Articles

Installing a lap pool or endless swimming pool in your home is a long term investment in your health and fitness as much as it is one in the overall value of your house. Let's face it - gyms are smelly, nerve-racking places. Many people are turned off by the constant scrutiny of perfectly built athletes as much as they are by the pounding techno favored by most fitness clubs.

One of the great things about inground lap pools is their water requirements - much lower than your average recreational pool. The simple, linear look of lap pool design is also far less likely to clash with the architectural style of your home, while also being much less complicated to construct. The only question is whether you have enough space to fit a lap pool in your back yard. The minimum length for a lap pool is 40 feet. The pool should be at least 8 feet wide and 3 and 1/2 feet deep.

If you don't have enough space for this kind of lap pool design, there's another option available to you. An endless swimming pool (of the Endless Pools Inc. variety) uses variously directed hose nozzles to create an adjustable current for you to swim against. It's often been called a treadmill for swimmers. The company now even produces a unit that you can install into your existing pool called 'FastLane'. The adjustable nature of the resistance makes it suitable for swimmers of all levels of fitness.

Endless pools are also hydraulically powered, which keeps their consumption of electricity down so low you'll scarcely notice the drain. While there's nothing that beats the freedom of a full-length lap pool design, this option is both a space saver and a great showpiece sure to fascinate guests and reignite your family's interest in physical fitness.