Swimming Pool Workout
With temperatures soaring into the 80's this weekend, I decided to take the plunge (literally). When it gets this hot, the exercises we normally enjoy (running, biking, tennis) become more labor and less love. Swimming, and aquatic workouts, are a great way to beat the heat and to add a variety to your workout routine.
Here are some benefits of water workouts:
- Training in an aquatic environment improves your blood flow, fluctuates your body temperature and enhances muscle conditioning.
- The unique properties of water allow for creative and aggressive fitness programming. The viscosity of water allows you to push, pull, run, jump, jack and jog much harder. Plus the constant resistance water provides trains more muscle groups simultaneously.
- The buoyancy of water allows for vigorous physical activity with minimal joint impact. For example, if you are in water that is at chest level you will be bearing only about 25-35% of your body weight. If you simply flex at your hips and knees and lower into the water at shoulder level you will virtually eliminate impact during fitness activity.
Instead of just swimming laps, try mixing up your workout routine in the pool. Here are some great exercises:
- Float on your back and do crunches.
- Grab a flotation device (like a funoodle) and head to the deep end and run in place. This exercise works your core to the max because you are forced to keep vertical alignment.
- Jog in place with knees wide (both forward and backwards).
- Jumping Jacks & Lunges.
- Cross Country Skiing by jumping one leg forward & one back, switch legs jumping the other one forward and the other one back
- Jump squats with feet shoulder width apart perform a small bounce.
- Work your quads by lifting one leg off the pool bottom and hold your foot in your hand. Point the knee down to the bottom of the pool keeping the knees close together. Repeat on opposite leg.
- Strengthen your glutes by standing on one supporting leg. Lift your other leg straight out in front with hands under your leg to support it. Repeat on opposite leg.
- Work your chest by opening your arms out to the sides clasping hands behind the back. Keep your abdominal muscles strong while you stretch the chest (pectorals).
You can pretty much mimic any exercise you do in the gym in the pool, using the water as resistance. You can increase the resistance with water gloves, weights and funoodles. Make sure you stay hydrated during your water workouts and have fun. Below are some great websites for all sorts of aquatic exercise tools, including workout DVDs:
http://www.aquatic-exercise-equipment.com/
http://sprintaquatics.com/default.asp
