Summer has finally arrived, which means it’s officially pool season. It’s finally time to break out the swimsuit and head over to the pool for some well deserved R&R. Although, for some of you, that may not be the case. For some it may be another excuse to exercise as swimming in itself is a great workout. However, you may be looking to try something new when exercising with a pool. With that, we have a workout designed for you to get the best workout while also enjoying the pool on a hot day.
To start off you are going to need a few things to make your pool workout really effective. The first thing you’ll need is a pair of goggles. This is a no brainer especially as with many of these exercises, you’ll be submerged beneath the water. In addition, you’ll need specific workout equipment for a pool. This can include foam or rubber coated dumbbells, wrist and ankle weights, a kickboard, and a buoyancy belt. For this workout however, we will be focusing on the dumbbells and wrist and ankle weights.
As a warm up for this entire workout, we’re gonna start with a submerged walk through the pool. You’ll only need the dumbbells for this warm up. I like to do this as a warm up as with many of these exercises you’ll be beneath the water. It’ll allow you to get used to being underwater for an extended period of time as well as get you used to how the weights feel underwater. I recommend doing the walk about 4 times to get the full warm up. During the workout as well, if you feel as though you aren’t staying submerged throughout each exercise, feel free to put on the ankle weights to assist with this.
For the actual exercise, it is as follows,3 sets of 12 reps with one minute and a half rest in between each set.
– Standing Chest Flies
– Bicep Curls
– Shoulder Raises (Front, side, and rear)
– Shoulder Shrugs
– Upright Row
– Squats (Ankle weights required)
– Lunges (ankle weights required)
– Calf Raises (Head can be above water, and ankle weights required)
For some additional safety measures before the exercise, be sure to not be in the deepest part of the pool as to ensure you can resurface in time to catch your breath, ankle weights or not. Also, try to have someone else with you when you’re doing these exercises
This is an effective full body pool workout that is sure to not only increase your cardiovascular fitness, but also tone different muscle groups. Just be sure to be safe around the water when doing this workout. Once you get more confident, you can try to do these exercises by yourself but when you begin, try to have a spotter with you to ensure your safety.
While the pool can be a great summer activity with your friends, it can also be an effective tool to utilize with your workouts. Follow this full body pool workout and you’ll get the body that you want in no time.
Story by: Anthony Rodriguez, Creative Media for Campus Live
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