First come the squeals.

The cold pool at the Dowd YMCA in Charlotte feels downright frigid some days.

We always complain about it when we jump in. We warm up quickly when our teacher starts shouting orders. Then we spend the next hour complaining about her.

Army drill sergeants could learn from Allison Lilly, whose deep-water aerobics classes offer a high-intensity workout in a low-impact setting.

Run across the pool as fast as you can, and when you reach the other side, mountain climb back, she yells. You should be out of breath by now you should be dying!

Forget any notion about water aerobics belonging to little old ladies.

This workout challenges tennis players with bum knees, middle-age runners with aching backs and younger fitness buffs looking for a break from pounding pavements, elliptical machines and bikes.

Class takes place in the deep end of the pool. Most people wear a flotation belt, which lets you do all the moves without feeling like youre going to sink.

A few incredibly vigorous types, including Lilly when she jumps in, go beltless.

Lilly structures the class like boot camp in water. We run, bike and cross-country ski, using our bodies as bikes and skis. We jump rope, do jumping jacks and kickbox. We lift weights and struggle through situps. All in the pool.

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Dowd YMCA water aerobics class is anything but easy