Aqua Fitness: Unusual Water-Based Exercises for Strength and Cardio

We all know we’ve got to drink plenty of water to stay fit. But there’s more to water than drinking it. Working out in the water — aqua fitness — offers various benefits for every fitness level.

Aqua fitness has been around since the 1980s. It’s shown itself to be an effective form of exercise, especially beneficial for people with joint stiffness or back pain. As a veteran personal trainer, I’ve been incorporating pool-based workouts with everyone, from elite athletes to mobility-challenged seniors, for decades.

In this article, we explore a range of unusual water-based exercises for strength and cardio. I’ll also discuss the benefits of water-based exercise and provide tips on aqua fitness safety and effectiveness.

Unusual Water-Based Exercises for Strength & Cardio

Here are six super effective types of aqua fitness exercises for various fitness levels:

1. Lateral Walking

• Focus: Cardio
• Level: Beginner

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Stand in chest-high water with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.
2. Take a large step to your left, bringing your feet together at the conclusion of the step.
3. Repeat this five times, moving as rapidly as possible.
4. Immediately reverse direction, taking five large steps back to the start position.
5. You have now completed one rep. Take three large breaths and then perform another 10-step rep.
6. Perform three sets of this exercise.

2. Upper Body Resistance

• Focus: Upper body strength
• Level: Intermediate

Here are four water-based resistance exercises that can be done as a circuit. You will need a variable resistance training device (VRTD), such as plastic paddles. Alternatively, you can use a light pair of plastic dumbbells.

Perform 15 reps of each exercise, then go directly to the next. Once you’ve done all four moves, recover for 60 seconds by jogging up and down in the water. Complete three sets of this circuit.

Exercise #1: Chest Press

1. Stand tall in shoulder-high water. Hold the VRTD or dumbbells against your chest so they are half in and half out of the water.
2. Extend your arms to full extension, squeezing your chest in the fully shortened position.
3. Touch the VRTD or dumbbells together in this position.
4. Reverse the action to return to the start position.

Exercise #2:  Chest Flyes

1. Stand tall in water that is up to shoulder level. Hold the VRTD or dumbbells at arm’s length in front of your chest so they are half in and half out of the water.
2. Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your arms out to the sides until they are perpendicular to your torso.
3. Keep your elbows straight throughout this movement.
4. Return to the start position, keeping the resistance half in and half out of the water throughout.

Exercise #3: Lateral Raise Hold

1. Stand tall in shoulder-high water. Hold a light resistance in your hands and place your arms at the sides of your thighs.
2. Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your arms directly out and up to the sides.
3. Stop just short of your arms coming out of the water.
4. Hold the top position for a three-count.
5. Lower under control to the start position.

Exercise #4: Chest Tap

1. Stand tall in shoulder-high water with a light resistance in each hand.
2. Extend your arms to the sides at shoulder height so they are perpendicular to your body.
3. Ensure that your arms stay under the water.
4. Bend your elbows to bring your hands to your chest, tapping the resistance against your body.
5. Keep your elbows up as you do this.
6. Return to the start position.

3. Pool Pulls

• Focus: Strength
• Level: Intermediate

This exercise centers on strengthening your arms and shoulders while eliminating lower body involvement.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Position yourself in the pool with your back against the wall. Insert a pool buoy between your thighs to prevent kicking.
2. If you tend to flutter kick with your ankles, consider adding a band around them.
3. Swim the pool’s length, relying solely on your upper body for propulsion.
4. For added resistance, gradually introduce paddles, enhancing the load on your arms and shoulders.

4. Vertical Kicks

• Focus: Strength
• Level: Intermediate

This aquatic drill targets the quads, glutes, and hamstrings, emphasizing a leg-centric workout.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Move to a pool area where the bottom is beyond reach.
2. Maintain an upright stance, crossing your hands against your chest.
3. Execute vigorous kicks to lift your upper body out of the water.
4. Continue for 20 seconds, followed by a 20-second rest; repeat this cycle four to five times.
5. For increased resistance, incorporate fins.

5. Pool Jumps

• Focus: Strength
• Level: Intermediate

This drill effectively works the glutes, core, quads, and upper body.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Stand in a pool area where your feet touch the bottom.
2. Face the wall, palms down, with your hands resting on the pool edge.
3. Thrust through your thighs, pulling yourself up to lift your feet from the water onto the pool’s edge.
4. Reverse the motion, returning to the pool.
5. Perform three consecutive pool jumps.
6. Rest for 20 seconds and then repeat.
7. Complete three sets of three pool jumps.

