WATERY FITNESS MAKES A BIG SPLASH : SENIORS, PRO ATHLETES ALIKE PLUNGE INTO POOL EXERCISES.

Byline: Jenifer Hanrahan Daily News Staff Writer

When Nancy Shrodes is in the water, she has a spring in her step that ballet dancers would envy.

Three times a week, Shrodes joins a group of fellow fitness-minded senior citizens who leap, fox-trot and even hula in the pool at the Glendale YMCA.

``It's the most important thing I do for myself to keep my health, my energy, my looks,'' said Shrodes of Glendale. ``And I don't have to get my hair wet.''

In fact, to participate in water exercise, you don't even need to know how to swim.

In the shallow end, there's water aerobics and water walking. In the deep end, there's water running (participants wear floatation devices) and workouts using a ``woggle'' or ``noodle,'' which is a plastic foam pool toy.

Once relegated to rehabilitation centers, water exercise is moving into the fast lane because it provides all the benefits of land-based workouts - muscle toning, increased flexibility and aerobic conditioning - without any pounding on the joints.

And it's not only senior citizens who are taking the plunge.

Lazaro Alvarez, 24, of Glendale took up step water aerobics two months ago to lose weight. A longtime weight lifter, Alvarez wanted an aerobic workout to burn fat, but jogging and other sports aggravated his asthma and knee problems.

``My wife had been bugging me. She said, `Start doing the bike or running or something,' '' Alvarez said. ``I had never heard of water aerobics before. I thought it was going to be easy. But the sessions really wore me out.''

In two months, Alvarez lost 13 pounds.

``I'm more energetic. I work better,'' said Alvarez, an insurance salesman. ``I used to have big love handles. Now I get a lot of compliments, especially from my wife.''

Water exercise is spilling over into the ranks of athletes and celebrities. Personal trainer Lynda Huey, a water exercise pioneer, incorporated water exercise into workouts she devised for Cybill Shepherd, Bo Jackson, Paula Abdul, Juliet Prowse, James Garner and Wilt Chamberlain.

``You can work the entire fitness spectrum, from the injured novice to Olympic and professional athletes,'' said Huey, president of the Santa Monica-based Huey's Athletic Network.

James Strom, head strength coach at the University of Southern California, uses water exercise with varsity athletes, including the football team. Strom has the athletes run back and forth across the shallow end for 20 minutes.

``You take a big athlete that weighs 280 pounds that is constantly running on a hard surface and the joints get inflamed,'' Strom said. ``This is a way to keep them training and keep them in shape and not having any stress on the joints.''

And Jeanette Bolden, the women's track coach at the University of California, Los Angeles, cross-trains her runners in the pool to give them a break from the heat and from the high-impact of running on a hard surface. They perform five to seven repetitions of sprints in the shallow end, followed by a short rest.

``It does help their legs recover and maintain their fitness level,'' Bolden said. ``It breaks up the monotony.''

The key to water exercise is not simply emulating aerobic moves that you would perform on land, Huey said. Since the workout comes from water resistance rather than gravity, movements should be slower and sweeping.

The water's buoyancy cushions the body, allowing for higher jumps and longer leaps. For example, in a step water aerobics class (the step is weighted so it stays put on the bottom), Huey's students might jump over the step and lift their knees to their chest - a move they couldn't do on land.

Huey discovered the benefits of water exercise while helping with the rehabilitation of track stars Carl Lewis, Florence Griffith Joyner and Gale Devers after they were injured.

``We didn't realize they were going to come out of the pool faster and stronger than when they went in,'' Huey said. ``That surprised us.''

Along with the elderly and obese, people with chronic joint pain can benefit from water workouts. Many public pools offer ``Twinges in the Hinges,'' a water exercise program developed by the Arthritis Foundation. Exercises include clenching and unclenching the fists, rotating the ankles and walking around the pool.

``Because of the warmth and the buoyancy, a lot of patients have a real feeling of freedom, which they don't get on dry land,'' said Van Nuys rheumatologist Steven Weiner. ``The water is one of the few environments that our patients can get cardiopulmonary exercise.''

Pregnant women, provided the water isn't too warm, also may find working out more comfortable in the water.

Candace Butler, a 40-something mother of two from Glendale, gave up jogging and aerobics when she was pregnant with her first child five years ago. When she decided to start exercising again, the idea of panting, sweating and feeling the burn in her muscles didn't appeal to her.

So Butler tried deep-water running at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena. Combined with dieting, Butler lost 21 pounds since March.

``The water is relaxing, even when I'm working,'' Butler said. ``Because we're vertical, I can have a conversation during the class.''

It is because water exercise is not only healthy, but fun, that John Spannuth, president of the nonprofit United States Water Fitness Association in Boynton Beach, Fla., predicts that water exercise's appeal will continue to broaden.

