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The resistance band is a great workout tool and when used correctly, this elastic band can strengthen weaker muscles to correct muscular imbalances, enhance range of motion and improve your strength. Resistance Bands are adaptable and applicable for many exercises and various types of workouts, making them a staple for physio and exercise enthusiasts, alike. However, what you’re probably unaware of is how effective resistance bands are in the water.
Aquatic resistance bands offer many of the same benefits, but have the added advantage of being able to take your workout to the pool, a high resistance but weightless environment. The benefits of resistance bands are amplified when combined with the natural resistance and buoyancy of water, making aquatic workouts even more dynamic and both efficient and safe for those seeking a non weight bearing strength solution. However, not all resistance bands are suitable in water. A specially made resistance band called a Hydrorider RiderBand is recommended for both durability and function in water.
Water resistance bands are like traditional resistance bands, adding additional load to different exercises. The difference is, instead of being used on land, they're designed for use in the pool.
While aquatic exercises use water resistance to improve muscle tone and endurance, aquatic resistance bands take things up a notch. When you pull or push the band, the elasticity and tension increases, making it more difficult. This, in turn, causes the muscle to contract harder, leading to more muscular growth and strength. Aquatic resistance bands combine water resistance with additional load to the limbs.
In addition to its strength benefits, the water's buoyancy also works to support your body, decreasing the load on your joints and spine. When a person is submerged in water, their weight decreases, with the extent depending on how deep they are. Submerged in water you are in a position to perform strength training in a safe way. Aqua resistance bands can often enable a safe and a quicker return to strength exercise after and injury or illness or for those with mobility challenges.
We recommend the Hydrorider Riderband for anyone looking to maximise their water workouts or strength train in a safe way. Made specifically for use in the pool, the RiderBand enables a variety of exercises with 10 different hole options for different limb lengths and variety of use. The Hydrorider resistance band is also durable, designed to withstand long-term use in chlorinated water, quick to dry and rolls up to the size of your hand so it can travel with you.
Physical therapists have incorporated resistance bands into training programs for decades. They help to strengthen and rehabilitate injured or weak muscles, improve coordination, flexibility, balance, all while decreasing the risk of injury. Water resistance bands are ideal for anyone with musculoskeletal problems, orthopaedic issues, or recovering from an injury or post surgery. Water resistance bands go beyond the realms of traditional physical therapy and help physios and exercise physiologists take their programs to another level by offering a safe non weight bearing alternative with one band now able to provide a wide variety of different water exercise options.
The advantages of resistance bands in the water are numerous, which we'll cover in more detail below:
Water workouts, whether it'd be swimming or aqua cycling rely on the water's resistance to build strength and endurance. Hydrorider Riderbands aim to up your water workout’s intensity by adding even more load to the muscles. This further stimulates your muscles and range of motion, forces you to adapt, become stronger, ore flexible and more resilient to injury.
If your strength and endurance levels have plateaued, adding water resistance bands can help you to break through this barrier.
Water resistance bands work like this: the more you stretch the band, the more resistance it provides. So, if you try stretching beyond your limit, you simply won't be able to stretch it any further (unless it snaps). This is great as the band matches your strength, fitness and flexibility level, meaning you're at little risk to over exert yourself.
Now you compare this to weight training. While you should always use a weight you can handle, often inexperience or ego causes an overestimation of strength. This can lead to overloading one’s muscles to the point of injury i.e a strained or torn muscle. Water resistance bands provide a safe and stable way to strengthen your muscles without the injury risks associated with weight training.
Hydrorider bands act as a preventive and corrective device for those trying to rehabilitate from or prevent an injury. Hydrorider bands can address muscle imbalances via targeted strengthening exercises. When a supportive muscle is underdeveloped, it causes their stronger counterparts to carry most of the load. This can alter a person's movement patterns, over time, putting additional strain on their joints when on land that can lead to injuries.
However, when these weaker supportive muscles are developed i.e the muscles in your rotator cuffs , they help to take some of the load off the stronger muscles. This helps to distribute stress evenly throughout your musculoskeletal system, reducing joint damage or injury.
When a muscle is stiff and lacks flexibility, it cannot extend to its full range of motion. This can compromise your ability to perform certain movements or activities i.e reaching to the top shelf in a cupboard, or bending over to pick something. If you attempt to move beyond your limited range, you increase the chances of pulling a muscle.
Working out in the water allows you to move through a greater range of motion. The water's buoyancy counteracts with the force of gravity, reducing the amount of pressure placed on the joints and bones. This means a person can more easily reach a full range of motion in water than on land.
The Hydrorider Riderband adds resistance to your stretching regime, allowing you to gradually push your flexibility and mobility ever further. Overtime, a person adapts to this resistance, making movements that were once difficult, easier.
When the resistance of the water is combined with resistance band tension, you're in for an intense workout. Both tax your muscles, making them work harder to complete your workout. Water resistance band exercises can range from scissor kicks, which work your abs, abdominal muscles and lower body to bicep curls or shoulder and chest presses, targeting the arms and shoulder and chest muscles. Your muscles naturally respond to this stimulus, slowly becoming stronger and more efficient with each exercise.
As you gradually increase band tension throughout your workouts, it leads to more body strength, as well as improved anaerobic and aerobic fitness. You'll then find that it crosses over into everyday life - regular activities that once posed a challenge become easier.
Using water resistance bands can enhance cardiovascular health in many ways. It can stimulate your entire body, causing your heart to work harder and body to gain strength evenly. As your heart strengthens, blood circulation improves, ensuring that muscles receive nutrients and oxygen more efficiently.
Furthermore, the caloric burn from training with a hydrorider band can help you shed excess weight. This weight loss and strength training component improves cardiovascular health as your heart rate doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood around the body. A 2022 study shows that resistance band training lowers body fat in people who are overweight better than other forms of training, including free weights and bodyweight exercises.
