Water Workouts: An Excellent Addition to Your Exercise Routine

Exercising in the water is a great way to get a low-impact, full-body workout with high reward. Just because you’re not sweating doesn’t mean you’re not burning calories and building muscle. The water’s buoyancy provides support to the body by decreasing overall weight on the joints and also provides resistance to help with muscle development.

 “I recommend everyone who can, to participate in water workouts,” says Bobby Manning, Cooper Fitness Center Swim Pro. “From those just beginning an exercise routine to seasoned athletes, water workouts are an excellent way to add variety to your training that benefits your heart and muscles with little to no impact on your joints.”

Benefits of Water Workouts

Recovering from an injury or wanting a new way to exercise? Below are a few health and fitness benefits of water workouts from Manning.

1. Improves flexibility: In warm water you are able to relax your muscles, allowing you to stretch more.
2. Increase endurance: Swimming laps and cardio water workouts can help increase endurance and build lean body mass. Water workouts help increase your heart rate, improve your circulation and increase your lung capacity.
3. Burn calories: Swimming and water exercises are low-impact workouts yet help burn more calories than on land because of the water’s resistance.
4. A full-body workout: You are constantly moving your body while in the water by moving from one side of the pool to another, doing water exercises or even floating.
5. Relieve stress: Exercise is an effective stress reliever. Plus, being in the water is generally relaxing by nature. Immerse yourself in the exercise, focusing on the movements of the water as well as your breathing.

For those who may fear the water or are not comfortable in water, Manning says to take it slowly. Joining a water class or meeting with a swimming professional can help with those first steps in the water. A misconception exists that water exercises are underwater, but many pools used for water aerobics and lap swimming are no more than five feet, depths most adults can easily stand. Manning recommends beginners exercise in water that comes to their chest.

Types of Water Workouts

• Water Walking: Walking forward, sideways and backward is an ideal way to begin exercising in the water. With the resistance of water, you can work on your strength while getting comfortable moving in the water. For more of a challenge, try walking faster and farther distances. (Water shoes are recommended.)

• Treading Water: This technique involves you trying to hold up your head above the water while lifting your legs off the pool floor. While treading you can kick your feet, move your arms and gain better control of floating. This can also help beginners who are learning to keep themselves up on their own.

• Water Resistance Training: Using specialized dumbbells, you can incorporate upper body strength training exercises into your water workouts. The water dumbbells are lighter weight than a regular weight at the gym, but the water provides added resistance. You can use one or two dumbbells, depending on the movements you are doing.

• Lap Swimming: Swimming laps increases respiratory strength and helps control a person’s breathing rhythm in the water. Training can be be done multiple ways including using interval training, better your swim time or increase the distance.

• Using Parachutes & Bungee Cords: Want more advanced water exercise? Running and walking in water with an exercise parachute and bungee cords is a great way to use the resistance of the water. These devices can be attached to belts you wear around your waist.

• Water Aerobics: If exercising solo isn’t for you, joining a water aerobics class is an excellent option that provides community and accountability. These classes usually mix the different exercises listed above to help the participants gain a balanced workout. Read our Water Aerobics: How It Benefits You and What to Expect to learn more.

Manning shares how to execute some of these workouts in this Exercise Moves video.

For those who want more of a challenge, underwater workouts in deeper water are an option. Manning recommends meeting with a swim professional or a personal trainer experienced in water training to develop advanced workouts.

Water workouts are a easy way to change your fitness routine by gaining new skills, improving your health and having fun in the water.

Cooper Fitness Center’s swim lessons and triathlon training are open to the public. For members, Cooper also offers water classes April-October and a Masters swim program, and the pool is available for lap swimming.

For the group exercise schedule of more than 120 weekly classes—all included with membership—visit cooperfitnesscenter.com or call 972.233.4832.