We have heard it time and again that exercises is as essential as breathing and eating in order to maintain the body in an effective manner but all most all of us try to escape exercise either due to the boredom or the exhaustion, pain, sweat, and discomfort. But what if I say that you can burn fat, tone your body and slim down while splashing in the pool? Yes, you have heard me right, pool exercises or aquatic exercises can be real calorie burners and healers that help to ease symptoms of arthritis and fibromyalgia. If you have access to the community pool, then make full use of it in order to challenge your muscles and burn belly fat successfully without much hard work.
How Does Water help in Burning Calories?
Most of us are not acquainted with the body-shaping and calorie burning benefits of pool exercises. Swimming exercises can result in remarkable calorie burn and muscle recruitment. Simple swimming can burn almost 500 calories every hour while vigorous strokes and movements can torch almost 700 calories. Because water is 800 times denser compared to air, so it works as a powerful resistance medium that works the entire body right from the core and hips to the arms, shoulders and legs. It also helps to promote the metabolism of the body and promote the creation of lean muscle mass.
The best thing about aquatic exercise is that it works the body while being kind to the body. Water neutralizes gravity and makes the body virtually weightless which in turn saves the joints from the strain. Unlike running or strength training, pool exercises and swimming can be done for entire life.
12 Best Swimming Pool Exercises for Fast Fat Burning
Water is one of the best fitness tools that provide powerful resistance which no other gym equipment can provide. It helps to strengthen the muscles, boost cardio intensity and promote calorie burn and weight loss while cutting out the risk of injury. It also makes workouts a lot easier and enjoyable.
Spiderman
Ever thought fat burning exercises can be fun and refreshing? Well, it is possible if you work out in a swimming pool. The first exercise in the list of amazing swimming pool exercises for fast fat burn. This exercise is specially targeted at training the core and back muscles. All you need to do is climb the wall of the pool just like superhero Spiderman climbs the buildings.
How to do it – Stand in the water at the side of the pool, now tilt your body gradually in the water and try to walk up the side of the pool and the come back to the floor. Do this while sweeping your hands back and forth in the water in order to stabilize your upper body. Repeat the entire exercise 4 times alternating the leg every time you end one circuit.
Pool Plank
The plank is an effective isometric core strength exercise that is one of the best fat burning exercises one can do to get flatter abs. Here is a much easier version of the plank that can be done in a pool. Pool plank is the ideal exercise for this who don’t have a strong upper body and it is difficult for them to hold the classic plank for long enough. Pool plank exercise also helps to boost endurance because the pushing and pulling of the water challenge the core.
How to do it – Stand steadily on the floor of the pool holding a noodle or “Water Log” – (a long cylindrical piece of foam) vertically in both hands, now press the noodle right into the water and lean forward until your body is inclined evenly. At this position you head will stay out of the water. Try to keep this position for 1 to 2 minutes.
Pool Jogging
We all know that there is no exercise for fat burning better than jogging but the breathlessness, burning, sweat and pain involved in this cardio exercise make it one of the most hated exercises. But now, you can make your cardio fun and happening with pool jogging. This workout transforms regular jogging to a whole new level.
How to do it – First of all you will need to create several currents and waves in the pool in order to build the resistance. You can then run through the waves in order to strengthen and stabilize your core muscles and torch the calories. But make sure you run with proper alignment where your ears, shoulders and hips would be in one vertical line so that core is compelled to stay engaged in order to keep you your body upright.
Otter Role
The Otter Role is one of the most functional swimming pool workouts helps to burn calories and tone the problem areas of the body like abs, butt, back and legs where it is difficult to lose weight. This exercise can be done holding a beach ball or without any equipment.
How to do it – If you use a beach ball, hug it to the chest, float on the back with your legs extended and feet joined together. Now, roll over the top of the ball just like an otter spinning in the water. Use the force of your entire body including your shoulders, core, back and legs in order to complete the full revolutions and returning to the starting position. Continue to revolve for 30 seconds alternating the direction after a few rolls. Beginners can roll from side to side with their head above the water throughout the exercise.
Fly Backs
The classic fly back is an amazing exercise for toning the muscles of the upper body such as the chest, arms, and upper back by reducing excess fat from these areas and it does the same underwater as well. This is one of the vital swimming pool exercises to lose weight quickly. This exercise also helps to improve posture and provide an upright and stately appearance.
How to do it – Being in a half lunge position with your right knee bent and your left leg stretched straight behind. Spread your arms out straight in front of you and the level of your chest, fingers extended and thumbs up. Open your arms to the sides and the return to the starting position to complete 1 set. Repeat 5 to 10 sets before moving on to the next exercise.
