When you think about jumping into your inground swimming pool, the first thing that crosses your mind is relaxing on your floaty with a nice cold beverage in your hand. However, in ten to twenty minutes, you can power out a fantastic workout with these simple swimming pool exercises.
The resistance of the water not only increases the power of your workout, but it is much gentler on your joints. Swimming pool exercises are especially beneficial for anyone who is recovering from an illness or some sort of joint replacement. Typically, 10-20 reps with 3 rounds will give you a nice, full body workout without having to hit the gym. Do these 3-5 times a week, and you may find yourself needing a smaller suit.
Dumbbells: Grab a dumbbell in each hand and hold them at your side under the water. Keep arms extended and lift away from you on each side. Do several reps, then repeat the exercise lifting the dumbbell in front of you. You can then follow this up by doing a bicep curl and a tricep curl to finish out the workout.
Bicycle: Rest your elbows on a pool noodle or on the edge of your pool. Extend your legs in front of you and then use your legs as if you were riding your bike. It’s great for your abs on dry land, doing the ab bicycle in the water adds extra work for your core, shoulders, and legs as you must engage them to keep from floating away.
Double Leg Lift: Rest your arms on the edge of the pool. Keep your ankles as close together as possible, raise your legs straight up to about a ninety-degree angle from your hips, and lower. The water provides extra difficulty because you must fight your body’s natural buoyancy to maintain control. While this may sound simple, it can be a bit tough because you have the water pushing down on you. If this is too much, a simple variation is to sit on the edge of the pool and perform the movement from there.
Half Suspended Jumping Jack: Doing jumping jacks in the pool takes them to a whole new level. Not only do you have to push through the water, but you need to maintain your balance as your natural buoyance will lead you to tip forward or backward. Jump your legs out as you normally would but don’t let your feet touch the bottom when you bring them back to the center.
Dips: No, not the ‘dip in the pool’ kind. Place palms flat on pool edge facing away from the water. Do a little hop and raise yourself up as high as you can by straightening arms. Hold position for a few seconds. Keeping elbows close to body, lower yourself until elbows form 90-degree angles. Don’t let feet touch pool bottom. This is especially great for working out your chest, back, triceps and shoulders.
You can also go to our Pinterest Page and find many other exercises to fit into your routine.
Now that you’ve done your swimming pool exercises, you can jump on that floaty and have someone else bring you a nice cold beverage.
