapeutic benefits. He describes various exercises and programs that use very little equipment.

This is a simple and informative guide useful to both swimmers and non-swimmers.

[Linda Brighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish section 3 was section 2

This is a good book. I've been doing aqua exercises for a while, yet I picked up some ideas here. If the pictures of exercises were the 2nd section, then the good Cross Fit-like exercises would make more sense.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. I learned a few things, but the book could be better (for example, it could include a water proof diagram to have at the side of the pool.