Power of the Pool

When I was a kid, I loved swimming pools — I could spend hours diving and doing handstands in the chlorinated water even though the Gulf of Mexico was just a couple of blocks away. But over the years, pools lost their enchantment. In college, I swam laps for exercise, not fun. In my twenties, I lived for a few years in a house with a pool, but I mostly sunned myself poolside, not wanting to get my hair wet. I tried a few water exercise classes here and there but never belonged to a gym with a pool.

So when I was invited to try the offerings at Anderson Aquatics, I jumped at the chance to revive my relationship with the pool. And not just any pool — in a previous incarnation, this Funk Zone pool was the Diver’s Den. Most recently, it had been Muller Aquatic Center, where Breanna Anderson, an aquatic physical therapist, ran the aquatics program and Travis Anderson led the aquatic personal training program and group classes. The wife-and-husband team recently launched Anderson Aquatics; now the onetime scuba school plays host to a growing array of water fitness classes, and the Andersons offer personal training, body work, and open pool time as well.

The sign on the front still says Diver’s Den, but I found the entrance at the top of a ramp on the south side of the building for my first foray into the pool. The corrugated fiberglass roof let in the early morning light, but getting undressed and doing the obligatory pre-pool rinse in the December chill was bracing. Class regulars like Cindy were friendly and welcoming, though, beckoning me into the 92-degree water. Travis instructed me to enter the pool at the shallow end and then fasten a buoyancy belt “snug around your waist so it won’t ride up your back,” before I made my way to the deep end with five other women.

This Aqua HIIT (high-intensity interval training) class was led by Breanna, who wore a headset microphone and stayed on the pool deck, demonstrating the moves as she led us through a warm up before moving on to combinations and circuits. The exercises were a combination of swimming moves, like flutter kicks and breast strokes, and gym moves like butt-kickers and jumping jacks. Sometimes a classic move like a chest press would incorporate pool equipment like a kickboard. Tapping our feet against the wall, first together, then in a V shape, reminded me of barre class.

Even when the move was familiar, doing it in water made it feel new. Of course, some moves would have been difficult or impossible on land, like the barrel roll Breanna added to one combination. That was fun, but make no mistake — this was a serious workout. Another regular, Linda, proudly announced she had reached her activity target for the day (according to her smart watch) just before 8:30 a.m., about two-thirds of the way through class. As for me, mere hours later, my pecs were very sore.

Water Warriors is one of the small specialty classes offered by the Andersons. For this mixed-martial-arts-inspired class, the three of us stayed in the shallow end, alternating boxing combinations (jab, cross, hook, hook) with lower body work to a soundtrack of Dua Lipa, Gloria Gaynor, and Ellie Goulding. The buoyancy of the water helped me feel comfortable doing moves I would have avoided or modified on land, like jumps and alternating side kicks. At the same time, the water provided resistance that I don’t feel when I’m jabbing and uppercutting air in my landlubber Bodycombat class at the gym. Once we donned our plastic boxing “gloves,” which resembled the end of a lacrosse stick more than anything Creed would wear, I really felt my core engaging. Of all the classes I tried at Anderson, this was the most intense cardio workout. I’d probably wear water shoes next time to prevent my feet from slipping on the pool floor.

The regulars at Wavemakers, one of the Andersons’ most popular classes, lived up to Breanna’s description of “loud, fun, and hardworking.” The class itself keeps things interesting by combining exercises with games and equipment (Breanna notes proudly that “no two classes are ever the same”). Travis distributed pool noodles and had us move them through the water for upper body conditioning or hold them out of the water while we did lower body work like flutter kicks. Then he had us use them for balance work, first standing on them, feet apart, with our arms folded before switching to toe-to-heel position, tightrope-style (he urged us to close our eyes if it was too easy, as if). 

Both of the Wavemakers classes I took ended with a rousing game of water polo, using a couple of inflatable goals set up at each end of the pool. Having only ever played Marco Polo, I chose to play defense, which I may have taken too seriously, as an opposing player accused me of being “a maniac.” Breanna laughed when I told her the story — “that’s just because they’re so competitive.”

But they are also, insisted Travis, “friendly, kind, supportive.” The Andersons describe their clientele as being like family. When clients learned that Muller wouldn’t be renewing the lease, they worried about Travis and Breanna becoming unemployed. Meanwhile, the Andersons were worried about their clients: What would they do if the pool closed? That loyalty has been immensely helpful to a nascent business as the Andersons shifted from a medical model to a wellness and prevention focus. When they signed the new lease last November, said Travis — a onetime college sprinter and former UCSB track and field coach — “We hit the ground running.” They continue to offer therapeutic programming as they also expand their market beyond former Muller clients.

At a Wavemakers class, a woman named Jill told me she’d been coming for nine years. She credited the pool therapy and exercise for helping her go back to work two weeks after knee replacement. “It’s addicting,” she said. I’m inclined to agree. There’s another shallow-water class I want to try, and the Andersons are also planning to offer stand-up paddle board yoga classes (yes, in the pool). I’m in.

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Located at 22 Anacapa Street. Classes, personal training, body work, and open pool available. Reserve a spot in a class using a mobile app. Cubbies provided for storing personal items. Bathrooms (currently being remodeled) and two separate shower rooms. Parking on the street and in the adjacent Garden Street lot. Buoyancy belts, pool noodles, and other equipment provided. See anderson-aquatics.com.