6. Dolphin Kick

• Focus: Cardio
• Level: Advanced

Enhance your core strength with the challenging dolphin kick. For added resistance, execute this move while wearing fins.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Lie in the pool with a streamlined position: torso elongated, arms extended overhead, and hands clasped. Face downward, maintaining alignment of head and spine.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Bring your feet together and bend your knees, engaging your hips and core.
4. Begin a smooth kicking motion reminiscent of a dolphin’s tail.
5. As hips rise, legs should descend, propelling you forward. Keep your ankles flexible and your feet close together.
6. How long you can hold your breath will determine the length of your dolphin kick swimming.

Aqua Zumba

Zumba is a popular dance-based group fitness workout set to upbeat music. It incorporates dance styles such as salsa, cumbia, and merengue.

Aqua Zumba transplants the Zumba class into a pool, with the instructor usually leading the class out of the water. This allows the class participants to see the actions they should replicate.

The dance movements in the water are naturally slower, making Aqua Zumba easier to follow and less intimidating for mobility-challenged people. Depending on your capabilities and fitness level, Aqua Zumba can be done at low or high intensity.

Aqua Zumba is best suited for people who are comfortable in the pool and like to move to music. If you are new to this type of workout, I recommend observing a class before getting in the water.

You’ll get the best results from your Zumba aqua workout if you exercise in water up to your armpits. Any higher than that and your upper body movement will be severely impaired.

Aqua HIIT Training

High-intensity interval training involves repeated rounds of sharp, short exercises and brief recovery periods. The high-intensity nature of this type of training can place a lot of stress on the lower body joints. Doing your HIIT in the water overcomes this problem.

Here’s an effective HIIT swimming routine that I’ve used with many of my clients:

1. Perform a five-minute warm-up by swimming up and down the pool at a slow, gentle pace. From the third minute onward, start increasing your speed.
2. When your timer clicks to five minutes, swim at 90% of your maximum intensity for 60 seconds. Imagine that a shark is chasing you!
3. Recover for 60 seconds by walking up and down the pool or swimming slowly.
4. Perform eight rounds of this circuit.
5. Finish with another five minutes of slow swimming as a cooldown.

Aqua Fitness Benefits

Taking your workout to the water has some clear benefits over land-based exercise. Here are nine reasons to consider aqua fitness:

1. Buoyancy

Buoyancy is the opposite force of gravity. It provides an uplighting effect in the water that dramatically reduces joint impact. Running in the water will stress your feet, ankles, knees, and hips far less than on dry ground.

That makes aqua fitness an ideal option for people with musculoskeletal problems because it allows them to exercise vigorously without pain.

2. Water Resistance

When you move in the pool, your muscles have to work against the viscous resistance of the water. Curling your arm to your shoulder is eight times harder underwater than on land. This allows you to improve your muscular strength and endurance without the use of additional equipment.

3. Muscle & Joint Balance

The water resists every movement you do in the pool. That promotes equal development of your antagonistic muscles. For example, when you kick your leg under the water, you are getting resistance through both the concentric (kicking) part, working the quadriceps, and the eccentric (return part), which works the hamstrings.

This equal development improves joint integrity and muscular balance.

4. Zero Gravity

When you work out in the water, there is zero gravity and, consequently, zero joint stress. I have trained several people over the years who have had to stop jogging, even on a treadmill, because of knee problems. They have successfully transitioned to aqua fitness, performing deep water running with a flotation belt.

5. Cross Training

Aqua training is well suited for cross-training exercises. I’ve used it to help athletes break through a training plateau. Whether you’re a cyclist, rower, runner, or any other land-based exerciser, water workouts will help you break through a training barrier while limiting joint strain. Alternating between gravity and buoyancy-based resistance will work your body more completely and holistically.

6. Weight Loss

Overweight people may struggle with traditional land-based exercises that stress their lower body joints. Exercising in the water provides an ideal solution, eliminating joint stress while promoting calorie burn.

7. Injury Recovery

Exercising in the water provides an ideal transition back to full health when you suffer an injury. The gravity-free, zero-impact aqua environment allows you to strengthen the injured muscles, ligaments, and tendons safely and without pain.

