Water workouts offer strength training and cardio fitness

By Elaine Paoloni | amNewYork Features Editor

July 26, 2006

Remember, when you were a kid, all the hours you spent splashing around a pool in the summertime?

Sure it was fun, but little did you know it was great exercise, too.

"Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise," says Brad Cole, a personal trainer at Bally Total Fitness' Penta club on 32nd Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues. "It provides you with cardiovascular and strength-training workouts. It promotes stamina, mobility and overall strength. The water adds resistance to your moves and forces your core muscles to help your body remain stabilized underneath the water."

Exercising in water is also considered safer than working out on hard surfaces. The water helps support your weight and prevents you from straining your lower back and knees.

Below are some exercises Cole recommends doing in the calm waters of a pool. They should be performed regularly for increased endurance and overall strength, he says.

1. Chest press
This move will work out your pectoral (chest) muscles, shoulders and upper back.

Stand in water that comes up to your shoulders, and bend your knees so that you're in a squatting position. Extend your arms out to your side so that your hands are in the water at shoulder height with your elbows slightly bent. Slowly bring your arms together (imagine you are hugging a tree) as you squeeze your pectoral muscles, then return your arms to starting position. Increase your speed by moving your arms as fast as possible while maintaining your core balance.

Do 10-12 repetitions per set, and try to complete three sets, building your intensity: complete them in 20-, 30- and 40-second intervals.

2. Vertical flutter kick
This great cardio workout targets your glutes (butt), quads and hamstrings (legs) and abs (stomach). Beginners can use a flotation belt.

In water that is deep enough to be over your head, slightly bend your knees and kick your legs forward and backward in opposite directions at the same time, mimicking a fluttering motion, while your head remains above water.

Alternate your speed: Kick as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then kick slowly for 1 minute. Do this routine for 5-7 minutes.

If you want to increase the difficulty of the exercise, try to kick while reaching your hands up and out of the water.

3. Side leg kick
This move targets your abductor and adductor (outer and inner thigh) muscles.

Beginning with your right leg, stand perpendicular, at least an arm's length away, to the pool wall. Grab the wall with your left hand, extend your right leg out to the side, then return it to start position. Complete this motion as fast as possible.

Try to do three sets of 10-12 reps with your right leg and three sets of 10-12 reps with your left leg. Build your intensity with each set, and try to complete the sets in 20-, 30- and 40-second intervals.

4. Bicep curl/tricep extension
This exercise targets your biceps and triceps.

Stand in water that comes up to your shoulders. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent for balance. Extend your hands straight down to your sides, with your palms facing forward. Your elbows should remain close to your body. Bring your hands up so that your elbows go just past 90 degrees. Hold for 1 second, then extend them down again to starting position.

Try completing the motion as fast as possible. (Note: The deeper the water, the greater the intensity). Keep your core muscles engaged and maintain good posture. Aim to complete three sets of 10-12 reps in 20-, 30- and 40-second intervals.