Wave Maker
The Wave Maker is one of the simple and easy to do fast fat burning exercises for stomach that can be done perfectly even by beginners. This exercise targets the muscles of the back, abs, butt and legs and helps to remove excess fat and flab from these areas. This is an entertaining exercise that can be enjoyed by almost everyone.
How to do it – Stand in chest-deep water facing the pool wall and grab the edge of the pool with your left hand and place the right palm, fingers pointing down against the wall of the pool just below the water line. Now, float your body in the water with your legs extended behind and both feet and knees together. Start kicking like a dolphin generating the motion with the abs and hips and transferring it to the thighs, knees and finally to the feet. Kick as fast and hard as possible for 30 seconds trying to create big waves.
Core Ball Static Workout
Who says that only movements promote fat burn; this amazing static pool exercise using a ball is the best exercise to lose fat quickly. This exercise helps to strengthen and tone the core muscles thereby burning stubborn belly fat. It also provides perfect posture so that you can keep yourself upright. It can be done in 3 different ways in order to approach the core muscles from every possible way.
How to do it – Type 1 – Stand with your right leg bent and left stretched behind. Hold the ball with both hands in front of the navel. At this position keep your shoulders down, wait for 30 seconds and then switch legs.
Type 2 – In this version the same exercise has to be repeated with your arms outstretched so that the ball remains just under water. It adds an extra challenge to the core.
Type 3 – In this version you have to move your legs out of the lunging position. Lift your left leg and hold it in the water and try to maintain balance with the right leg while grabbing the ball in front of the navel while keeping the body upright. DO this exercise for 30 seconds and then switch legs.
K – Tread
This is another simple and easy swimming pool exercise for fast fat burning that works the entire body at the same time. It is a wonderful full-body workout that targets the arms, back, chest, abs, and butt and hamstrings so that you can have the perfectly toned body within a few days.
How to do it – First of all move to the deep end of the pool, make small circles in water with cupped hands and lift the right leg in front of you at the hip level while stretching the left leg towards the bottom of the pool, wait for 5 to 10 seconds. Switch legs -bring the right leg down as you raise your left leg, hold for 10 seconds and again alternate the legs. Continue in this way for 30 seconds while you engage you glutes and quads in order to keep your legs straight at all times.
Pike Scull
This one of the easy equipment-free swimming pool workouts that help to burn fat from the waist, hips, and arms – three of the most prominent problem areas where the stubborn fat remains deposited. It can be done even by beginners and people of all age groups because it does not put too much tension and strain on the joints.
How to do it – Stand in the shallow end of the pool and slowly sit back into the water treading with the hands by your sides. Gradually lift both the legs up together so that your body starts folding at the hips just like a jack knife. Form a wide V shape with your head and toes above the water. Maintain the V position and move cupped hands in small circles by your hips in order to tread the water and move forward. Continue to propel yourself forward for 30 seconds.
Squat Steps
This lower-body toning exercise is greatly inspired by the classic squats – a popular calisthenics exercise that is included in almost all types of training circuits. This exercise helps to tone the hips, thighs, glutes, hamstrings and calves – all at the same time.
How to do it – Stand straight with your feet together and arms down at your sides. Raise both arms to shoulder level and step to your left with your left foot and squat down till your thighs are almost collateral to the pool floor. Keep your head above the water and chest lifted at all times. Now, bring your right foot near the left one, stand up straight and lower the arms to the side. Do 4 quick repetitions with your left leg and then switch to the right leg.
Side Leap
Getting thinner and well-toned thighs and legs have never been this easy. The Side Leap exercise is a simple and easy exercise for toning the lower body that can be done to perfection even by beginners.
How to do it – Stand in the pool with your feet together and arms down by your sides, now squat down slightly, in one movement look at your left, raise your arms to shoulder level and jump up about 2 feet to the left side extending your right leg to the side and landing on the ball of your left foot. Bring both feet together and come back to a standing position and lower your arms to the sides. Repeat 4 jumps with your left feet and then four jumps with your right feet. Keep your ab muscles engaged while you leap in order to prevent back pain.
Making Tracks
Last but not the least is the modest Making Tracks exercise that not only helps to cut out flab from the thighs but also strengthen the leg muscles.
How to do it – stand straight in the water with your feet closed. Keep your arms by your sides. Now, lift your right keep up forcefully and put it down to the right side, repeat this movement with your left leg. Just as your left foot lands to the left side, squat down and raise both arms to the sides. Stand up; lower your arms and reverse the motion by bringing your legs back inside one after the other. This makes 1 repetition. Do 20 repetitions at a time. You can do this movement slowly at the beginning in order to gain control and strength.
These 12 power-packed pool exercises will surely help to burn fat faster without exhausting you and burning out all your energy or shedding too much sweat.