How does water exercise compare to land exercise in regards to calorie burning?
As on land, there are several variables that affect caloric consumption during vertical water exercise. Variables include: • Water depth in which the person is exercising. • Speed of movement through the water. • Amount of force applied (how “hard” you work) to movements. • Length of the person’s limbs. • Environmental factors such as water temperature, air temperature, humidity, etc. On land, weight bearing is a primary factor for increasing calorie consumption, but in the water it appears that using the water’s resistance is more of a factor. Based upon the finding of a study that compared energy expenditure (calories burned) for upper and lower body exercises performed in the water and out of the water (Cassedy 1992), one can estimate that combining upper and lower body movements in the pool would expend somewhere between 400 and 500 calories in a one hour class. This is comparable to running or walking at 10-11 minutes per mile.
