Make a Splash With These 5 Water Workouts

Water workouts may have numerous benefits and will help you reach your fitness goals, while you are also protecting your back and joints. When under water, you can perform basically any type of exercises that you normally perform outside the water, so you can work on all your muscle groups.

1. Tread Water

Start your workout with treading water. This may seem like a simple workout, but it will actually involve all your muscle groups, as you will try to float. Try floating for at least 3 minutes, if you are a beginner and move your way up to 5 or 10 minutes as you get more advanced.

While performing this exercise, try to maintain your back straight, as this will make sure that you work your abs as well.

2. Arm Workouts

The arm workouts should be performed under water, with your feel on the bottom of the pool. Start with simple arm lifts (with or without weights). Being under water, your arms may feel lighter, but you will still work on your muscles.

After lifting your arms, you can rotate them in a clockwise direction and then in an anticlockwise direction.

Get a ball or a kickboard and hold it in front of your body. Press with your arms, trying to hold the ball/ kickboard under water for as long as you can.

3. Abs Workouts

The abdominal muscles can be included in the water workout. Walking under water, maintaining your abs tight can be a starting point to work on your abs.

Then lift one of your legs as high as you can.

Find a wall grab and with your back to the wall, grab on to the wall, keeping your arms straight. Tighten your abs and try to lift both your legs as high as you can. Lift the legs to one side to work on your oblique muscles as well.

You can even perform crunches in the water, but you can perform these only if you feel comfortable with floating on the water while you do these workouts.

4. Legs and Buttocks Workouts

The legs and buttocks will be used whenever you are treading water or swimming. However, there are additional workouts designed for legs and buttocks as well.

Get a kickboard and perform a few strokes with your legs, making sure to move your whole leg, so that the glutes are also involved.

5. Stretching Exercises

After a session of aqua aerobics or water workouts, you will have to stretch.

Position yourself in front of one side of the pool, facing the wall. Hold on to the edge of the pool (of a wall grip if there is one). Try to place your feet on the side of the pool while grabbing on to the wall grip as well. Inhale and exhale, trying to move your hips back.

You can perform the stretches even before you start the workout, so that you won't get any injuries. However, performing workouts in the water is much safer than performing workouts outside the water and there are lower chances of strains or pulled muscles.

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