8. Supportive Environment

The supportive environment provided by water is especially beneficial for mobility-challenged people. Seniors may be reluctant to exercise on land for fear of falling. The pool eliminates that concern so that the person can confidently move forward.

9. Improved Functionality

Exercising in the water will make you more functional on the land. You will be able to perform tasks for a more significant duration and with more strength due to the improved muscular and cardiovascular endurance that results from your aqua workouts. Moving your arms and legs in multiple directions against water resistance will also improve functional fitness and range of motion.

Aqua Fitness Safety Tips

Exercising in the water is safe for the vast majority of people. However, there are a few groups of people who should check with their doctor before starting a water workout program:

• People with an infectious skin disorder
• Those with high or low blood pressure
• People with a heart condition

Here are half a dozen tips to keep you safe in the water:

1. Warm-up: Always start your aqua fitness session with a gentle warm-up. This may involve gently walking up and down the pool for a few minutes or lightly swimming a few lengths. Follow this with some underwater dynamic stretches that move your limbs through a full range of motion.
2. Maintain proper posture: When in the water, stand up straight with your shoulders pulled back, your lower back arched, and your chest out. Your shoulders, hips, and ankles should be in alignment.
3. Listen to your body: Exercise at your own pace. If you are taking an aqua fitness class, don’t feel pressured to keep up with other people. If you need to take a break or even get out of the water, do it.
4. Adjust to the conditions: If you’re exercising in an outdoor pool, adjust to the weather conditions. Wear sunscreen during the summer and be aware of pollution and air quality.
5. Control your breathing: Breathe naturally in the water. I’ve noticed a tendency that many people have to hold their breath when doing resistance training in the water. This is a mistake.
6. Cool down: At the end of your workout, spend five minutes walking up and down the pool gently. This will return your heart rate to its resting level and prevent blood from pooling in your lower body. You should never jump directly out of the pool while your heart rate is highly elevated.

Discover the workout that made Micheal Phelps the swimming GOAT.

Special Considerations for Injury Recovery

Aqua fitness is perfect for those recovering from an injury due to its zero gravity and stress-free nature. Here are some things to keep in mind when using aqua fitness for injury recovery:

• Let your therapist/doctor guide your water workouts.
• Begin by working the unaffected parts of your body until your therapist gives you the go-ahead to start exercising the injured body part.
• Be sure to always work agonist and antagonist muscle groups, such as the biceps and the triceps or quads and hamstrings.
• If you are a sports player, replicate your sports action under the water without added resistance.
• Start with an exaggeratedly slow range of motion and a partial range of motion, gradually speeding up and extending to a full range of motion.
• Slowly but progressively increase the underwater resistance you are using.

Aqua Fitness FAQs

What is the ideal water temperature for aqua fitness?

There is no ideal aqua fitness water temperature. People with joint issues will feel more comfortable with a lightly warmer temperature. You’ll probably prefer a cooler water temperature if you are there for an intense HIIT-style workout.

Air temperature feels much warmer than water temperature. As a general guide, a water temperature of around 93 degrees Fahrenheit (33.3 degrees Celsius) can be used as a baseline.

Should I always keep my body under the water when doing aqua fitness?

It is best to submerge your body during your water workout. If you constantly lift your arms out of the water, your heart rate will become artificially elevated. You’ll also prevent your arms from benefiting from the water’s unique buoyancy resistance.

What is the main resistance force when you exercise in the water?

When you move in the water, the main force you are working against is drag. Drag combines with the water’s density to create resistance. The faster you move, the greater the drag.

Is aqua fitness good for weight loss?

Aqua fitness can be beneficial as part of a weight loss plan. Many overweight people are unable to do land-based cardio due to joint stress. Exercising in the water is stress-free on the joints, making it a great alternative.

Moving your body in water is eight times harder than doing so on land, requiring more energy in calories. Including both cardio and strength training exercises is best for aqua fitness weight loss.

Find out how many calories your aqua aerobics workout will burn.

Conclusion

Aqua fitness offers an invigorating addition to any workout program. It’s perfect for people with mobility or joint issues but can benefit everyone, from beginners to pro athletes.

If you’re already working out regularly on dry land, add a couple of pool-based workouts to your weekly routine. If you’re a beginner, explore aqua fitness or water-based Zumba classes. Or simply head to the pool and try out some of the exercises we’ve covered here.

Have you tried aqua fitness? Tell us in the comments about your favorite water-based workout.

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