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New water workout is tougher than running

Water aerobics is not just for retirees anymore. The Marine Corps is promoting low-impact pool running — dubbed “water cadence”— to help even the fittest Marines up their game.

With 32 instructors working at 15 swimming pools across the Corps, the service has embraced its new fitness regimen that practitioners attest will leave you sucking wind. Only one facility with a base pool, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, does not yet offer the program, which features workouts that last between 20 and 60 minutes and push participants to “total exertion.”

Yes, this type of exercise has been associated with “the little old ladies’ social hour,” acknowledged Kari Hemund, the aquatics specialist at Headquarters Marine Corps. But “we have taken that perception and revamped it.”

The workouts stress safety above all. Officials told Marine Corps Times they are troubled by a photo, published online recently by the official Marines Magazine, that shows a fully dressed Marine submerged and running with 30-pound ammo cans in each hand. That could be deadly, they said.

Sanctioned water cadence workouts require Marines to wear foam flotation belts, keeping their bodies submerged only up to their collarbone. Your nose and mouth must be above water at all times, officials said.

After a brief warm-up, Marines alternate between short bursts of high-intensity running in place and low-intensity “rest” periods that still require some movement. A related exercise, known as shallow-water running, requires that Marines be submerged only up to their waist or torso and allows them to push off the bottom of the pool with each step. It can incorporate weights.

Though easier on your joints and bones, either workout can be more strenuous than traditional road running, said Sherry Powell, the aquatics director at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

“During the downward motion of running on land, you have gravity helping out,” she said. “But you have resistance for every movement in the water, so you are actually doing more strength training overall.”

Additionally, the pool water creates pressure on a Marines’ chest, forcing his diaphragm to work harder. That increases lung capacity, which can help with endurance during traditional exercising.

Water cadence originated with the Army, which experimented with it in 2009 and 2010 as a way to rehabilitate soldiers wounded in combat. The research showed that aquatics cadence training helped return guys to the fight faster, Hemund said. Moreover, those who participated needed fewer painkillers and sleeping aids, she said.

The program is still new to most Marines — instructors received their initial training in September — but its popularity appears to be growing. Sgt. Michael Oliva, 28, a student in the Electronics Maintenance Technicians Course in Twentynine Palms, attended his first water cadence class Jan. 19.

“I wanted to see how much of a workout I could get versus going out on the road and PTing, and it definitely kicked my butt,” he said. “I think it is more beneficial than it is to run.”

Oliva can see how repeated water workouts could help to improve a Marine’s ability to control his breathing during exercise, which could have real benefits ahead of taking the Physical Fitness Test, he said. With PFT season underway, Powell said entire units are starting to come through for training.

Like Oliva, Staff Sgt. Noel Lopez, 25, is studying at the electronics maintenance technician schoolhouse. He said some Marines in his unit scoffed at the idea but ended up liking it once they got their feet wet, so to speak. Now, he’d like to see his unit doing the pool workout at least once a week.

One advantage, Lopez said, is that Marines can do water cadence at their own pace. Unit PT runs, by comparison, can be frustrating if the lead runner is too slow or too fast. Some Marines aren’t challenged enough, while others drop out because they can’t keep up.

Another big advantage: Aquatic cadence puts less stress on the muscles and joints, reduces risk for injury and facilitates recovery times. Oliva attended an aquatics cadence class two days after being cleared to run again following a foot injury. He called it a welcome break from pounding the pavement.

Any Marine interested in these workouts should inquire at the local pool, officials said. Much as a Marine would not lift weights without a spotter, they should not perform water cadence without an instructor and lifeguard, Powell said. Performing the exercise improperly can lead to injury or death.

Referencing the photograph of the Marine running underwater with ammo cans, Hemund addressed the risk of “shallow-water blackout,” which occurs when an individual hyperventilates before diving and then holds his breath while underwater. It can cause sudden loss of consciousness, which could lead to drowning even in just a few feet of water.

“It is not supported by the Marine Corps — prolonged underwater breath holding — and there’s just a great deal of risk,” Hemund said.

If done properly, officials said, aquatic cadence can safely yield benefits for people of nearly every skill level — even for non-swimmers.