Water aerobics is a great way to get fit in your pool. Water aerobics is also a fun way to break up the same workout at the gym and allows you to step outside your normal fitness training to benefit from something new. Below are some aerobic moves that you can use in a pool to tone up and get fit:
- Walking. Walking in a pool is different than walking on a treadmill or outside. The water displaces your weight so your joints have less impact, making walking a very low-impact variation. The water also creates a natural resistance helping you tone up and work more of your stabilizer muscles. Go ahead and wear your waterproof accelerometer pedometer and track those steps! A mile in the pool or a mile outside is the same distance. Getting miles in a pool does not lessen the distance; it only lessens the impact on the hips and knees. This benefit makes walking in the pool a perfect exercise for those who are recovering from injury.
- Jumping. Jumping in the pool is an easy water exercise that can be done even in shallow sections. The water displaces the gravity, so you don’t fall as hard as on your joints. The landing is soft, but the push off is challenging since you are fighting the resistance of the water. Jumping in the pool allows you to get your heart rate up quickly, yet safely. Instructors with water certification can help you create variations of jumping to help match your fitness goals.
- Side Shuffle. Side shuffles in the pool can help build stability and strength in the hip flexor muscles. Side shuffles are also the best agility exercises when used as cross training for speed in endurance sports. Performing them in a pool lowers the impact and lowers the risk of injury, allowing you to train harder without over straining.
- Scissor Jumps. Scissor jumps in the pool turns a high-impact plyometric move into a powerful low- impact movement. The benefits can still support an agility training guide to help build strength and quickness. The pool lessens the impact on the joints and muscles giving you a safer injury free workout.
Any water aerobics or group fitness instructor with a personal trainer national certification can demonstrate a variety of exercises that you can transfer into a pool. Pools provide an opportunity to experience the moves differently and activate more muscles during a workout. Your core muscles get an extra workout while stabilizing your body upright in a pool increasing functional fitness as well. Try your workout from a different angle in a pool to tone up and stay fit!
Have you considered becoming a Water Aerobics Instructor? Check out ASFA's certifications today by clicking below! 24/7 online convenience, pay only if you pass!
