Aqua Exercises: Your Aqua Fitness Guide
Aqua Exercises Benefits
One of the best things about aqua exercises is that you don't have to be a strong swimmer to participate. In fact, many of the exercises can be done in shallow water, making them accessible to people of all skill levels. The buoyancy of the water also provides suitable resistance for your muscles, making your workout more challenging and effective. Plus, the cool water is a refreshing way to beat the heat and stay cool during your workout. And don't forget the fun part of working out in a refreshing pool.
Your Ultimate Aqua Exercises Recourse
Our Aqua Exercises guides have you covered with regularly updated exercises, presented through engaging animations. We want to make sure that you never run out of ideas for your aquatic workouts. Our library includes shallow and deep water, with or without equipment, and features various workout styles and intensities. Additionally, we provide expert tips and techniques that can transform your splashes into fitness achievements.
What do we offer?
Each exercise comes with detailed tips on technique, muscles worked, breathing and variations tailored for different levels. Our visuals also provide detailed muscle maps to enhance. understanding on how each exercise affects your muscles.
All of our exercises are original and have been thoroughly reviewed for safety and effectiveness. By following our aqua exercises guide, you will always keep your workouts fresh.
Cross Country Glide
This exercise is inspired by the classic Aqua Cross Country Ski technique, which users usually perform on the spot. In this variation you will glide forward as you push your arms and legs backward. The key is not to push with the same force as you bring your arms and legs forward, which won't make you glide.
Aiming to glide as far as possible adds purpose to your movements, making them less random. This also creates a rhythm that synchronizes pushing and easing, which is great for training your coordination and motor skills.
You can use this principle to create similar exercises from almost any move in deep water.
Split Jump Exercise
This is a fantastic shallow water exercise that builds strength and improves balance, agility and endurance. Stand in shallow water in a lunge pose, then perform alternate jumps, switching your legs in the air, and landing with the opposite leg forward. With each jump scoop the water with your hands to add more resistance.
Repeat until breathing becomes difficult. Add aqua dumbbells if you want a tougher workout.
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Effective 4 Aqua Exercises Anyone Can Do Without Equipment
Pendulum Legs
Stand with feet together. Jump while swinging your legs sideways like a pendulum. Keep your hands by your sides, lean slightly toward the opposite side of the kicking leg, and keep your hip movement comfortable.
This exercise is excellent for your inner and outer thighs. Repeat the movement until you feel these muscles working.
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Cross Punch
Stand with feet together. Twist your upper body (within a comfortable range of motion) and push the water to both your sides while keeping your feet firm. With each push open your hands to maximize the surface area.
This exercise works your oblique, abs and shoulders. Repeat until you feel a slight burn along your sides.
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Wall Push-Ups
In shallow water, face the wall and place both hands on the edge, right in front of your shoulders. Take a small step back, let your feet find a comfortable stance, and lean lightly into the wall. From there, perform regular wall push ups and enjoy the buoyant feeling.
This move will work your chest and arm muscles without placing too much strain on your wrists. Repeat until you're happy with your arm and chest engagement.
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What makes this exercise stand out is the unique blend of flexibility and strength. The first move, cross-country skiing builds strength for major muscle groups. Then the opposite toe touch, which is more about flexibility. When you perform these two moves together, it challenges you in a way that also improves your coordination. See our detailed breakdown of the Aqua Cross Touch exercise.
Featured Video: Aqua Cross-Touch
8 Aqua Trivia Drops
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Water can be a pleasant and supportive environment so move with intention and effort when exercising.
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Water buoyancy allows you to move with more flexibility because of it's supportive nature that relieves pressure on your spine and joints.
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Waves from splashing in the pool create something called "unpredictable resistance" mimicking real-life balance challenges (like walking on uneven terrain)
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Did you know that aqua exercises can help with the land-based sports, like running and boxing? Performing these activities in different environment challenges you in a unique way that improves your performance on land.
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Did you know that Jack LaLanne, the fitness legend, invented modern aqua aerobics in the 1950's?
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In aqua exercises water temperature matters, cold water burns more calories while warm water helps relax your muscles.
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You can participate in aqua exercises even if you are not a swimmer. In fact, aqua exercises might actually help you learn to swim more quickly. By challenging your body in the pool, you'll build water confidence, physical strength, coordination and balance, all which are essential skills for swimming.
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Exercising in deeper water increases effort for cardio, while shallow areas focus on balance, allowing endless creativity in routines
Fresh Aqua Exercises Ideas to Get Creative in the Pool
Don't limit your workouts to traditional pool exercises when you can come up with creative movements yourself. Look for inspiration from land-based exercises like lunges or calf raises and see if you can modify them for pool workouts. You can even come up with completely new moves if you know a bit of anatomy, like how joints align and how muscles engage with different moves. The point is not to be afraid of getting creative as long as you're staying safe. This can also include using existing exercises to create your own routines or variations, such as changing the speed, combining different moves, or adding resistance. Make sure to test your custom exercises in the pool first to make sure they feel good, comfortable, pain-free, and safe.
Frequently Asked Questions About Aqua Exercises (FAQ)
Is Exercising in Shallow Water bad for Knees?
Not necessarily! It all depends on the moves and how deep the shallow end is. The deeper you are submerged, the more support you will have.
Can I build muscles in the pool?
You can, but not the big-sized type that people usually get by lifting weights. Water resistance has a different effect, which gives you lean muscle tone, rather than bulk.
Can I lose weight in the pool?
Absolutely! Aqua exercises are great for weight loss. Water buoyancy eases the pressure on your joints which makes your movement safer and more effective. However, you will burn fewer calories in the pool as opposed to land-based exercises. This means you will need to work longer and harder to get the same results.
Can pool workouts replace land exercises?
Not entirely. While exercising in water improves most fitness areas, there are parts where it falls short. For example, water's buoyancy reduces gravitational impact on bones which may limit their growth.
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