17 December 2022

Treading Water Exercise

The best skills to develop are the ones that will help you survive. Treading water is a that skill everyone should learn, even if they don't plan to cross the Bosphorus Strait. Treading water is vital for lifeguards, soldiers, and anyone who is planning to spend time in the water. Treading water has been part of military training and survival skills throughout history. More recently, water sports and first aid courses have incorporated treading water as well.

Treading water is the ability to keep one's head above water in an upright position by moving legs and arms. So think of it as swimming in place. Treading water is a simple skill which you can learn with practice. There are many ways to tread water. Some of them are more effective than others, and some require different muscles to perform. This makes treading water an excellent workout routine to do in an impact-free environment. Treading water is very important for swimmers, as it allows them to maintain their position in the water without sinking. Lifeguards also must master this skill to be able to pull a drowning victim to safety.

In this post, we will discuss treading water mainly from a fitness perspective and how to utilize this skill to create a workout that would help you achieve your fitness goals.

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Benefits of Treading Water

Here are Top 11 Benefits of Water Treading

Improves coordination. That is because of the arm-leg continuous and simultaneous interaction which trains your brain to control the movement. The more you practice treading water, the more difficult it becomes to make better coordination of your body. Treading water is also one of the best ways to stay fit, because it's really hard work. Your arms and legs have to be fully engaged as you tread water.

Improves muscle strength. Treading water involves working against water resistance, which in turn make muscles stronger and increases your ability to withstand pressure.

Help you learn to swim. Treading water is an essential swimming technique that every beginning swimmer must master. It helps you gain confidence in the pool and progress to more advanced techniques.

Increases endurance. Treading water is a moderately intense activity you can do for a longer period of time, which builds stamina.

Reduces the risk of drowning. The way we move when we face danger is a result of our instinct, not a conscious thought process. As a result, our movements can be inefficient and slow. Learning how to tread water properly is an important skill in case of a drowning emergency. Proper treading technique will make you use less energy, preventing fatigue and in a result lower the risk of drowning.

Improves posture. Treading water keeps your body upright for an extended period of time. Your postural muscles work hard to maintain that position and stay afloat. These muscles include your abdomen, back and torso. They help provide stability to your body.

Helps develop core strength. Water treading is an excellent exercise for strengthening the core muscles. The constant bending of the leg that happens during the treading motion mainly targets your abdomen muscles. In addition, trying to maintain your body position against water resistance, boosts your core muscles.

Improves concentration. When we do activities that are long and require concentration, our minds wander off. But when treading water our main focus is to keep the head above the water. So the mind is pinned on that task for a longer period of time.

It doesn't require a lot of space. Floating vertically means you won't be using up a lot of space. This gives you many advantages, especially with social distancing rules.

Low impact. moving your whole body while floating in a weightless environment has zero impact on your joints. This makes it a great way to get a total body workout without worrying about injuries.

Improves balance. After some time of treading water you will start to to feel the pressure of water from all sides. It will feel like you are fighting your way to stay up. This builds up strength in the muscles that keep us balanced on land.

Creative Methods to Perform Water Treading for Fitness

Treading water is one of the most basic swimming techniques. It doesn't involve complex movements nor does it require a lot of energy. Once you master this skill, it becomes natural. Basically, to tread water, you want to keep your body upright with your head above the surface. You can move your arms and legs however you want as long as you stay above water. The tricky part is not getting tired out. That’s why it’s best to keep your movements slow and steady. While you can be a bit creative with how you move, there are definitely some effective techniques to use. Give them a shot next time you’re at the pool!

Video Showing the Treading Water Methods

Breaststroke Kicks

This method is very effective for people who are struggling with floating. Do simple breaststroke kicks and downward arm pushes at the same time. You should feel an upward boost with each stroke. Perform fast enough to keep your head above water. Breaststroke kicks activate your core and front leg muscles. Arm pushes will give your lat muscles a good workout too. Breathe out each time you exert a downward pressure. Take advantage of the upward boost to breathe in. The air in your lungs will help you float better during the recovery phase.

Flutter Kicks

Flutter kicks are small leg movements that propel a swimmer forward. When done vertically, as in treading water, they push your body upward. Although small, flutter kicks are very powerful because of the continuous motion of the legs. To reduce the pressure on your legs you can optionally move your arms. Slightly rotating your body side to side would also assist in the ease of movement. This technique works your core and front leg muscles.

As I mentioned earlier, any movement that helps keep your head above water is treading water. Experiment with different movements and see which one feels more natural. You should choose a pace that's just fast enough to get you through the workout. Concentrate on breathing and keep good form throughout the workout.

5 Exercises You Can Do To Improve Your Treading Skills

There are number of exercises which you can do to improve your treading technique and duration. You can put more weight on your legs, use either your legs or your arms separately, or use water equipment to increase resistance. Here are some of the exercises you can do:

How To Choose The Right Movement?

Cross-Country

This is a combination of leg kicks and arm sculling, in a walking or cross-country motion. You will feel the upward force with each front kick. The alternate sculling motion will help you stay afloat more comfortably. If you do this long enough, you will feel the muscles of your back, shoulders and front thighs. The arm twisting motion will active your forearm muscles as well. Breathe in and out with each cycle.

1. Arms only sculling

Using your arms only will make your arm muscles work harder to keep you afloat. Move your arms in and out, scooping the water with the inside of your hands. This will improve your arm technique and make you more comfortable in the water.

2. Legs only kicks

Put more load on your leg muscles by keeping the arms still. The goal is to strengthen your leg muscles and make your water treading more efficient. You can do frog kicks or flutter kicks.

3. Tread water with clothes on

When clothes absorb water they become stiff and cling to your skin, which makes it harder to move in the pool. This may feel very uncomfortable at first, but after several times you will get used swimming with soaked clothes. Don't use your best clothes and wash them properly after you finish. Most swimming pools don’t allow non-waterproof garments so this is best practiced in private pools.

Raise your Arms Above Water

This will place extra weight on your legs and make them work harder to stay up. This can be really tough so make sure you stretch before and that you are with a professional supervisor. You can also hold an object above water, for added resistance.

Floating in sea is easier because salty water is more dense, hence more buoyant. Although floating is easier, moving your body against a thicker liquid would be more difficult. In addition, sea water is more violent due to the higher degree of flow. A strong current requires extra effort to avoid being swept away. Not to mention all the sea creatures lurking under your feet, which would keep you from fully enjoying the experience. So to sum it up, treading water in sea or swimming pool gives you a good workout. While swimming pool provides more safety, sea water gives you more resistance to work against.

Treading Water In Sea V/S Pool

5. Use equipment

Especially non-buoyant equipment with large surface area. By treading water with the equipment you will be training your muscles to perform the movement more efficiently. For example using water paddles will build your upper body muscles and improve your arm pull.