Which Is Better Aqua Jogging or Elliptical

Audio Transcript

Jeff: Welcome to the Runners Connect, Run to the Top Extra Kick Podcast.

Let’s get on to today’s question, asked by Mary.

Mary asked, “I’ve been taking it easy this week because of my persistent IT band issues. Tomorrow, my long run is 14 miles and I’m wondering what is better for me to do, aqua jogging for the time that it would take me to do 14 miles or the elliptical for 14 miles? I did the elliptical today and I felt great. Any advice would be appreciated.

This is a great question, and I’m going to approach it because there’s not necessarily a 100% wrong answer.

Whether you’re using elliptical or you’re using aqua jogging, both are going to be great supplements to a workout, if you’re not able to get within running on the roads.

But what I’m going to do is, I’m going to talk about the research and benefits of aqua jogging.

I’ll delve into the pros and cons of aqua jogging, and then the pros and cons of elliptical training.

That way, you can make the best decision about what works for you.

I’m going to start with aqua jogging. I’m going to go ahead and say that, I think aqua jogging is the most running specific type of cross training that you can do.

If you’ve never done aqua jogging or haven’t heard about what it is, basically what happens is you that go into a pool, and you go into the deep end. Not where you can touch the bottom, and you basically perform the running motion underwater.

The running motions are a little bit different because you’ll not be able to get the hip extension that you would normally running.

Your leg isn’t going to travel far out and back of you, like it would on the treadmill or outdoors. But it does allow you to move your arms, and your legs in the same exact motion as running.

In my opinion it’s one of the most effective or running specific types of cross training that you can do.

Now, there’s actually been a lot of studies on the effectiveness of aqua jogging.

A lot of them basically surround the heart rate.

There’s been three or four studies, and they have all shown that deep water running is more demanding on the cardiovascular system, because you have the increase of the water resistance and specifically on the upper body.

When you’re moving your arms, you’re actually moving them against a water resistance.

One thing that you’ll notice with aqua jogging, however, is that your heart rate is going to be lower than it would be on the roads.

One of the ways that people like to measure effort with aqua jogging is using your heart rate, since there’s no pace to gauge yourself.

But you have to remember that because you’re submerged in water, your blood will go through your body faster or more efficiently. That will lower your heart rate.

You’re going to have a lower heart rate in the water than you would outdoors running. So, just keep that in mind if you’re using heart rate as a guide.

Now, the potential downfall of using aqua jogging is that you have to have a pool with a deep end.

That means you either have to have a pool at your house that has a deep end or you have to have a gym that has a pool.

That can be a little bit of a challenge. The other challenge that I found is, I’ve done a lot of aqua jogging in my life and if you’re not used to getting in the water, it can be strange.

If you’re getting in the pool in the morning, it’s cold and you might not like that.

To keep in mind with aqua jogging, one of the things you always want to do is to use a belt. Because using a belt will allow you to run with better form.

You can buy what they call aqua jogging belts. Some pools may have them. They range between $35 and $50 on Amazon.

But basically, it’s like a floaty that you tie around your waist.

That allows you to stay a little bit more buoyant and allows you to run with better form. Otherwise, what happens if you don’t wear a belt is that at times, you’ll end up mostly treading water, as opposed to going through the running motion in the water.

My tip is to always use a belt if you can.

Now, the other tips that I like to use, and this will go to the elliptical as well, but I find that cross training can be extremely boring.

Running in the pool for an hour, in this case 14 miles or the equivalent time of 14 miles, is really long.

90 minutes or two hours is a long time to be in the pool and it’s pretty boring.

A couple of things that you can do is listen to music. You could have a radio on the side of the pool, but make sure it’s waterproof.

I always find that doing workouts is really helpful. And it doesn’t have to be hard; you can do fartleks.

Two minutes, medium pace, one minute hard, three minutes easy, something like that. Just something that mixes it up so that you’re not running in the pool by yourself, because that can get really boring.

Let’s say that you’ve got a stress fracture, and you’re going to be out, 8 to 12 weeks. You’ll have to have to do a lot of aqua jogging. One thing that I like to do is I actually bought a bungee cord.

They call them sprint bungees because sprinters use them, but basically, it’s this long bungee cord that stretches pretty well and it’s designed for humans.

It’s a big bungee cord.

And what I do is I actually tie one of the ends of the bungee cord to an anchor in the pool, whether it’s the diving board or the ladder or something like that.

Then I do a workout where I kind of run out, nice and easy, until the point where the bungee cord starts to stretch, and then I do a sprint interval.

And I’ll say, “I’m going to sprint for one minute, trying to stretch out the bungee as long as I can.”

