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There are many great uses for swimming pools. The first thing that comes to many people's minds when they think of pools is the beautiful hotel and resort pools, or the type that is only recreational in purpose. The pool can have great benefits in fitness, however, and there has been a great increase in the popularity of pools for exercise and thus more pools are being constructed with this in mind.

One big reason for the production of pools specifically for fitness purposes is that swimming is great exercise. Not only is it an exercise which is aerobic, making it similar to walking and running, but the stress placed on the joints in swimming is much reduced since the water supports the body and absorbs some of the impact force. With fitness in mind, special pools have been created, both above ground and inground lap pools among them.

A lap pool, as the name implies, is specifically made for "swimming laps," or more generally, for exercise and fitness. Lap pool design is unique among swimming pools. They are generally rectangular in shape, rather than the more circular designs often favored for recreational pools. In addition, lap pools tend to be much narrower. Some lap pools are even only one lane in length.

One feature of many pools, both elevated and inground lap pools, is a current. In this type of pool, a current is added to the water, flowing in one direction. By swimming against the current, a swimmer can experience an endless swimming pool effect. This makes their workout both more effective as well as allowing the pool to be placed in a smaller space.

Inground lap pools may be placed either indoors or outdoors. Indoor pools have the obvious advantage of being less sensitive to outdoor temperature fluctuations, but even an outdoor pool can be made to work year-round. Heated pools are popular among both business owners and homeowners, and make swimming far more comfortable regardless of the season.

The cost of installing a lap pool depends on the size of the pool and which features are to be included. Usually, a larger pool will cost more to install. Adding features such as heating systems and automatic current will also increase the price. Most people consider the costs of installation to be a small price to pay for the exercise and personal enjoyment that they get from their pools.