My local pool has just raised the water temp to 30 ' C ( 86 ' F ) ! At this temp I am exhausted after 4 lengths. A full workout of 60 to 90 mins is impossible without suffering heat exhaustion. They have already had 1 swimmer collapse on poolside after swimming hard for 40 mins.
This has happened because a ' disabled swim group ' who use the pool for 45 mins once a week keep complaining about how cold the pool is. The pool management can't figure out the pool temp software so the temp is set that high for 24/7. It used to be 27' C ( 80.6' F ) and was then raised to 28'C (82.4 ' F ) 1 year ago.
I can't set workouts for my club that cause heat distress if carried out so it is a nightmare. My training is on hold until i can change this and I will have to move my masters club to another pool if not changed. Maybe ' Shaky's ' pool has space for us ?
Emmet Hines in his book says that 82 ' F ( 27.7' C ) is ideal for training, and that anything over 84' F ( 28.4 ' C ) is too hot.
Does anyone else suffer through hot water temperatures ? Can anyone recommend online research that I can use to prove the dangers of excercising in hot water ?
I apologize in advance for the things I'm about to say. I don't mean them to be as rude as they'll likely sound.
Originally posted by laineybug
Yes there are the over weight MEN and WOMEN, who need to start exercise in the water because exercising on land would be too strenuous for them.
You're going to have a hard time convincing most of us that this is really exercise for anyone but those with verified medical handicaps.
Exercise is supposed to be strenuous. That's why you do it. If you don't exert yourself, you don't reap any rewards. Most of these people (the ones without a medical handicap) would be better served using that 45 minutes of water aerobics to walk around their neighborhoods. I know there is a small percentage of them who can't walk that well, but the overwhelming majority I see are not in that category. Besides, for those with physical disabilities, water aerobics would be more a form of physical therapy than exercise and should be taking place under medical supervision in a dedicated physical therapy pool with the temperature regulated for that purpose. That's not what we're really talking about here.
Besides their tendency to get in the way of other pool users and to complain about the temperature, it also bothers me that these people are really getting ripped off. It's a form of fraud. The instructors know that these exercises are not going to help these people lose weight or make significant gains in their physical fitness, yet they still sell it as a full aerobic workout minus the joint stress that can result from real aerobics on land. Sure, the instructors seem to be fit, so their followers think they can get fit under their tutelage; but the scam is that the instructors are doing more than just water aerobics to stay in shape. The followers buy right into it, because they think they've found the magic way to get exercise without strenuous exertion or any physical discomfort.
Is it better than sitting on the couch? Sure. But so is standing up. This is "exercise" for people who don't really want to exercise. These classes are competing for the same customers as those electro-shock ab machines you see on late night infomercials.
I refer to them occasionally as "elderly ladies." That's actually something of a mischaracterization. In the classes at my pool, men and women of all adult age groups show up. But they are all shaped and move like old fat women. These are mostly people who could handle more strenuous activity, but lack the will power to withstand the discomfort that comes with real exercise. If they're going to do old ladies' exercises, I can't help but think of them as old ladies.
Before anyone accuses me of not understanding the people in these classes, let me tell you about a personal experience. A certain relative of mine had a weight problem from eating and sitting in front of the television all the time. Because of her weight, it hurt her to move around; but her doctor told her she needed exercise if she wanted to live past 50. So she joined a water aerobics group. It helped bring down her blood pressure a little, but the weight stayed on.
After a year of it with no results, she finally decided to endure the discomfort and start walking. She started small and worked her way up. She also started dropping pounds. As the pounds dropped off, walking became easier, and she went further. She realized that she had been in a catch 22, where she couldn't get the weight off until she exercised, but the weight itself made exercise uncomfortable. She also realized that the water aerobics didn't help her escape that vicious circle. I have the overwhelming impression that many of the people in these classes are in the same situation.
I'll leave off with this: In your own description of the classes at your pool, you qualify your own attendance with a sort of "but I do more strenuous exercise first and only use it to cool down and stretch." If this is really an exercise with any significant benefit, why do you find it necessary to engage in the more strenuous activity beforehand?
Dang, did I just write all that? Sorry for following the tangent, but since these water aerobes seem to be responsible for the majority of the temperature problems in our pools, I guess it's relevant.
I apologize in advance for the things I'm about to say. I don't mean them to be as rude as they'll likely sound.
Originally posted by laineybug
Yes there are the over weight MEN and WOMEN, who need to start exercise in the water because exercising on land would be too strenuous for them.
You're going to have a hard time convincing most of us that this is really exercise for anyone but those with verified medical handicaps.
Exercise is supposed to be strenuous. That's why you do it. If you don't exert yourself, you don't reap any rewards. Most of these people (the ones without a medical handicap) would be better served using that 45 minutes of water aerobics to walk around their neighborhoods. I know there is a small percentage of them who can't walk that well, but the overwhelming majority I see are not in that category. Besides, for those with physical disabilities, water aerobics would be more a form of physical therapy than exercise and should be taking place under medical supervision in a dedicated physical therapy pool with the temperature regulated for that purpose. That's not what we're really talking about here.
Besides their tendency to get in the way of other pool users and to complain about the temperature, it also bothers me that these people are really getting ripped off. It's a form of fraud. The instructors know that these exercises are not going to help these people lose weight or make significant gains in their physical fitness, yet they still sell it as a full aerobic workout minus the joint stress that can result from real aerobics on land. Sure, the instructors seem to be fit, so their followers think they can get fit under their tutelage; but the scam is that the instructors are doing more than just water aerobics to stay in shape. The followers buy right into it, because they think they've found the magic way to get exercise without strenuous exertion or any physical discomfort.
Is it better than sitting on the couch? Sure. But so is standing up. This is "exercise" for people who don't really want to exercise. These classes are competing for the same customers as those electro-shock ab machines you see on late night infomercials.
I refer to them occasionally as "elderly ladies." That's actually something of a mischaracterization. In the classes at my pool, men and women of all adult age groups show up. But they are all shaped and move like old fat women. These are mostly people who could handle more strenuous activity, but lack the will power to withstand the discomfort that comes with real exercise. If they're going to do old ladies' exercises, I can't help but think of them as old ladies.
Before anyone accuses me of not understanding the people in these classes, let me tell you about a personal experience. A certain relative of mine had a weight problem from eating and sitting in front of the television all the time. Because of her weight, it hurt her to move around; but her doctor told her she needed exercise if she wanted to live past 50. So she joined a water aerobics group. It helped bring down her blood pressure a little, but the weight stayed on.
After a year of it with no results, she finally decided to endure the discomfort and start walking. She started small and worked her way up. She also started dropping pounds. As the pounds dropped off, walking became easier, and she went further. She realized that she had been in a catch 22, where she couldn't get the weight off until she exercised, but the weight itself made exercise uncomfortable. She also realized that the water aerobics didn't help her escape that vicious circle. I have the overwhelming impression that many of the people in these classes are in the same situation.
I'll leave off with this: In your own description of the classes at your pool, you qualify your own attendance with a sort of "but I do more strenuous exercise first and only use it to cool down and stretch." If this is really an exercise with any significant benefit, why do you find it necessary to engage in the more strenuous activity beforehand?
Dang, did I just write all that? Sorry for following the tangent, but since these water aerobes seem to be responsible for the majority of the temperature problems in our pools, I guess it's relevant.