``If you ask what percent of people can swim laps, which means actually swimming back and forth, it's probably 8 percent,'' Spannuth said. ``If you ask people who can walk in the water, it's probably 99 percent.''

Water works Joining a water exercise class can be fun and social, but you can start a program a lot closer to home.

``Your backyard swimming pool is your home fitness center,'' said John Spannuth, president of United States Water Fitness Association in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Try these exercises for aerobic conditioning and muscle-toning in chest-high water:

Walk/run: Walk or run with your knees lifted high, or simulate cross-country skiing by taking long, lunge-like strides. Swing your arms through the water as if you were holding poles. Do the exercises back and forth across the shallow end of the pool.

Tuck jump: With your legs together and arms extended to the side, jump while pulling your knees to your chest and pressing your arms down.

Jumping jacks: This exercise is almost the same as on land, except you should raise your arms only to the surface of the water before pressing them down to your side.

Push-ups: Facing the wall, place your hands shoulder-length apart on the edge of the pool. Pressing down, lift your body out of the water until your arms are almost straight, then slowly lower yourself into the water.

Arm press: Standing with your knees slightly bent, extend your arms out to the side, just below the surface of the water. Keeping your arms straight, forcefully press your hands downward until they meet in front of your upper thighs and sweep them back to the surface with equal force.

Chest press: Facing the wall with your feet close to the base, hold onto the edge of the pool. Keeping your back straight, push away from the wall until your arms are almost straight, then pull your chest close to the wall. It's important to use equal force on the push and the pull.

Scissor kick: With your back braced against the wall, lift your legs out in front of you to a 90-degree angle. Keeping them straight, open them as wide as you can and then bring them together in front of you. Vary the movement by keeping your legs together and swinging them as far to the left and then the right as you can. To get the full benefit, your back should remain pressed against the wall.

Leg lifts: Holding the wall with one hand, lift your leg straight in front of you and then lower. After several repetitions, try lifting your leg to the side and then behind you.

For information on water exercise, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (55 cents postage) to the United States Water Fitness Association, P.O. Box 3279, Boynton Beach, Fla. 33424.

For information on Arthritis Foundation water exercise programs, call [phone].

Sources: Information provided by the United States Water Fitness Association and Fitness Swimmer Magazine.

Give it a try at the pool Many public pools offer water exercise programs this summer. Classes are 45 minutes to an hour. Here's a sampling:

The Glendale YMCA, 140 N. Louise St., Glendale, offers water exercise for seniors, water aerobics, step water aerobics and ``Twinges in the Hinges.'' Call [phone].

A.A.F. Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena, offers water exercise for seniors, water aerobics and deep-water aerobics/running. Call [phone].

Los Angeles Valley College pool, 5800 Fulton Ave., Van Nuys, offers water aerobics. Call [phone].

The East Valley YMCA, 5142 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, offers water aerobics and ``Twinges in the Hinges.'' Call [phone].

The Burbank YMCA, 321 E. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, offers water aerobics, water exercise for seniors and ``Twinges in the Hinges.'' Call [phone].

A variety of water exercise classes also will be offered by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, Valley Region Aquatics Section:

Cleveland Pool, 8120 Vanalden Ave., Reseda, [phone].

Fernangeles Pool, 8851 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Sun Valley, [phone].

Granada Hills Pool, 16730 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills, [phone].

Hubert Humphrey Pool, 12560 Fillmore St., Pacoima, [phone].

Lanark Pool, 21817 Strathern St., Canoga Park, [phone].

North Hollywood Pool, 5301 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, [phone].

Northridge Pool, 10088 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, [phone].

Reseda Pool, 18411 Victory Blvd., Reseda, [phone].

Ritchie Valens Pool, 10731 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Pacoima, [phone].

Sun Valley Pool, 8123 Vineland Ave., Sun Valley, [phone].

Sylmar Pool, 13109 Borden Ave., Sylmar, [phone].

Valley Plaza Pool, 6715 Laurelgrove Ave., North Hollywood, [phone].

Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Pool, 14201 Huston St., Van Nuys, [phone].

Verdugo Hills Pool, 10654 Irma Ave., Tujunga, [phone].

Woodland Hills Pool, 5858 Shoup Ave., Woodland Hills, [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, 2 Boxes

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) Different strokes

Plun ge into the summer's coolest workouts

(2) Water exercise classes, including this one at the Glendale YMCA, are easy on the joints. To participate, you don't even have to know how to swim.

Tina Gerson/Daily News

(3) Roberta Riddell stays afloat with a ``water noodle'' while working out her abdominal muscles.

(4) Emi Shibata demonstrates use of the plastic foam ``noodle'' for water exercises. Originally developed for rehabilitation programs, pool workout regimens are now available for many different skill levels.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

Box: (1) Water works (See Text)

(2) Give it a try at the pool (See Text)