Make a Splash: 12 Low-Impact Pool Exercises That Can Help You Stay in Shape All Year

Why do it: A simple form of cardiovascular exercise, water walking is particularly useful if you’re working your way back from an injury. 

How to do it:

1. Stand in chest-deep water with your body upright. 
2. Start walking or jogging through the water, driving your knees up high with each step. 
3. Let your arms swing naturally as you move by maintaining an upright posture. 
4. Continue for the desired duration or distance.

Expert tip: Using ankle weights will make things more challenging. If you’re looking for a little more intensity, ramp up the pace, and you’ll quickly realize how much slower you feel in the water.

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Why do it: Working on your lateral agility and coordination using the water’s resistance can help enhance your side-to-side movement skills and lower-body strength. Your quads, hips, glutes, and core must work synergistically to allow you to move smoothly.  

How to do it:

1. Stand in the pool with your feet hip-width apart and the water at waist to chest level. 
2. Bend your knees slightly and engage your core. 
3. Take a step to the right with your right foot, bringing your left foot to meet your right. 
4. Continue shuffling to the right for a set distance or number of steps. 
5. Switch directions and shuffle to the left to give both sides an equal amount of work.

RELATED: Agility Exercises

Why do it: A full-body cardio exercise that’s fairly easy on land will feel much different under water. The added resistance will give your arms, legs, heart, and lungs a serious challenge. You can also take jumping jacks to another level using ankle weights for even more resistance. 

How to do it:

1. Stand in chest-deep water with your feet together and hands at your sides. 
2. Jump your legs out while bringing your arms together overhead. 
3. Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired amount of time or repetitions.

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Why do it: If you’ve done the supine version in the gym before, you already know flutter kicks are one of the best ab exercises. Not only do they work your hip flexors and core, but they also improve your leg coordination. This version has you flip over onto your stomach, hold onto a kickboard, and fire away. 

How to do it:

1. Hold onto a kickboard with both hands out in front of you.
2. Extend your legs straight out behind you. 
3. Keep a neutral spine and quickly kick your legs up and down in a fluttering motion.
4. Maintain or build speed for the desired amount of time or reps. 

RELATED: Functional Core Exercises

Why do it: A great cardio exercise that’s already difficult on land, high knees are even more challenging in the water. The added resistance helps make this movement effective for building lower-body strength and endurance. Plus, the buoyancy of the water reduces the impact on your knees, hips, and ankles. 

How to do it:

1. Stand in the pool with your feet hip-width apart and the water at chest level. 
2. Quickly lift your right knee toward your chest as high as possible while keeping your left foot planted on the pool floor. 
3. Lower your right knee, then immediately lift your left knee toward your chest. 
4. Continue alternating sides, pumping your arms in sync with your legs to increase the intensity. 
5. Perform the exercise for the desired amount of time, aiming to maintain a consistent pace from start to finish.

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Why do it: A core-strengthening exercise that utilizes the water’s buoyancy and resistance to engage your abs, the pool plank requires a noodle and plenty of concentration. While it won’t be as challenging as the land-based version, it still engages your abdominal and lower-back muscles effectively.

How to do it:

1. Stand in the pool where the water is at chest level. 
2. Hold onto a pool noodle placed horizontally in front of you. 
3. Extend your legs behind you so that your body forms a straight line from head to toe. 
4. Tighten your abdominal muscles and maintain a neutral spine, holding the plank position for the desired amount of time. 

RELATED: Plank Exercises

Why do it: While you could also do dips using the pool’s edge, the triceps extension also targets your three-headed muscle effectively. This isolation exercise will help you sculpt toned arms that look good in a t-shirt, tank top, bikini, or whatever summertime attire you choose. 

How to do it:

1. Stand in chest-deep water with your arms by your sides bent at a 45-degree angle. 
2. Maintain an upright torso, then extend your arms behind you until you lock out your triceps. 
3. Bend your elbows to return to the starting position. 
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps.  

Expert tip: You can make things more challenging by using water weights for even more resistance.

RELATED: Best Triceps Workouts

Why do it: Get ready for your #SunsOutGunsOut moment using water weights. The biceps curl is a classic bodybuilding movement that works well in the gym or the water. Focus on controlled movements and contracting your biceps with every watery rep. 

How to do it:

1. Stand in the pool so the water is at chest level. 
2. Hold a pair of water weights by your side. 
3. Keep an upright torso and curl the weights up to the surface of the water. 
4. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement, then lower the weights back down to your sides. 
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

RELATED: Best Biceps Workout

Why do it: Ready to build boulder shoulders? Use the resistance from both the water and a pair of water weights to get your side delts screamin’ with a pool-based version of lateral raises.

How to do it:

1. Stand in water that’s about chest height, holding a water weight in each hand by your sides.
2. Take a staggered stance so you can maintain your balance. 
3. Raise both arms out to your side, bending your knees to lower yourself down until your chin touches the water. 
4. Squeeze your delts at the top of the movement, then extend your legs and lower your arms back toward your sides.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.  

RELATED: Best Shoulder Exercises

Why do it: A staple bodyweight exercise that belongs in any fitness program, the push-up is perfectly suited for pool workouts. Beginners can use the edge of the pool to perform an assisted version that takes some of the load off your upper body. 

How to do it:

1. Stand in the shallow end of the pool and face the wall. 
2. Place your hands on the edge of the pool so they’re slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Step back so your body forms a straight line from head to toe (like a plank). 
4. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the edge of the pool. 
5. Hold at the bottom for 1-2 seconds, then push through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the starting position. 
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps. 

Expert tip: Meanwhile, intermediate and advanced trainees can simply step out of the water and use the pool deck to perform various push-up variations.

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Why do it: The lunge is a fundamental movement pattern that can help address muscular imbalances. This unilateral exercise tests your balance and coordination while also providing a cardio challenge. 

How to do it:

1. Stand in water that’s between waist to chest level with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Step your right foot into a lunge position, bending both knees to lower your body. 
3. Push off explosively with both feet, jumping up in the water while bringing your left leg forward and right leg back. 
4. Land softly in a lunge position with your left leg forward and right leg back. 
5. Alternate legs with each jump, making sure to keep an upright torso position. 
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps or time.

RELATED: Unilateral Exercises

Why do it: While they’ll never replace back squats with a loaded barbell, you can use pool squats to develop lower-body strength without placing nearly as much stress on your joints. You can also make this movement more dynamic by adding a jumping element. 

How to do it:

1. Stand in water that’s about waist deep with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
2. Extend your arms straight out in front of you. 
3. Lower yourself into a squat position by bending your knees and pushing your hips back. 
4. Descend until your legs form a 90-degree angle, then drive through your heels to return to the starting position. 
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

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