The best pool exercises for weight loss are the simplest exercises where you start slowly and build up to a more intense exercise routine. Pool exercises burn more fat than the equivalent land-based exercises because in water your body needs to work much harder to perform simple movements. Pool exercises are great for people of all ages and levels of fitness because the buoyancy and fluidity of the water dampens the impact of movement on your joints and muscles. This greatly lessens the risk of injury to your body.
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Benefits of Swimming Pool Exercises
Pool exercises provide many advantages over land-based exercises.
Low Impact
The buoyancy and fluidity of the water dampens the impact of movement on your body. Your joints and muscles get a workout without the jarring and jolting from impacting the ground. This greatly lessens the risk of injury to your body.
Water Resistance
Your body is accustomed to moving around in the atmosphere with little resistance. Water provides considerable more resistance than air. When exercising in water your body needs to work much harder to perform simple movements.
You don’t need to lift heavy and dangerous weights.
When performing simple pool exercises you burn much more calories than you would out of the pool. Also the resistance helps to burn fat and strengthen muscle tissue.
Water Temperature
When you exercise in a pool your body is cooled down to the temperature of the surrounding water. The water temperature prevents your body overheating and sweating making exercise more comfortable.
Your cardiovascular system has to work harder to pump blood around your body at a faster rate to maintain your body’s core operating temperature. This helps to increase cardiovascular performance and improve endurance.
Burn Fat Faster
Pool exercises burn more fat than the equivalent land-based exercises. The added resistance of the surrounding water means your cardiovascular system has to work harder to pump blood around your body. Your body consumes more energy to move your muscles and as a result you burn more fat than other forms of exercise.
Stress Relief
Water has a natural stress relieving property that helps you to unwind and feel more relaxed. Water combined with exercise reduces your body’s stress levels and makes you feel more refreshed.
Good for all Levels of Fitness
Pool exercises are great for people of all ages and levels of fitness. There are plenty of exercises that are suitable for beginners, intermediate or advanced levels of fitness.
Best Pool Exercises for Beginners
The following pool exercises for beginners are relatively easy and designed for beginners or people who want a light exercise regime. Always start slowly and build up to a more intense exercise regime when your body is ready. When exercising you need to push yourself a little to get positive results but not beyond your body’s limitations.
Walking in Water
Start this exercise in pool water waist deep.
Start walking around with your arms out of the water to provide less resistance. Try not to tiptoe around but plant your feet flat on the bottom.
Next put your arms in the water and use them the help propel you through the water.
Later move into deeper water to make the exercise more difficult and to expend more energy. Now you’re really burning those calories.
Cycling in Water
This exercise is good for your legs, core and shoulders.
Start this exercise in chest deep water.
Lean backwards towards the side of the pool with your arms holding on to the side of the pool.
Perform a cycling motion with your legs. Exercise for as long as you can without becoming too exhausted. When you feel yourself becoming tired stop and rest for a while. You can perform the exercise again after a short rest.
Planking
Planking uses most of the muscle groups in your body for a real workout. This exercise can be forward or backwards planking.
Use a pool noodle to provide extra buoyancy to your chest area.
Start this exercise in chest deep water.
Hold the noodle near your chest. Push your feet and legs forward so you are floating face up. Hold this planking position for several minutes.
Change to a forwards floating plank. Push your feet and legs backwards so you are floating face down and forward. Hold this planking position for several minutes.
Jumping
One of the simplest pool exercises for beginners is jumping.
Start this exercise in chest deep water.
Bend your knees until you are up to you neck in water.
Jump vertically upwards as high as you can bringing your knees up to your chest.
Repeat this exercise in sets of 10.
Later move into deeper water and try this exercise without touching the bottom. That is, kick your legs to propel you upwards out of the water in a set of 10.
Best Pool Exercises for Weight Loss
Once you have worked your way through the basic exercises above and your body has become fitter and stronger you will want to increase the intensity of exercise. The following pool exercises are more intense and designed for weight loss. Mix up the exercises to make it fun and so you don’t get bored.
Some people like to play music or listen to the radio when exercising in the pool. This provides an element of distraction from the monotony of repeated exercises and makes pool exercises more fun.
Jogging in Water
Rather than simply walking in water move up to jogging in water.
Start this exercise in waist deep water.
Put your arms in the water and use them the help propel you through the water as you jog around the pool or back and forth across the pool. Start jogging for one minute then rest. Build up to longer jogging sessions to lose more weight.
Step Push-Ups
The way you perform the step push-up depends on your type of pool and its features. This exercise is best suited to an inground pool with large steps or an inbuilt shelf.
Start with your hands on the top or second top pool step and your feet on the bottom or the pool shelf.
Perform a normal push-up by bending your arms with your legs straight.
Build up to doing 10 push-ups.
Later perform multiple sets of 10 push-ups with a rest period in between.
Ball Retrieval
Start in the shallow end of the pool and throw a ball to the other end of the pool.
Retrieve the ball and bring back to the shallow end. Yes, just like a dog.
Repeat this 10 times.
It doesn’t matter how you retrieve the ball (jog, swim or dive) you will expend energy and burn calories.
Start the exercise slowly and gradually speed up the ball retrieval.
Treading Water
Move into the deep end where you cannot touch the bottom.
Tread water for 30 seconds.
Relax and float or rest at the side of the pool.
Repeat the exercise 10 times.
This is a great exercise to perform in between the other exercises to mix things up and eliminate the exercises becoming boring.
Arm Flexing
This exercise is good for biceps, triceps and shoulders.
Move into shoulder deep water.
Put your arms outstretched to you sides and hold your palms open in a vertical position.
Move your arms together in front of you until your palms touch.
Move your arms back to the starting position.
Repeat this flapping movement 10 times.
Next put your arms outstretched to you sides and hold your palms open in a horizontal position.
Move your arms to your hips like you are flapping your arms.
Repeat this flapping movement 10 times.
Using Weights in the Pool
When you are ready to intensify your pool exercise routine use weights to create more resistance. Weights are great for working out your arms, shoulders and chest.
There are many weight accessories available to add resistance to your exercises. The most popular are dumbbells and strap-on weights for ankles and wrists. Start with light weights and gradually increase the weights as you build muscle and fitness.
Please read our article on Why Swimming is Better than Walking to Lose Weight
Best Pool Exercises for Abs and Legs
Best Pool Exercises for Seniors
Pool Exercises and Safety
Although pool exercises for weight loss are less intense than working out in a gym you still need to perform exercises safely and use common sense. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself because you advanced to quickly.
- Always start slowly with simple exercises and build up to more difficult exercises when your body is ready.
- Start in the shallow end of the pool until you are more experienced with your exercise regime.
- At any time you feel faint, dizzy or out of breath stop exercising and get out of the pool to rest.
- Don’t exercise in a heated pool as you may overstress and overheat yourself without realizing it.
- When exercising in water you still sweat and need to drink water to replace lost body fluids.
- Wearing water shoes will help with traction on the bottom and make some exercises easier to perform.
- If you have any pre-existing medical conditions talk to your doctor before attempting a new exercise program.
- Never attempt pool exercises straight after eating a large meal or when you are tired or feel sleepy.