Weights for aqua aerobics?

[missg00se]

I'm currently doing aqua aerobics after a couple of ankle operations and a long time off my feet completely - hoping it will help strengthen things and help me get the spring back in my step.

I'd love it to be more challenging overall though. I know it's doing what it needs to for my ankle and I'm definitely not ready for anything too bouncy out of the pool, but I'm barely raising my heart rate and I don't have a lot of spare time for exercise so I'd like to get the most out of anything I do!

I was thinking about adding ankle weights and/or wrist weights. Does anyone have any advice on whether this is a good idea, and if so, what to buy?

One of the ankle weights will be going over a scar that's quite sensitive is positioned over some metalwork in my leg. So comfort really is important.

Ask your instructor? I’m pretty sure you can use weights for aqua and have seen them somewhere.

Normally for aqua they use floating weights that look like dumbbells. Partly because you can't lose them at the bottom of the pool, partly because they are actually really quite hard to move in the water. You can also get webbed gloves to increase the effort when you are doing scooping movements through the water.

Thanks! I was thinking more of the weights you strap on to your body - to make me heavier and make my legs work a bit harder to achieve a bounce. One of the ladies in the class does use the foam dumbbells but tbh my arm strength isn't amazing so I'm happy with the noodle at the moment for that portion of the class - it's more for the general jumping around, to challenge my leg muscles and to increase the aerobic effort, IYSWIM?

I'd see what the instructor thinks. In theory I can see your idea working but you'd have to be sure what the weights were made of if they are going to be submerged, which is not normal for most wrist/ankle weights. They might rust and go manky. I did aqua some years back and I found if you are jumping you can get a lot more power through your legs by just squatting lower in the water and jumping as high out of it as you can. I never felt the need of weights on top of that. And my neighbours (who were the keep their hair dry at all costs brigade) certainly hated my splashy activities!