Water workouts, those that are in a swimming pool are ideal for a number of reasons. It lets you get outside to get some vitamin D and more fresh air, plus is a fun activity for the family.
Pool workouts are also fun, which provides better encouragement to workout while you also have a good time. This makes it much easier to stick with your workouts.
In this report, you are going to find different options for water workouts, from how to get a better workout while swimming, to types of moves you can do in the water with your family.
Take a look at how you can turn a swimming pool into your own gym:
1 – Accessories to Use for Pool Workouts
If you have access to a swimming pool, whether at home or a local gym, there are a lot of workouts you can do. The perk to having your own swimming pool is that you can bring along some fun accessories that help with your workouts. Take a look at these different options:
Fins
This may seem counter-intuitive because you want to use all of your own leg strength for swimming, but they can actually help in a number of ways. First of all, if most of water workouts consist of fast swimming, using fins in the beginning can help with your speed and also give you a more powerful kick. They are also really good for better ankle
stability. Consider adding workouts in the water with fins to your regular routine.
Weights
There are also some different types of weights that you can use while in the water. There are weights you can attach to your wrists or ankles that simply make it more difficult to do your swimming so you are using more body weight, or you can get water hand weights, which are similar to regular hand weights, but made of special material so they can work in the water.
Pull Buoys
The last swimming pool accessory you might want to get is a pull buoy. These are placed between your thighs, which then elevates you a little bit and requires more upperbody strength to swim, move around, and perform different types of water workouts.
2 – How to Get a Total Body Workouts in the Pool
One thing people don’t realize is that the swimming pool can become a full body workout, but still be something you enjoy. Instead of just floating around, you can use a few simple moves to work your entire body, from arms to legs and even your core muscles. Here are some different workout moves to try in the pool.
Jog with High Knees
This is a simple cardio workout in the pool, but one that you can turn into a full body workout. Instead of just basic jogging in place in the pool, really try to work your entire body. Lift your knees up as high as you can when jogging in place, and get your arms moving as well. With the knee lifts in the pool, you are also going to be working your core ab muscles.
Do the Bicycle
This is a good exercise when you aren’t quite ready to do actual swimming in the pool for your total body workout. It is going to work your leg and core muscles, while also doing some shoulder exercises as well. For the bicycle, you want to be closer to the deep end of the pool and stand against the side. Reach your arms out so your elbows are resting on the outside edge of the pool, and then make a bicycle motion with your legs inside the water.
Swim Harder and Faster
If you are looking for a way to swim in the pool while also getting an even better total body workout, just work on your intensity. Try to swim as fast as you can back and forth while swimming laps, but also really work harder on your arms and legs.
3 – Ways to Turn Regular Swimming Into a Workout
While there are plenty of workouts you can do in a swimming pool, you might not want to do water aerobics or play games. You can still swim as you normally would in a pool and get a workout, with just a few adjustments.
Learn Proper Form
Sometimes getting a workout from swimming in your pool is by learning the right form. This is when it is helpful to take some professional swimming classes. You can learn how to really use your entire body for swimming, instead of just trying to get through each lap. Reach out far so that you have larger and longer strokes, and really focus on working your legs so you can go faster and work your leg muscles harder.
With the right form, not only will you build excellent muscles, but you will notice you can swim laps much faster than before.
Use Your Entire Body
Naturally, you get a better workout from swimming when your entire body is being used. Not only does proper form provide this for you, but you can try the frog swim as well. This uses different muscles while swimming laps in your pool. You are going to get across slower, but the extra muscle usage is a good way to burn more fat and calories while swimming.
Add Weights
There are weights that you can use while in the pool, including those attached to your body. If swimming laps, you don’t want the barbells you hold, but instead weights you can put on your wrists or ankles.
4 – Family-Friendly Pool Workouts
Water workouts shouldn’t just be for you, but the whole family! They are great not only for weight loss, but for maintaining good physical health, and of course having fun at the same time. These workouts use different games and activities so it doesn’t feel like a workout.
Play the Water Bottle Game
This is a great game to play in the pool with your family since all it requires is a 2-liter plastic bottle that you can fill with water. Instead of using regular tap water, you want to use water from your swimming pool. A bottle with a white cap is best, since you want it to become practically invisible in the pool.
Drop the bottle into the middle of the pool and have everyone in the family dive into the water to try to get it. It blends in with the water since there is no label and a white cap. It is a challenging game that is also a lot of fun.
Pretending to Be Mermaids
If you have kids or grandchildren who love mermaids, they will really enjoy this one. You can pretend to be mermaids, or even dolphins if your kids prefer. All you need to do is swim underwater while holding your breath and try to see who can stay under the water the longest. If you do it closer to the deep end, you will need to swim underwater during the game, which burns more calories.
Pool Shark
This is a game of tag you can play in the swimming pool with any size group of people. One swimmer is going to be the ‘shark’ while the others are the swimmers. You can make it as simple or complex as you want. The basic game involves the shark player trying to tag the swimmers. The final swimmer left can be the winner of each round of
this game.
