The 10 Best Pool Workouts

If you are looking to increase your cardiovascular activity each week, look no further than swimming! This low-impact exercise can pack a big punch – especially if you adjust your intensity accordingly. And even though swimming might be considered more of a summertime workout – and let’s be honest, nothing feels better than being in some cool water while torching some calories – you can also swim in the winter, and most areas have heated pools for your convenience. 

Benefits of Swimming

Before we delve into some exercises that can really ramp up your exercise experience in the water, let’s take a quick look at some of the benefits of swimming! For starters, one of the best things about swimming is the lack of equipment needed. For most people, you need a towel and a bathing suit! Optional accessories include a swim cap, pool noodle, or even a kickboard, but they aren’t necessary. 

Swimming is also a full-body exercise – and even more perfect for those with any sort of joint issues since there is little to no impact on joints while moving through the water. Different aspects of fitness, such as mobility, cardiovascular endurance, and even strength can all be targeted while swimming in a pool, and that’s because the water provides resistance against every muscle in the body! Lastly (but certainly not least), swimming is famous for torching calories; upwards of 400 calories can be burned within just an hour of gentle lap swimming! 

10 Best Pool Exercises

There are certainly plenty of other benefits of swimming that we haven’t listed here – but how do you know how to reap the benefits of being in the water? Let’s discuss the top 10 workouts and exercises that you can do in the pool… not only to get stronger and healthier but to feel better as well! 

1. Walking

Although this might seem pretty straightforward, walking in a pool is excellent exercise, from beginner exercisers to elite athletes alike. Walking in water will engage the entire body, and you can change or add resistance by either speeding up your pace or adding ankle or wrist weights. Just be sure that your core is engaged as you push through the water! 

2. Leg Kicks

An excellent movement to strengthen the core, leg kicks can actually help improve your overall swimming capabilities as well! This is where a kickboard can come in handy, although you can also hold onto the edge of the pool if needed – from here, you can perform flutter kicks or scissor kicks (or a combination of both) – and get ready for those muscles to burn a bit!

3. Treading Water

Again, a movement you might not think of as “exercise,” however, treading water can definitely get the heart rate up and engage the entire body! Utilizing your body in order to stay afloat takes consistent movement, which torches calories and improves cardiovascular health, as well as builds strength. Find an area of the pool where you are comfortable practicing this for a couple of minutes at a time!

4. Jumping Jacks

A perfect land exercise to get the heart pumping, jumping jacks are a solid water exercise as well! Add ankle or wrist weights to bump up the intensity, or increase your speed if desired. 

5. Water Bicycles

These are effective in both deep or shallow water, although finding some deeper water and using a pool noodle behind your back might be more comfortable. Pedal your feet just like you would on a regular bicycle – you’ll begin to feel the burn throughout your legs and core! 

6. Squat Jumps

Powerful and explosive when done on land, squat jumps can bring the heat in the pool just the same – but without the higher impact! These can have just as high of intensity in the water, so work them into a program accordingly. Just be sure that you are jumping with feet planted firmly on the floor of the pool, and landing softly in the same position. 

7. Freestyle Stroke

One of the easiest swimming strokes to do, the freestyle is just that – in a prone position in the water, while flutter kicking and sweeping your arms continuously! Work on how often you need to catch a breath between your strokes and notice just how well this movement might improve over time.

8. Mountain Climbers

You’ll need to find a low step for these, like the entrance to your pool; from here, with hands slightly elevated on the step, perform the movement as you would on land… you’ll notice that your core is going to take a beating as you drive your knees in toward your chest, especially with the resistance of the pool working against you!

9. Backstroke

If you’re wanting a bit of a break from learning how to breathe during alternate strokes like in the freestyle stroke, backstroke is perfect! You still move continuously, and target the posterior chain more so than in the freestyle stroke; however, you’re able to keep your face out of the water and breathe as needed! 

10. Side Lunge

The resistance of the water on your body can make side lunges a powerful movement to add to your workout routine; not only do you work on leg strength, but balance and stability as well! If you want to add a bit more of a challenge to a side lunge, bring the extended leg up to your chest and pull it in close with your arms before letting it extend back out for the lunge movement. 

Although these are just a few of the movements that you can do in a pool, they are excellent – and whether you do them individually, or combine them for a killer HIIT routine, you’re sure to notice that you’ve got a stronger body.