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Writer's pictureAndrea Salzman
Jul 299 min read

Aquatic Plyometric Training: Safety and Effectiveness

Byline: Andrea Salzman, MS, PT


The improvement of muscular strength is a desired outcome for athletes, rehabilitation patients and individuals seeking body fitness. Plyometric training, widely utilized to enhance muscle power, is a series

of exercises designed to achieve rapid muscle elongation followed by quick contraction. This type of conditioning has been well-documented in the medical literature to enhance dynamic muscle

performances, such as vertical jump height, 1 agility, 2 isometric torque in knee extensors, 3 and balance. 4


However, plyometric training may cause inadvertent muscle soreness and injury when these high intensity exercises are not performed correctly. 5 Overexertion and the lack of prior experience with plyometric training are common causes that enhance the chances of soreness/injury.


Aquatic plyometric training offers a solution to gaining muscle strength while reducing the risks associated with land-based plyometric exercises. The buoyancy of water lowers weight bearing on limbs leading to reduction in exercise-related physical stress. This article describes the advantages of performing aquatic plyometric training, different water conditions for these exercises and different training protocols that may be followed.


Water a Preferred Environment

In general, aquatic exercises are gaining popularity in recent times because the water environment provides numerous physiological benefits. The most obvious advantages of water-based exercises are reduced muscle/tendon/joint stress, greater involvement of muscles to help maintain balance in water, as well as greater muscle building power while working with the water resistance. In addition, certain circulatory and cardio-respiratory benefits 6 are also observed with water exercises.


The reduced joint impact of aquatic training may be particularly beneficial for the elderly population. A study conducted in elderly women undergoing aquatic training for 24-weeks, showed improved isometric torques for knee extensors and knee flexors, grip strength and functional mobility (timed-up-and-go test). 7


Similarly, patients with coronary artery disease have shown improvement in both exercise tolerance and muscular strength upon 4-months of water-based exercise program. 8 In this study, the subjects also reported a favorable change in total cholesterol, triglycerides and body composition upon completion of the study.


Finally, aquatic training provides a safe environment for strength recovery during rehabilitation. Individuals with certain conditions that necessitate reduced joint stress may benefit from aquatic based training. In fact, the Osteoarthritis Research Society (OARSI), the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) support the use of aquatic exercise to control the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. 9 Article on Plyometrics 2


Effectiveness of Aquatic Plyometrics

Over the past decade, medical research has demonstrated that aquatic plyometric training is as effective as land-based methods in enhancing muscle performance. A study by Stemm et al 10 sought to compare jump performance improvement following aquatic-based versus land-based plyometrics. College-age men were enrolled in the study and randomly divided into three groups—the aquatic training group, the land-based training group and the no-training group. The aquatic training group performed a series of jumping exercises (squat jumps, side hops and knee-tuck jumps) in knee-level water, while the land-based group performed identical exercises on land. Following a 6-week training period (2 sessions/week) it was observed that the vertical jump heights of both aquatic training group and land training group were significantly higher than that of the no-training group. Aquatic plyometric training also helps prevent muscle soreness compared with that observed in land-based training, as indicated by the levels of CPK, an inflammatory enzyme. 11 12 In their study, Shiran et al 11 used male wrestlers in a 5-week training period (aquatic vs. land) to demonstrate comparable increases in leg muscle strength.


Another recent study has compared aquatic vs. land plyometric training in young basketball players. 13 This study concluded that aquatic plyometric training is as effective as land plyometric training in improving sprint performance, which requires explosive muscle power. However, the authors point out that improvement in dynamic balance was greater in the land training group compared with that of the aquatic training group. A possible explanation is that water provides a safer environment for training, and therefore does not optimally engage proprioceptive capabilities.


A comprehensive overview of the reduced impact of aquatic plyometric training is provided by Donoghue et al. 14 Generally, the impact of a jump increases with increase in ground reaction force (GRF). These authors demonstrated that performing jumping exercises (ankle hop, tuck jumps, countermovement jump, single-leg vertical jump and drop jump) led to reduced peak GRFs and impulses in aquatic environment as compared with that on land. This finding supports and extends earlier evidence that showed reduced GRFs during double-leg squat jumps in water. 15 Moreover, Donoghue et al 14 demonstrated that the rate of force development for ankle hops, tuck jumps, and countermovement jump in water were significantly lower than those on land—an indication of reduced impact of jump.


