Get Out of the Heat and into a Pool (Part 2)

@RedMountainSpa
By Kim Watters, Fitness Manager

Add some splash to your workouts! Water exercises can be fun and the pool offers a warm and supportive environment, yet allows you to challenge yourself. The pool’s buoyancy reduces about 75% of your body weight, taking the pressure off your joints, which makes it more enjoyable to bounce and splash around. At the same time, the environment of the pool forces you to push up to 12 times the resistance of air when moving in the water. The mere motion of walking frontward and backward in the pool forces you to use your core muscles, thus, making it a great environment to increase strength in your posture muscles. You are able to get a great workout with out breaking a sweat because of the coolness of the water.

Get out of the heat and into a pool with these fun and effective exercises:

Cardio with Flotation (1-5 minutes each exercise)

Cross Open Cross
Lie back using a flotation belt or a water noodle held behind your back just below the shoulder blades.

1. Start with your straight legs crossed (right leg on top) and in front of you, arms out to the side like a letter "T" and the body parallel to the water's surface.


2. Open your legs with power into a straddle position.


3. Repeat with the left leg crossed on top.

Front-to-Back Tucks (abdominals and obliques)
Use a flotation belt or a water noodle held in your hands in front of the body.
This exercise is executed the same as the Side-to-Side Tucks but front-to-back.

1. Start on your tummy, arms out like Super Man.


2. Tuck knees to the chest with power and push legs to the front like sitting in a reclining chair.


3. The water noodle should pull toward your chest as you recline. Try one noodle in each hand in addition to the flotation belt for added stability.

Mountain Climbers
Try using dumbbells or a noodle with this one.

1. Start in a plank/push-up position.


2. Bring one knee towards your chest and then stomp it back with a flat foot.


3. Alternate legs right, left, right, left.


4. Add arms by bending and straightening the elbows (like a push-up).

To add intervals with these flotation exercises, simply repeat the exercise with more power, speed and/or intensity. Try a 3-to-1 ratio (3 minutes of regular aerobic work, followed by 1 minute power work.)

Check back tomorrow for pool exercises to work your back and abs.