Get more out of your pool: 5 pool exercises for a full-body workout

Is your pool being used solely for lounging on a pool float sipping a cold drink or napping? While they are certainly lovely ways to pass an afternoon in the pool, you’re missing out on some bigger benefits your pool offers you. That’s right, your own backyard pool can give you an amazing full-body workout beyond simply swimming laps.
There are other pool exercises with good positioning you can do in your backyard pool that will:

• Burn a lot of calories
• Build strong muscles
• Strengthen your core
• Easy on joints and muscles

Thanks to the resistance the water provides, doing certain exercises underwater (we describe these below), are challenging. Perhaps more importantly to you, pool workouts offer additional intensity over traditional workouts — but without the painful joints and muscles associated with traditional exercise mediums. While you’ll enjoy the burn of a good exercise session from your pool workout, you’ll not do so at the expense of damaging your joints to get it. 
Take a look at the powerful backyard pool workouts that are great for your fitness. 
 

1. Pool Cycling on a Water Bike: A New Spin on Spin

As its name implies, a Water Bike operates underwater to enable you to obtain the benefits of an aerobic workout on an exercise bike without the strain on your joints. It’s a safe, low-impact full body pool workout that delivers impressive results. 

So much so, that cycling on a water bike offers 12 times greater resistance than cycling on land, thanks to water is about 800 times denser than air. This makes it one of the best exercises to do in the pool.

What is pool cycling on a water bike?

Water cycling, which is sometimes referred to as aqua cycling, is like a spin class, but in a pool on a purpose-built, hydro-spin aquatic bike called a Hydrorider®. Because you’re in water, you’ll experience a refreshing and intense workout. 

The Hydrorider allows you to enjoy a new spin on spin classes with a low-impact workout that exercises your core, arms, legs, and chest for a full body pool workout with even greater intensity. And, it suits all ages and experience levels, from young to old and novice to elite athlete.

What are the benefits of pool cycling on a water bike?

In addition to the low joint impact of the pool exercises workout on a water bike, you can enjoy these additional benefits:

• You can burn up to 800 calories per hour.
• You can stimulate and help drain your lymphatic system to help fight cellulite.
• You can improve blood circulation to all areas of the body.
• You can rev up the flow of oxygen throughout the body, which increases your lung stimulation.
• You can enjoy better flexibility and faster recovery than traditional cycling.
• You can sleep better. 

Try one of the best pool exercises you can do in the pool, and see what a difference it makes by turning your traditional cycling routine up a few notches

Pool Cycling Tip: 

Unlike a land bike, the key to a water resistance bike is the paddle, not levels. A bike with more levels, but a shorter paddle has less resistance than one with fewer levels but a longer, high functioning Flywheel paddle. The Hydrorider Pro-Fix and Professional has the longest and deepest paddle in the market for maximum resistance.

 

2. Pool Running on a Water Treadmill: All the Gain, None of the Pain

Leave the “day after” soreness of running far behind when you embrace the idea of pool running on your water treadmill. You’ll enjoy faster recovery even after major workouts. Plus, you can build up your cardio endurance allowing you to exercise longer and enjoy impressive results. 

What is pool running on a water treadmill?

Water treadmills, sometimes called by various other names including hydrotherapy treadmills, aqua treadmills, and underwater treadmills are simply treadmills immersed in water. They let you experience “all the gain without the pain” of running the old-fashioned way, making them one of the best pool workouts around. 

In other words, they reduce the risk of most common running on land injuries, such as plantar fasciitis, knee pain, and Achilles tendonitis, to name a few, as the water helps to absorb the shock of impact while simultaneously improving balance and increasing circulation.

What are the benefits of pool running on a water treadmill?

Water treadmills offer a multitude of benefits, making them one of the best pool workouts.  Whether you’re an ageing runner seeking to ease joint stress and pain, someone who is just beginning your fitness journey, or are a person planning a knee or hip surgery and want to plan for a low-impact recovery, you can enjoy the same benefits, including those listed below:

• You can enjoy a faster recovery.
• You can experience reduced joint impact and pain.
• You can strengthen your core strengthening, which leads to better balance, flexibility, and mobility.
• You can burn up to 700 calories per hour while exercising for improved weight control.
• You can improve sports performance.

No more killing yourself to get that last mile in. You can now enjoy the pleasure of an effective run without any of the pain.

Water Treadmill Tip:

We recommend using reef water shoes when walking or running on a water treadmill as shoes need to have water drainage. Ordinary sneakers absorb water, leading to added weight on the legs and potentially causing calf pain.

 

3. Pool Strength Training Using Water Resistance Bands: Exercise Anywhere, Anytime

Looking for a low-cost way to train underwater? Consider adding resistance bands to your full body pool workout repertoire. Not only do they boost the intensity level of your exercises up a few levels, but they also help you turn any pool into a workout machine for you — whether traveling or at home.

What is pool strength training with water resistance bands?

Pool Resistance Bands, also known as aqua bands, workout bands or exercise bands, are stretchable bands you use in the pool to create external force in order to build muscle strength. These exercises are great for strengthening your core and creating lean muscle.

You can do many of the same resistance band exercises you do on land in the pool to add greater intensity and resistance to your workout. Even better, they are easy to pack and take with you when traveling for business or pleasure, so you can fit your workout into every day.