Selection of Water Depth

The level of water used for aquatic plyometric training is a critical controlling factor in determining ease of exercise. Earlier studies have been conducted on chest- vs. waist-deep water for aquatic plyometric training. Miller et al 16 observed no added benefit of aquatic training in chest- vs. waist-deep water in Article on Plyometrics 3 regards to average force and power with the squat, countermovement and vertical jumps. However, water levels above the waist will lead to greater difficulty to balance and increased drag through water. This may decrease the stretch-shortening cycle reaction time for plyometric jumps. Donoghue et al 14 used a 1.3 meter water depth to observe significant reductions in peak GRFs during aquatic plyometric training compared with land-based training. Moreover, Stemm et al’s 10 previous study proved the effectiveness of knee-deep water for aquatic plyometric training. Therefore, the existing literature data supports the usage of knee- to waist-deep water for aquatic plyometric training sessions.


Protocol Enhancements for Maximum Benefits

Ultimately, for the best experience of aquatic plyometric training one must choose the optimal protocol. The selection of jumping exercises (squat jump, countermovement jump, drop jump, etc.) will dictate impact forces and intensity levels. Selection of the appropriate number of repetitions for each jump and the total number of sessions are key to noticing muscle strength improvement. The general physiological state of the participant will serve as a guiding factor is protocol optimization.


The single-leg jump is highly intense and is best suited for individuals with strengthened lower limbs. A recent study by Sinsurin et al 17 analyzed single-leg jumping technique and highlights the importance of increasing knee and hip flexion angles and practicing soft landing technique to prevent injury. Aquatic plymotrics offer the advantage of reduced impact forces, and therefore if the single-leg jump is attempted by recovering athletes, it may be first practiced in water.


The tuck jump is an example of plyometric exercise which when performed in water may lead to enhanced drag forces and buoyancy resistance. The cause for the increase in resistance is the flexing of hips and knees during jump and the subsequent elongation before surface impact.


Plyometric training involves jumping exercises and is associated with impact effects on the lower extremities. Two components of impact forces may be considered—passive and active. 14 During jump landings, impact forces are experienced within 10 milliseconds. Passive impact forces are the instantaneous components, to which the body must adapt to within the first 50-75 milliseconds.


Neuromuscular control is not involved at this time. Therefore, high impact forces are associated with injury. The long-term component of impact forces is the active force, which is associated with muscle strength development. Therefore, the timing for the occurrence of peak landing GRFs is of some importance—a later time point indicates a lower impact. Donoghue et al 14 observed peak GRFs in water to occur after 50 milliseconds for most of the jumps. Tuck jumps and countermovement jumps led to peak GRFs at a significantly later time point as compared with those during respective land jumps. Article on Plyometrics 4


The impact forces experienced during aquatic plyometric training are comparable to those while running on land. 14 Therefore, for recovering athletes, aquatic plyometrics may be introduced before starting high intensity land training.


Just as water depth is an important selection criterion for optimizing aquatic plyometrics, the training must be designed to optimally suit each participant. As demonstrated by Donoghue et al, 14 peak GRF, impulse and the rate of force development varies with subject’s height, body composition and landing technique.


Previous experience with plyometric training may also guide the selection of appropriate training regimen. Experienced plyometric trainees may have mastered better jump landing techniques as compared with novices. Cortes et al 18 demonstrated in a study that hip flexion, knee flexion, knee valgus and ankle dorsiflexion are influenced by foot landing techniques (self-preferred, forefoot or rear foot). In addition, medial knee collapse, a common injury, has been studied by researchers using double- and single-leg jumps. 19 According to the findings, asymmetric unilateral hip rotation, sex and hip strength may

be determining factors for susceptibility to medial knee collapse. Hence, in order to reduce the chance of injury, plyometric training should focus on the development of neuromuscular control and proper sagittal and frontal plane alignment.


Arm placement is another key consideration for aquatic training protocols. It is known that placing the arm above water surface leads to an increase in vertical component of GRF during walking, 20 therefore increased jump impact.


Sex-related differences associated with muscle strength enhancement through aquatic plyometrics have also been discussed in medical literature. Robinson et al 21 studied the effect of aquatic plyometrics in college-age women. Their findings suggest that similar improvements in peak torque production are obtained in women using either aquatic- or land-based training. This study, taken together with Arazi et al’s study, 13 suggest that aquatic plyometrics is effective for peak torque improvements in both sexes.


Aquatic plyometrics improves muscle performance through the recruitment of motor units of agonist muscles. 13 Previously trained individuals may achieve maximal muscle improvement through aquatic plyometrics. In addition, recovering athletes and individuals with injury and/or age-related conditions may explore aquatic plyometrics as an effective and safe experience for muscle performance improvement.




References

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AquaticTherapist2
3 days ago
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

So much nicer doing this hard intensity work in the water.

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