Book Review- Make the Pool Your Gym

I know this is an unusual review for this site. So a quick explanation, as my regular readers know, I have some pretty serious back and knee issues, and without regular exercise, they can get worse. Water aerobics is perfect for people who have mobility issues and it's a regular part of my week. It's also something that you can do even if you can't swim. I've been able to swim since I was a baby, but one of my friend's who goes to class regularly with me is a non-swimmer, and she can do all the exercises. The pool we go to is a salt-water pool and if you have one locally, they are so much better than chlorine pools! All the public pools locally are indoor pools if you're wondering. So I can do this year round.

Make the Pool Your Gym: No-Impact Water Workouts for Getting Fit, Building Strength and Rehabbing from Injury by Dr. Karl Knopf is a photographed manual on how to start water workouts for absolute beginners who might not have a class available to attend.

If you've never done water aerobics, some moves are done using flotation devices like pool noodles, and some are done using something for resistance like paddles, webbed gloves or foam dumbbells. It's something that can be done at almost any fitness level.

It starts with a short introduction to water fitness, and explains the benefits and a bit of the physics. There is a strong emphasis in the book on safety.

Getting into actual workouts, there are sample workouts and suggested exercises for various issues. Each of the exercises listed has the page number to see how the exercise is done. The exercise photographs are clear, shot underwater and easy to see the movement and correct posture.

If you have arthritis or other issues, and feel like you can't exercise as much as you'd like to, I do recommend trying water aerobics, and if you don't have a convenient class to take,this book is an excellent start.

For my friend, who was not as comfortable in the water as I am, we built up over a few weeks, starting with just water walking, and building up to full hour long workouts. There are people we work out with who are in their 70s, and my first teacher was a young lady in her early 20s who had serious knee injuries that got her doing water aerobics. My teenage daughter enjoys the classes as well, it's just a lot of fun.


Check out Ulysses Press on Facebook. They have giveaways sometimes! A friend of mine won recently.


My reviews are always my personal and honest opinion. You can read more about my review policy here.