exercises for the pool

Table of exercises for the pool: benefits and activities

Table of exercises for the pool: benefits and activities-The pool is not only a place for recreation and fun, but it can also help us exercise our body. In the water, we can perform various exercises that will provide our cardiovascular and muscular system with multiple benefits. Roberto Crespo, Zagros Sports instructor, explains what these positive effects are and what exercises we can do in the pool.

Table of exercises for the pool: benefits and activities

Benefits of exercising in the water

To begin with, "as it is a more gentle and controlled training, the risk of injuries is reduced and water limits the impact of exercise on muscles and joints," explains Crespo. For this reason, in case of suffering an injury, we can begin to recover muscle strength by training in the pool. "The water offers a more controlled resistance than another type of apparatus (rubbers, weights, etc.), and in addition, the effect of gravity makes the range of movements and flexibility is improved," he adds.

Other benefits that these exercises bring us are improvements in the cardiovascular and muscular system and the "increase in calorie burning because the resistance the body faces is greater," says the Zagros Sports instructor.

How should our pool exercise table be?

The exercises we perform will depend on the purpose we want to achieve with them, but it is advisable to work with all the muscle groups. Before starting with the exercise chart itself, you would have to perform a "warm up trotting on the floor inside the pool, and if it is deep, perform several lengths swimming with different styles," says Crespo. "In this way we will activate our cardiorespiratory system and raise the body temperature, preparing our body for training," adds the expert.
According to Crespo, already in the training, we could perform the following exercises:

Table of exercises for the pool: benefits and activities

Skipping

By performing this practice in the water we will obtain balance, strength, and stability. This exercise "is based on imitating the gesture of the race, raising the knees to the chest alternately".

Table of exercises for the pool: benefits and activities

 Pedaling

With this action, which is used to simulate pedaling on a bicycle, the abdomen is worked. "We will achieve buoyancy with the help of the arms and placing the hip always lower than the knees so that the head and feet form an angle of approximately 90 degrees."

Table of exercises for the pool: benefits and activities

 Chest and tricep bottoms

The upper train is exercised and can be performed either on the curb of the pool or with a flotation board. "Sinking, pushing and pulling the board performed a force job for arms, chest, and back".

To obtain more benefits, Crespo recommends swimming laps between each exercise "so that the training helps improve the cardiorespiratory system".

In the company, we can perform the following exercises:

  • Relays
  • Perform exercises supported by our companion to achieve more resistance. 
  • In pairs, one person runs inside the pool and the other, floating, pedals.
  • Also in pairs, with a flotation churro, drag the other person up on a horse, who will also paddle with his arms, running around the pool.

How long do you have to do the training?

exercises for the pool
The duration of the exercises we perform in the pool also depends on the objective, the physical qualities of each person. "You can start training between 20 and 30 minutes a day to complete routines of one hour in the water," says Crespo. One of the training that can be done is the HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), whose time ranges from 30 to 45 minutes. The HIIT training is very "complete, with different materials and very effective to gain strength, endurance, and a great cardiovascular improvement", points out the specialist.

Another aspect that we have to take into account when making our exercise chart is the kind of pool and the type of activity we are going to do. "If the pool is outdoors and our training is rehabilitation, as we do more leisurely exercises, we can suffer a drop in body temperature and therefore, it would be better to train indoors or in a heated pool," explains Crespo.

Table of exercises for the pool: benefits and activities

Why do you have to practice these exercises?

For those people who are not accustomed to playing sports, Crespo gives the following advice to encourage them to put into practice the exercises explained above:


  • It is an appropriate way to get started in sports since they are "simpler exercises to perform, in which water helps us improve our cardiorespiratory system and our strength".
  • Do not do exercises with loads.
  • At this time of year, "water helps improve venous return, which gets worse in summer due to the heat".