Pool workouts

Pool workouts aren’t swimming laps or water aerobics, and it’s not just for injury rehabilitation and older adults. Anyone, even professional athletes, can benefit from exercise routines in water. Water is 800 times denser than air, providing unique multidirectional resistance. That means when you walk forward through water, your body is fighting the resistance of all of the water around you — vertically, horizontally, and rotationally. This challenges your muscles in unique ways. The reduced stress on joints and bones makes pool exercises a great option for people with aches or pains due to injury or chronic conditions that affect the joints.

These pool exercises require zero swimming and can help you build muscle mass, which in turn helps you burn fat. These exercises prioritize movement patterns to get your heart rate up and work a wide range of muscles at the same time. 

1. Running

Staying in the shallow end of the pool, run from one edge to the other (the shallower the water, the heavier your bodyweight will feel; but the deeper the water, the more drag or resistance you’ll feel working against your movement). You’ll need to lean forward from the ankles, pump your arms, and bring your legs into a high-knee position before extending them back down to move forward.

2. Pool-Edge Push-Ups

Place your hands on the edge of the pool, just over shoulder-width apart, shift your weight into your upper body so that your toes lift from the floor of the pool, and raise your torso out of the pool until your arms are fully extended. Pause, then slowly lower your body back to start and repeat. If this feels too difficult on your chest, shoulders, or triceps, use your lower body for support by using your legs to jump off the bottom.

3. Squat Jumps

Stand in the shallow end of the pool with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes turned slightly out. Squat down by sitting back into your hips and heels with flat feet, then straighten your hips, knees, and jump up as high as possible into the air. (The water should be shallow enough that squatting does not bring your head underwater). Land on the balls of your feet, then immediately squat back down and repeat.

4. Side Shuffling

Stand in the shallow end of the pool, and side shuffle from one edge of the pool to the other. Focus on keeping your core engaged and toes pointing in from of you.To increase the burn, hold your hands to the side.

5. Prone Scissor Kick

Start in deep enough water that your feet are not touching the ground. Holding onto the edge of the pool or a flotation device, lift your legs so your body is in a horizontal position. Keeping your knee soft, kick from your hip as if you were kicking a soccer ball. Repeat using the other leg. Move your legs faster and kick harder to up the resistance — you should be creating white splashes at the surface of the water. Focus on keeping your body in one straight line from the back of the head to the tailbone as you kick.

6. Press to Row

Start standing holding a kickboard against your torso and lower into a squat position so that your chest is submerged in the pool. Brace your core, and extend your arms and the kickboard forward against the water, then immediately pull your arms and the kickboard back toward your chest. You should feel the muscles of the back working.

7. Jumping Jacks

Stand in the pool with your head above water (as deep as you’re comfortable), feet together, and arms down at your sides. Jump your legs out to both sides as you raise your arms straight overhead, then reverse the motion, jumping your feet back in together and bringing arms back down to your sides.

Try completing all seven exercises in order as a circuit, completing 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off. Give yourself a two-minute rest between rounds. Start with two rounds, and work your way up to eight rounds gradually. Increase your workout frequency, duration, and intensity as your fitness progresses.

Perform the workout twice a week as an ideal low-impact conditioning routine for days between other strength-based and aerobic workouts. If you aren’t able to swim for extended periods of time, performing your water exercises in a shallow pool or with the assistance of a float is key.