What are the benefits of pool strength training with water resistance bands?

The benefits of resistance band training in the pool are a little different from some other types of exercises in that they add load to the limbs without having to lift weights and help with strengthening and toning your legs, buttocks, and abdominal muscles while also offering the below benefits. 

• Tone and strengthen: Each position on the band exerts different levels of pressure for both upper and lower body training. 
• Stretch and improve mobility: Great way to help improve your flexibility and joint mobility. 
• Rehabilitation: Water resistance bands have been proven in aiding recovery and can be targeted to specific muscle groups. 
• Improve stabilising muscles: The water resistance band’s unsteady feel forces you to target your stabilising muscles and build core strength. 
• Focus your control: Controlling the tension and release of the bands takes concentration. 
• Good for compound exercises: Band exercises are naturally geared towards compound movements that engage several muscles at the same time - can also be used for suspended buoyancy aqua exercises. 
• Protects bones and joints: Water resistance band exercises are low impact on joints but provide resistance that helps strengthen bones as well as muscles. 

Water Resistant Bands Tip: 

Move to the deep end of the pool and do the resistance exercises suspended, not touching the bottom of the pool, for added core benefit and challenge. 

 

4. Pool Trampolining Using an Underwater Trampoline: Take a Leap

What greater fun is there than jumping on a trampoline? Doing so in a pool! If you’re looking for something new, challenging, and exciting to add to your workout, consider pool trampolining. The water adds a new level of resistance and safety, while allowing you to kick your workouts to new heights.

What is pool trampolining with an underwater trampoline?

An underwater trampoline, also called an aqua trampoline, is a small trampoline that you use underwater. It absorbs the pressure of your body as you push it down, but water resistance makes it challenging to jump high.  

Take a leap and use your water trampoline to enhance your workout while adding a fun factor like never before. Improve your workout on all fronts by adding water resistance, fun, and intensity to your workout, as it's another one of the best exercises you can do in the pool. 

What are the benefits of pool trampolining with an underwater trampoline?

It’s not all fun and games here, though, even if it feels that way. Because you are resisting water as your rebounding on an aqua trampoline, you get all the best pool workouts of buoyancy, including:

• You can improve blood flow.
• You can boost agility and coordination.
• You can strengthen your lower back, hips, ankles, and knees (feel younger than you have in years!).
• You can burns calories in a fun way
• You can restore joint flexibility.
• You can increase your cardio capacity.

Did we mention the fun factor? Just throwing that out there again, so you won’t overlook its importance.

Pool Trampolining Tip:

You can use most underwater trampolines on land, but the water resistance and buoyancy will add challenge and fun.

 

5. Pool Float Fitness Using a Floating Fitness Mat : Go with the FOW 

Floating fitness with a For On Water (FOW) Floating Fitness Mat adds a new level of intensity and challenge to your fitness, yoga, or pilates workout. It’s the unstable nature of water that makes these exercises such a challenge. Up to the challenge? Get onboard a floating fitness mat to experience one of the best exercises to do in the pool. 

What is pool float fitness with a For on Water (FOW) Floating Fitness Mat? 

A FOW is a floating mat you use in pools. You use the FOW as your exercise surface and go with the flow for a workout that allows you to cool off as the intensity of your workout heats up. You can use your FOW in your pool to help you improve balance, enhance your posture, and even add a little additional cardio to your workout.

What are the benefits of pool float fitness with a FOW?

These are just a few of the amazing benefits you’ll experience when engaging in pool fitness with your FOW::

• You can strengthen core stabilising muscles.
• You can tone and strengthen your upper and lower body.
• You can improve your cardio capacity.
• You can burn calories and boost your metabolic rate.
• You can work your mind as you concentrate on balance, stabilisation, and posture.
• You can improve flexibility and range of motion.

Who can argue with these types of benefits for fitness, quality of life, and more?

Pool Float Fitness Mat Tip:

Try pushing up on to your fit mat and standing 20 times and feel the HIIT explosion as well as engaging the stabilisers and core muscles.

 

It’s Time to Transform Your Backyard Pool Into a Personal Fitness Center

Are you ready to harness the power of your backyard pool?  When you transform your home swimming pool into your personal fitness centre, you get to enjoy the benefits of all these best exercises to do in the pool with the added intensity water resistance delivers. 

The fact that you don’t have to commute to your nearest gym that offers water fitness options means that you can get more mileage from your workout, operate at your own pace, and conduct your workouts when it is most convenient for you. 

Plus, you get all the benefits of these exercise options with the added benefits of swimming to help regulate blood sugar, burn more calories, reducing stress, and more. You may even find relief for arthritis symptoms and asthma that may ordinarily be exacerbated by exercise. 

Besides working out in a pool is cool — literally and figuratively! You work hard, but feel refreshed and reinvigorated, too. There is no better. It’s a great way to start the day, reenergise if you work from home, or have a break from the kids. 

So are you in (the pool) or are you out? Whether you want to start large with a Hydrorider® aqua bike, water treadmill, or water trampoline or take smaller steps with water-resistant bands or a floating Fitmat, we have what you need to achieve your full fitness potential. Get in touch with us and let us introduce you to the wonderful world of water fitness.