Jumping into the water is a fantastic way to cool off, but it can also provide a highly effective environment for staying fit. If you want to switch up your fitness routine, pool exercises offer a refreshing alternative to traditional gym workouts. And you can even enjoy it from home in your own backyard swimming pool.
Swimming exercises provide an incredible way to build strength, burn calories, and improve your overall health without putting stress on your body, and they can be effective for all fitness levels. But what are the best pool exercises? We’ve compiled a list of some of the top pool exercises—organized by difficulty—to help you get in shape and have fun at the same time.
Benefits of Pool Exercises
Before diving into specific routines, it helps to understand why working out in the water is so effective:
- Low-impact on joints: The buoyancy of water reduces your weight by about 90%, reducing strain on the joints and making these routines ideal for those with joint pain or arthritis.
- Full-body resistance training: Water provides natural resistance in every direction, engaging multiple muscle groups at once.
- Improves cardiovascular health: Regular swimming exercises elevate your heart rate and strengthen your cardiovascular system.
- Enhances flexibility and balance: The supportive environment allows for a wider range of motion.
- Perfect for small pools or at-home pools: You don’t need Olympic-sized lanes to get a great workout at home.
There are other health benefits to the water, too. Read up on water therapy to learn about how spending time in the water can significantly lower stress and improve your overall well-being.
Beginner Pool Exercises
So, what are some good pool exercises for beginners? These are a great, low-impact place to start. Plus, most of these ideas don’t take up much space, so they’re small-pool friendly too.
- Water Walking or Jogging: Simply walk or jog from one side to the other. This acts as an excellent warm-up and gentle cardio session.
- Leg Lifts: Hold onto the edge, stand straight, and lift one leg out in front of you or straight back. This movement strengthens your core and legs.
- Arm Circles: Submerge your shoulders and perform circular motions with your arms for a great, low-resistance, upper body exercise to help improve endurance.
- Marching in Place: Bring your knees up high while standing in place. This improves circulation and balance.
Intermediate Pool Exercises
Once you build up your endurance, you can increase the intensity with these intermediate swimming exercises.
- Flutter Kicks: Hold onto the wall and let your body float horizontally. Kick your legs rapidly to strengthen your core and lower body.
- Bicycle Kicks: Lean your back against the wall, support yourself with your elbows, and pedal your legs as if riding a bicycle for a great ab and leg workout.
- Water Jumping Jacks: Perform traditional jumping jacks in chest-deep water. This combines cardio with excellent water resistance.
- Side Leg Raises: Stand straight and lift one leg out to the side against the water’s resistance to target your outer thighs and glutes.
Advanced Pool Exercises
For those looking to push their limits, these advanced swimming exercises will elevate your heart rate and heavily challenge your muscles.
- Pool Sprints: Run as fast as you can across the shallow end for short, high-intensity cardio bursts.
- Treading Water with Weights: Hold lightweight water dumbbells while treading water to build full-body endurance.
- Squat Jumps in Water: For low-impact plyometrics, lower into a squat and jump up explosively. The water softens the landing, but you still get a solid workout.
- Resistance Band Kicks: Attach a water-safe resistance band to your ankles and perform kickbacks to highly engage your glutes and legs.
Pool Noodle Exercises
Looking for which exercises can be done with pool noodles? These simple foam tubes act as fantastic tools for flotation, balance, and added resistance, so here’s a quick overview of some you can easily incorporate into your routine for targeted strength training:
- Pushdowns: Hold a noodle horizontally in front of you and push it down against the gentle resistance of the water to engage your chest and arms.
- Chest Press: Hold the noodle with both hands near your chest, palms down, just below the surface. Push forward until your arms are extended under the water, then pull back.
- Plank Push: Hold a noodle with both hands, lean forward into a plank position, and push the noodle down to challenge your core.
Beginners and those in rehabilitation heavily rely on noodles because they offer stability while helping isolate specific muscle groups.
Small Pool Modifications
If you’re short on space and wondering, “What exercises can I do in a small pool?”, you might be able to accomplish more than you realize. Many of the pool exercises we’ve mentioned require very little space, or they can be adjusted to accommodate a smaller pool.
You don’t need a lot of room to achieve a full-body burn. Focus on vertical movements rather than horizontal lap swimming. Marching in place, arm circles, and side leg lifts require almost no forward movement—you can also use the walls or edges for support, allowing you to maximize the area you do have.
Safety Considerations
While swimming exercises are generally safe, you should keep a few precautions in mind. Avoid overexertion, as the cooling effect of the water can mask how hard your body is actually working. Always ensure your pool water is clean and properly balanced. Finally, beginners or seniors should consider having someone nearby for supervision to prevent any accidents.
Design a Space That Inspires Fitness and Relaxation
Having an inviting workout space right in your backyard makes staying active incredibly convenient. If you want to build a custom swimming environment tailored to your fitness and relaxation needs, Oasis Pavers and Pools can bring your vision to life.
Get in touch with our team to discuss your upcoming backyard project.