Normal resistance bands are low-impact as they target your muscles with little strain on your joints. They also let you "feel" the muscle throughout the movement, letting you gauge your body mechanics. If your joints start to hurt, you can lower the resistance level and work from there.
However, hydrorider or swimming resistance bands are even gentler on your joints since you're submerged in the water. You’ll gain all the same benefits as traditional resistance, with even less pressure on your joints and connective tissue.
Water resistance bands can be used to perform various movement patterns and exercises. You can alternate between curls and tricep extensions to train your arms, or do high-knee runs, which simulate running to increase leg muscles and core strength. So if you have specific muscles or movement patterns you want to focus on i.e. your running speed for a marathon, water resistance bands can help you reach your goal.
Furthermore, they also mimic the effects of weight training, and offer a great alternative to weightlifting.
The Hydrorider RiderBand is particularly versatile as it enables a variety of exercises with the one band. The RiderBand has 10 different hole options for different limb lengths and variety of use.
Sometimes, people fail to workout because it's just too inconvenient. Whether there’s too much traffic to get to the gym or you don't have all the proper gym equipment at home, something can get in the way. Regardless, failing to consistently exercise is a major reason why people never reach their fitness goals.
Water resistance bands are convenient because they're easy to carry and use. They're not bulky and roll up to the size of your hand. Unlike free weights or a weight machine, and you can easily take them anywhere. All you need is a body of water and you're good to go. This could be your backyard pool, hotel pool, local pool gym or Aquatic Centre.
When someone has a bad knee, shoulder, or any other joint issue, performing activities can hurt. Even a gentle walk can be enough to re-aggravate the injury or cause your arthritis to flare this can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which can only further deteriorate your physical health and quality of life.
Water resistance bands offer an optimal solution for muscle development and injury recovery in a non weight bearing environment. The water acts as a cushion or buffer, preventing your joints from becoming shock absorbers associated with high-impact exercises. This allows you to strengthen your body without exacerbating joint issues. Varying pool depth also allows you to take a patient from non weight bearing to weight bearing with ease.
For individuals with orthopaedic issues, using water resistance bands with aquatic exercises offers a safer and more comfortable way to rehabilitate, often enabling an earlier start and quicker overall recovery time-frame.
When you perform any water exercise, you are constantly fighting against the water's swaying movement and resistance. This is multi-directional, meaning you'll have to work harder just to stay in one place. Your core muscles, as well as muscles in your arms and legs, must be engaged throughout to maintain balance, providing a lower and upper body workout without ever having to leave the pool.
So when you're performing an exercise with a water resistance band, i.e toe taps (which require users to lift their knees, alternate leg movements, and tap their toes with coordinated arm actions), the challenge is amplified. The band increases resistance, pushing your muscles harder to perform the movement. Additionally, maintaining balance and performing the movement will gradually improve your muscle stability and coordination.
Performing the same exercises and workouts can get monotonous, causing mental fatigue that can dampen your motivation. That's why, sometimes, a change of scenery and exercise selection can help revive your workout routine.
As mentioned, Hydrorider bands are applicable to various movements. You can try incorporating them with new water exercises like aqua jogging or shadow boxing to further stimulate your muscles and become more efficient at the movement. And if your water exercise routine has become too easy, you can incorporate more bands to pump up the intensity.
Furthermore, simply working out in the pool is therapeutic and helps you to unwind. If you’ve grown weary of the gym atmosphere, visit your local pool.
When we push our limits during exercise, it's fairly normal to experience DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) the day after. This is because your muscles are unaccustomed to the workout's intensity, causing temporary muscle damage and even inflammation.
One way of offsetting this is by incorporating water resistance bands to your routine. When you train in the water, its hydrostatic pressure can soothe, stretch and relax your muscles, increasing blood flow. This increased blood flow reduces inflammation and muscle soreness, helping you to recover faster for your next gym workout.
If you routinely incorporate active recovery days into your routine, we recommend using water bands for gentler exercises like stretching. You don’t want to push yourself hard as the goal is to facilitate recovery.
Finally, Hydrorider resistance bands can be used by anyone, from athletes to seniors with disabilities. Since workouts can be so varied and tailored to a person's fitness and skill level and condition, they’re ideal for anyone who's looking to get into shape.
A swimming performance study, for example, has shown the benefits of using resistance tools, like water bands. While muscle strength was crucial, especially for short races, how it was gained was even more important. According to the research, resistance tools, like water bands, were superior to standard weights and weightlifting. This was because of the unique dynamic challenges they presented.
So, whether you're suffering from joint pain or mobility issues, or just looking to take your performance to the next level, Hydrorider bands can help. You'll build strength, improve mobility, and reduce inflammation for faster recovery - all key components of a successful workout regime.
Whether it's be monthly gym memberships, fitness classes or even buying your own gym equipment, staying in shape really adds up. In addition to paying for these, you'll also need to consider the transportation costs and time getting there.
Hyrorider water bands, in comparison, offer a one-time cost and are portable. You don't need to keep worrying about monthly recurring payments, or getting to the gym for your workout. You can take these bands anywhere - in a pool, or lake, because they're easy to carry and don't take up a lot of space.
Like any exercise tool, training with resistance bands in the water only works if you've fully integrated them into your fitness or rehab journey. Sure, you can perform resistance band workouts here and there, but you won't get the injury prevention and muscle strengthening benefits unless you’re consistent and add progression. When you constantly push yourself, you force your body to adapt and become stronger.
Hydrorider bands offer a great way for you to do just that and can be included in many training programs. You can progressively load your muscles by increasing the resistance as you become stronger.
