Deep-water running

High levels of competitive running entail several hours of training each week, with the majority of this training being carried out on hard surfaces, This will increase the levels of load placed on the musculoskeletal system. The need to lower impact loading as well as provide non-weight-bearing exercise for rehabilitation has meant that deep-water running (DWR) has become an increasingly acceptable form of exercise,The non-weight-bearing nature of deep-water running raises issues of specificity of training for land exercise. Prior familiarity, running style and protocol design influence the degree to which running in water simulates orthodox running on land. This review presents current research into the comparisons between running in water and on land, and the specificity of training responses.