Leading swim brand Speedo on Wednesday brought Bollywood actress Yami Gautam to a suburban swimming pool to launch their new vertical fitness training program Speedo AquaFit by popular CrossFit L1 coach and Aqua Aerobics instructor, Pooja Arora.

Speedo as a brand, is synonymous with performance swimwear, and via it’s global campaign #GetSpeedoFit, it has been working to elevate the status of swimming for fitness and reinforce that water workouts are the next big trend to get fit and achieve a total body workout.

Their new breakthrough fitness program Speedo AquaFit aims to reinforce their commitment to fitness by encouraging consumers to change their fitness routine and make the pool their new gym. The program, created in partnership with leading aqua fitness instructor Pooja Arora, includes land based exercises such as cardio, resistance training, stretching and even weightlifting being performed in the swimming pool.  The best part of the program is it doesn’t require knowledge on how to swim.

Talking about her new fitness mantra, Yami said, “It’s so important to switch up your fitness regime from time to time. So when Speedo came to me and introduced me to their new Speedo AquaFit program I was excited to give it a try. When you hear "water workouts" I’m sure you start picturing swimming laps! However, this water workout is completely different; in fact, you don’t even need to know how to swim since it’s performed in the shallow end of a swimming pool. Comprising of high intensity dumbbell movements such as tricep dips with forward kicks and power paddle movements such as chest presses and bicep curls, this workout has helped me train harder without worrying of muscle soreness and injuries. What’s more? Working out in the swimming pool has not just made me feel stronger, but I’ve got more energy and I’m sleeping so much better.”

She further adds, “At the end of long days and crazy schedules, I now can’t wait to jump into the swimming pool. Speedo AquaFit program is not just challenging but also so much fun!”

Leading health coach Pooja Arora explains more on the benefits of a water workout, “To some, splashing into a pool, having fun and getting a hardcore workout sounds too good to be true! Well, it isn’t. No matter what your age or fitness levels, you can get a good challenging workout in the pool. The harder you push the water, the harder it pushes you back. Resistance in water ranges between 4 to 42 times greater than in air, depending on the speed of the movement. Unlike most land based exercises, water provides resistance to movement in all directions, which allows all these directions to be used in the strengthening process.  Even a simple exercise like walking in water requires more effort than on land and ultimately leads to burning more calories and strengthening your muscles.”

Speedo, with this new program, is looking to start a whole movement around fitness in the water. Along with it’s new program, it also intends to promote its technologically advanced line of swimsuits and swim equipment which help maximize the effectiveness of a workout in the pool such as Speedo’s Biofuse Power Paddles, Elite Pullbuoys and Kickboards. These help in creating water resistance and toning the muscles. The Speedo Fit Endurance Plus swimsuits help activate the core muscles of the body and streamline the body position in water. Also available are swim suntops, capris and leggings part of their Sun Protection Swim Active range which provide comfort and freedom of movement and comes with UPF 50+ sun protection.