8 Best Pool Exercises You Can Do to Improve Your Endurance

Pool exercises are an extremely good way to improve endurance. Reason being - water-based exercises require an additional burst of energy because of the additional resistance.

This additional resistance is exactly the difference between working out in the gym and in the pool. The body will need to burn more calories to generate energy that will withstand the added resistance. This is how you lose weight while adding muscle mass through pool exercises.

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Here are 8 pool exercises that will improve your endurance

It’s important to understand that swimming and water-based exercises are similar but with a few key differences. Swimming works on the entire body and can only be done in water. However, some exercises that can be done in the gym can also be done in the water. This is where the extra resistance comes in as compared to how you feel while doing the same exercise in the gym.

1) Water jog/walk

Water jogging or walking allows you to increase your heart rate but keeps the overall exercise low in terms of impact. Therefore, even when you’re taking on extra resistance, you’re not putting excessive amount of pressure on your heart or muscles.

Ideally, this is one of the pool exercises that should be conducted at the shallow end and the water should reach your waist.

2) Jumping jacks

This is another good exercise to improve endurance. You receive more resistance in the water than you would from the air. You can add ankle weights when doing jumping jacks in the pool for further resistance.

3) Pool burpees

This isn’t the typical burpee since it’s in the pool. You won’t be able to do the push up on the pool floor. In this exercise, hold the edge of the pool and lift your body. Once your body is parallel to the pool floor, bring your right knee towards your chest and quickly switch to the other. Do this at least 30 to 40 times.

4) Tuck jumps

Another great example of pool exercises is tuck jumps. It not only improves your overall endurance but also works on your muscle strength. But since you’re doing this in the pool, you should try to touch your hands with your knees while your hands are extended in front of you.

5) Froggers

If you want to have some fun with pool exercises, this is the way to go with it. Stand with your feet together, hands by your sides. Next, bend your knees and proceed to jump as high as you can. During the jump, bring your toes together and try to touch your hands to your toes. Doing this at least 10 times will definitely improve your endurance.

6) Flutter kicks

When you do this exercise in the gym, you’ll be on your back. Essentially, it’ll work on your abdominal muscles. However, in the pool, you’ll place your hands on the edge and extend your body towards the pool. Next, begin fluttering your legs by kicking them in the water. Keep your core muscles engaged and toes pointed out.

7) Skiers

Another great one in the list of pool exercises, skiers works thoroughly on your lower body. Additionally, it improves lower body strength and muscle endurance. Do this for at least 15 to 20 reps before taking a break.

8) Swimming

The best exercise would be swimming! There’s no better pool exercise than this, and it’ll always help you in improving muscle endurance, muscle strength, fitness levels, and working on your entire body at the same time.

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Bottom line

If you’ve grown tired of the same exercises at the gym, doing some pool exercises will not only be a change in pace but also allow you to cool down in the water. You can also work on variations of the exercises mentioned above to push your fitness to the next level.