Normally the words swimming pool bring to mind huge recreational or Olympic size pools, those that are normally used for recreation and relaxation. While these are common types of pools they are not the only ones. Most often pools are used for recreation, but more recently the exercise benefits of pools have revealed themselves. Because of this, more pools are being designed toward that end.

Swimming is a very efficient way of exercising the entire body. It is an aerobic exercise as good as walking or running while at the same time is not as stressful or high impact. There is no contact with a hard surface to jar the body in a harmful way. The water supports the body, not the legs and knees. This makes swimming much more comfortable and profitable as an exercise. It is for this reason that more pools are being built with such a workout in mind. The lap pool was born for this purpose.

A lap pool is normally a small rectangular pool designed for swimming laps in place. Because of the small, compact nature of this pool it is not used for recreation, but simply exercise. Normal residential pools are not well designed for swimming laps because of their circular shape. It is not easy to swim laps in a small circle. The lap pool is long enough to create a useful back and forth swim without being wide enough to take up more space than is necessary.

A new form of lap pool is one with a built in current generator. This is a one directional water jet capable of creating a flow of water down the length of the pool. This generator can be added to both in and above ground lap pools. Now the back and forth is not necessary, a swimmer can simply swim in place. Now not only does he have resistance to his swim, but he does not need to turn around every so often. This will make a shorter workout time more effective. Some of the currents can be adjusted to different speeds to create more or less resistance. Now that the pool does not have to be as long, this can open up the option of an indoor lap pool. Before they had to be long enough to swim a decent lap on so indoors was only an option in a large home. Now they are merely large bathtubs that can fit nearly anywhere.

The cost of such a pool will depend greatly on the type, size, where the buyer wants it and if it has a current. The larger the pool is, the harder it will be to install and thus will cost more. Other things such as heating systems or the current generator will cost more to install. So a smaller lap pool with a current will compare more in price to a larger pool without one. The heating system will be extra and if the pool is indoors, will not even be needed.

The Pool Care Directory Team
www.PoolCareDirectory.com