For those people who love to exercise, but don’t like that sweaty, out-of-breath feeling may want to dive into an inviting, summer alternative; swimming pool workouts. These pool workouts really are a refreshing and gentle form of exercise.
The unique fusion of resistance and buoyancy make these workouts versatile and easily adjusted for different fitness levels and physical conditions, according to Prevention.
“Water tones the whole body, yet it also relaxes you, so it’s ideal for people with injuries and back problems,” Nicole Forsythe, a water fitness instructor at the Delano Hotel’s David Barton Gym in Miami, told Prevention
Many local community centers even offer group water fitness classes, which provide the added benefit of community, motivation, and shared achievement. But, whether going it solo, or making a splash with friends, water workouts are a great way to build muscle, and improve overall health.
Ready to strap on your googles and jump in the pool? Here are five great ways, other than swimming laps, to get a high-intensity workout in water.
Take a Walk
According to Healthline, walking around the pool is a very simple, yet effective, water workout. Water resistance turns even a short stroll in the shallow end into a good exercise opportunity. Start by engaging the core, moving the arms, and letting the heel touch the floor before the toe, to avoid tiptoeing. To up the intensity of this workout, add wrist or ankle weights or resistance gloves.
Another way to make this exercise more impactful is to try running, instead of just walking, across the shallow end of the pool, reports TODAY.This is a great workout for people who can no longer run on land due to back or knee issues.
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Jumping Jacks
When it comes to this, and other exercises, Try doing jumping jacks in the pools. According to Harvard Health, the deeper the water, the more buoyancy, and thus the easier the exercise becomes.
Stand in the water with your feet together and arms down. Then, jump while bringing your arms together up in the air and spreading your legs, just like a dry-land jumping jack. Land with feet together and arms by the side again. Continue the exercise for around 60 seconds – be careful not to overdo it, since the water cushions the full intensity of the exercise. If water workout participants aren’t careful, they will be quite sore the next day.
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Get Kicking
Tired of standing in the pool? This exercise can be done horizontally, lying on the surface of the water. Grab a kickboard or the side of the pool and get the leg muscles moving with a variety of kicks including flutter kicks, scissor kicks, breaststroke kicks, and dolphin kicks. For an even more robust leg workout, add ankle weights before starting the kicks.
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Tricep Dips
This exercise move also takes participants to the side of the pool. According to Prevention, start by placing palms flat on the edge. Then, tighten the arm muscles and straighten the arms. This should lift your body out of the pool. Hold for a count of three, before lowering the elbows back to 90-degree angles. This workout tones the upper body, including chest, back, shoulder, and triceps muscles.
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Arm and Leg Curls
You can also use the water resistance to help keep arms strong and toned. To do this, stand with the shoulder under water and arms, with or without wrist weights. Touch the fingertips to each other in front of the chest. Then, tighten the arm muscles, and open arms outward until the arms are fully extended, parallel to the water’s surface. Close the arms again, and repeat.
To do a leg curl, start on the edge of the pool with your feet together and arms out at both sides. Hold the side of the pool and bend your knee, bringing your foot up to the glutes. Touch your heels and glutes. Then lower the leg, and repeat on the other side.
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