The Lake Day Workout You Didn’t Know You Were Doing

How 10 Minutes of Treading Water Turns You Into a Super Hero

Most people think treading water is what you do when you’re waiting for someone to toss you another beer.

The truth?

You’re doing a full-body workout that could pass for Navy SEAL training if SEAL training came with floaties and a cooler.

Turns out your casual pool hangout is a Navy SEAL-level workout.

Here’s why it works and why you’ll be sore in places you didn’t know existed.

What’s going on while you’re “relaxing”

• Full-body engagement. Your legs are kicking, your glutes are firing, your core is holding you upright, your shoulders are working, and your back is stabilizing it all. Even your toes are in on the action, flexing and pushing against the drag of the water.

• Calories burned. Ten minutes of treading water can torch between 80 and 110 calories. That’s a couple of bites of burgoo… or one if your cousin Larry made it.

• Survival cardio. A Journal of Sports Science and Medicine study found that water-based cardio spikes your metabolic output more than similar land workouts. Your heart’s pumping, your lungs are working overtime, and your body’s convinced it’s one boat wake away from going under.

• Joint-friendly grind. No hard impacts, no sore knees, but all the benefits of high-intensity exercise.

Kentucky Dude Opinion: Next time your wife asks why you’re worn out after a day at Lake Cumberland, tell her it’s not the bourbon slushies, it’s the science.

You weren’t “just floating,” you were engaged in a grueling, calorie-burning aquatic endurance event.

If she doesn’t believe you, show her this article.

Then kick back, hydrate (however you define it), and enjoy your hard-earned soreness.