I’ll kind of pick a spot on the side of the pool and then I’ll say, “Okay, I’m going to get to that spot.” And I’ll aqua jog as hard as I can, till I get to that spot, maybe hold it for a second or two and then let go.

I’ll then rest for 30 seconds, a minute or two minutes. And then the next time I’ll say, “Okay, well, I’m going to go and try to beat that spot.” And then do that again.

That’s a really fun way to keep up your competitive drive, if you’re going to be in the pool for a long period of time.

With all that said, aqua jogging, to me, is the most effective way to simulate running without doing the pounding, if you need to cross train that way.

Now, elliptical is the second best way to simulate running, and to make sure that you’re getting the most of your training.

What you have to remember, about elliptical training is the way the motion works.

If you have an Achilles injury or a knee injury, it could aggravate that injury. You have to be careful. Obviously, go out and try it out and see how it feels, but remember that it could potentially be something that reinjures or aggravates an injury. Just be careful with that.

There are a couple of studies but note that citing studies on the podcast, is a little difficult.

But there were two studies, and basically in both studies, the researchers concluded that elliptical running is an acceptable alternative to a treadmill.

And another study showed was about volumes and intense rates.

If you had the same intensity, the same volume on a treadmill and on elliptical, the physiological adaptations remained relatively the same.

That said, use that knowledge about the stuff that I cited with the aqua jogging, in the stuff that I cited with the elliptical training.

Do that to give yourself some confidence if you’re injured and you have to use elliptical training or aqua jogging as a cross training method, that you are still going to be able to maintain your fitness. I don’t think it’s possible to gain fitness doing these cross training, but it is possible to maintain it.

Keep that in mind.

The big benefit of the elliptical training is that they are available in almost all commercial gyms.

It’s really easy to get on.

The other cool thing is you can change the inclines, and the resistance.

So, there’s a little bit of variables that you can play with, that make the workouts a little bit more interesting.

And the other nice benefit is, you might even have one at your house.

They’re not expensive; it’s actually more like home gym equipment. A lot of times, you can get them very cheap because people will buy them and then never use them.

You can get them on Craigslist or eBay cheaply.

Again, it’s a great idea if you have a stress fracture and you’re going to be out 8 to 12 weeks, or if you’re injury prone and you need to use the elliptical every week, and maybe a couple times a week. It is worth looking into getting one if you don’t want to get a gym membership.

My advice with the elliptical is the same as it is with the aqua jogging.

Going for 90 minutes, two hours on the elliptical or just by itself can be pretty boring. What you want to do is, you want to give yourself workouts that can make it a little bit more interesting.

It could be one minute on, one minute off.

Maybe changing the resistance, or changing the incline. Play around with it and make your workout a little bit more fun.

With that said, in answer to the question, they are both good.

So, do whatever’s most enjoyable to you. Mix it up, do the same one. You’re kind of at a watch there, in terms of which one’s going to be most effective. So, do whatever you enjoy the most.

Finally, our sponsor has been Aftershokz Headphones. I think it’s a great company that fits well with this podcast.

When you’re out running, you want to hear your surroundings, like traffic, but you also want to make sure that you hear other people around you.

Whether it’s somebody coming up from behind you or if there’s somebody maybe around that could be a dangerous threat, you want to be able to hear them. And we get that you want to listen to Runners Connect, you want to listen to your music because it’s really motivating. The other thing that I don’t like necessarily about wearing headphones is that oftentimes if I wear them for a really long time, so if I go for an hour, ninety, two hour run, my ears get really sore.

Because the way the ear buds fit in my ears, I have pretty small ears, the way ear buds fit, they get really sore.

Our sponsor today, Aftershokz Headphones, has done a great job at actually eliminating both of those problems, typical problems that you’ll find with headphones. Aftershokz Headphones uses a bone conduction technology that allows it to deliver premium audio through your cheek bones and into your ear, without blocking or covering your ears.

The unique open ear design allows you to listen to your favorite music or your favorite podcast while running, and it even allows you to keep talking with a running partner. And you could even use them in the office, because you’re able to hear everything that’s around you while also hearing the music.

Because there’s nothing inside your ear, with these headphones you’re also going to say goodbye to sore ears that you’d get if you listened with headphones for a long period of time.

Aftershokz Headphones are extremely lightweight, they’re comfortable, sweat resistant, durable, and they even allow you to make phone calls. So, we’ve hooked up a special deal with Aftershokz for Runners Connect listeners.

Please visit runnersconnect.net/aftershokz, to claim your free gift when you purchase. And again, that’s runnersconnect.net/shokz. Aftershokz Headphones are going to allow you to take in all aspect of your adventures. Hear your music, hear your surroundings, and you can hear it all.

Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. If you enjoyed, please subscribe and I hope you enjoy and we’ll be back tomorrow with another question and answer.