Aquabiking, also sometimes called "aquacycling", is a variant of aquagym. This physical activity consists of pedaling seated on a stationary bike immersed in water. Like all sports exercised in water, aquabiking makes it possible to carry out less violent movements for the body than if they were carried out in the open air, but while being just as beneficial. Aquabiking is an excellent physical activity for seniors, provided you know how to dose your effort because it is still an endurance sport. In particular, aquabiking makes it possible to soften and maintain the joints which often become painful with age, it also works the entire cardiovascular system and also helps to relieve heavy legs by promoting blood circulation.
Aquagym refers to a physical activity that is practiced in water, most often in a swimming pool. It is a complete sport that works the whole body. Aquagym is suitable for all age categories but, as this physical activity has the advantage of making it easier to perform classic gymnastic movements using water, it is particularly well suited to seniors.
Aquagym comes in several types of physical activities practiced in water:aqua-step, aqua-fitness, aquarunning and aquabiking. This latest variant of water aerobics is an ideal sport for seniors.
Aquabiking is practiced on a fixed bike as is, for example, a training bike in the halls of sports clubs or an exercise bike, with the difference that it is immersed in water. Unlike aquagym, with aquabiking you do not perform gymnastic movements but you cycle through the water performing different exercises that simulate, for example, a hill, a descent, a sprint, etc., and having water up to your waist or a little more.
An aquabiking session, which usually takes place in a group and generally lasts between 30 and 45 minutes, is led by a sports professional who guides practitioners through a series of exercises consisting of pedaling movements punctuated by a lively music, like during a water aerobics class.
Aquabiking can also be practiced alone in an individual cabin equipped with a bike also immersed in water, we then speak of "spa-bike", most often in an environment made for relaxation.
If aquagym actively, but in a gentle way, solicits all the muscles and joints of the body, aquabiking, like classic cycling, is a physical activity that places more emphasis on the muscles of the lower limbs.
To see results on your muscles or on your weight, for example, since like all sports, aquabiking helps you stay in shape and help you lose excess weight, you need to pedal in water for a long time and intensely.
However, a senior who wishes to maintain his form and not necessarily achieve incredible performances can quite well practice aquabiking in a moderate way, by measuring his effort, and despite everything reaping the benefits. This is one of the advantages of this sport which can be intensive but also which can adapt just as well to a gentler physical activity, more appropriate for seniors.
Even practiced in a gentle way, aquabiking is an excellent sport for preventing cardiovascular risks, in the same way as walking, for example. This physical activity requires its practitioners to be well oxygenated and therefore solicits the muscles of the heart and strengthens them. Be careful, however, for this reason, aquabiking is not recommended for seniors who suffer from high blood pressure.
An endurance sport, aquabiking is also very beneficial for the joints, especially the lower limbs. And we know that many seniors suffer in particular from osteoarthritis which particularly affects these parts of the body. The pedaling action, facilitated in the water, allows the joints to work, without making them suffer because it involves performing large-amplitude movements without violent impacts.
However, contrary to popular belief, even sore joints need to work to soften, maintain and even strengthen their cartilage. This is why aquabiking is also beneficial for seniors who experience joint problems in the hip or knee area in particular.
Like all physical activities practiced in water, aquabiking also has benefits for the skin, which firms up thanks to the massaging and draining action of the water. A good solution also to fight against cellulite among others.
Cycling in water also has the virtue of promoting blood circulation, which is often known to be deficient in seniors, with the particular consequence of helping to relieve heavy legs.
