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5 Best Pool Exercises for a Full-Body Workout
Summer
means pool time and fun time in the sun!
A change in activities with the change of seasons is always exciting. Did you know that you can perform pool exercises to improve your health and fitness and prevent injuries in the pool?
Pool exercises are famous for fitness for seniors only, but that could not be further from the truth. Due to the nature of movement in the water, there is a place in the pool for everyone, from the elite athletes to the deconditioned beginners.
What Are the Benefits of Pool Exercises?
Pool exercises provide resistance to your whole body, making it a great workout. It is a good all-around activity because it: keeps your heart rate up while reducing stress, improves endurance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness.
Here are some reasons why
pool exercises are great for you
:
Buoyancy and support:
Depending on the depth of the water, buoyancy will lighten your apparent weight or joints load by up to 90%.
Added resistance:
Pool exercises can provide much greater resistance than on land, depending on the velocity of action.
Range of motion and flexibility:
Pool exercises can be safer, more comfortable, and less painful.
Calorie and fat-burning:
This promotes fat loss and calorie burn and finally results in
weight loss
.
Cool, comfortable, and fun:
The water has a cooling effect on the body, making exercise more comfortable.
5 Best Pool Exercises for a Full-Body Workout
Perform 10 reps of each move as many times as possible during ten minutes. Try and beat your previous round count the next time you do this work out.
1. TUCK JUMPS
Tuck jumps are heart-pounding exercises for all levels of fitness, which engage many muscles in your front side, such as your quadriceps and abdominals.
How to Perform:
Stand tall with your hands in the water.
Jump off the ground with both feet.
Pull your knees toward your chest.
Land on the ground, absorbing impact at your knees, hips, and ankles by extending the legs.
2. TORSO ROTATION
This move takes advantage of water resistance to activate your core in a 360-degree rotation.
How to perform:
Stand upright in the water with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Press your palms together and extend your arms straight out in front of you.
Rotate your upper body 90 degrees to your right, then 180 degrees to your left, keeping your arms straight and shoulders back.
3. JUMPING JACKS
Water resistance can reduce the impact, but it increases the amount of work for your arms and legs as they move.
How to perform:
Set up a wide stance with your arms extended like airplane wings just below the surface of the water.
Pull both arms down simultaneously while jumping your feet together.
Quickly, return to the starting position and repeat.
4. CROSS COUNTRY SKI
This movement pattern does not require any expensive equipment to work!
How to perform:
Place your left foot forward, right foot behind, right arm in front of you, and left arm back.
Next, move your arms and legs through the water to switch their positioning, so your left leg and right arm are behind you, and your right leg and left arm are in front of you.
Continually switch arms and legs between opposing directions.
5. SINGLE-LEG SQUATS
With the support of the water, the single-leg squat focuses on balance, coordination, unilateral strength, and proper squat patterns for athletes of all levels.
How to perform:
Extend your left leg out in front of you while standing on your right leg.
Depending on your mobility and water depth, sink down as low as possible, pressing your hips down and back. Your right knee should be aligned over your middle right toes.
Press up back to a stand and repeat.
Repeat on both legs.
Guidelines for Safety
Stay hydrated
by drinking plenty of fluids before and after you work out.
Float devices are helpful to those who aren’t strong swimmers, such as buoyancy belts or floatation vests.
Avoid working out in a pool that’s above 90°F (32°C).
Pool Exercises – Takeaway
Exercise may not be on your to-do list due to stiff joints, arthritis, and other health problems caused by aging. However, water aerobics provides an excellent alternative to traditional exercises at a gym. Try the above pool exercises at least three times a week to improve flexibility, cardiovascular function, bone density and relieve joint and arthritis pain!
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