Aqua Exercises With A Dumbbell

You can increase the resistance benefits of your aquatic workouts by adding dumbbells to your exercise sessions. Water dumbbells are available in various weight resistance amounts and are designed with a handle in the middle of two Styrofoam "weighted" ends. Unlike the way dumbbells fall to the ground if you release your hold on them, water dumbbells will float to the surface.

Buoyancy

The buoyant nature of water dumbbells help train both your main muscle groups and your opposing muscle groups. Your opposing muscles contract to prevent the dumbbell from floating to the surface of the water. For example, during an arm extension, the back of your upper arms, which are called the triceps, contract as you hold a dumbbell in each hand and straighten your arms to bring the dumbbells toward your hips. As you bend your arm to bring the dumbbell in front of your body, the front of your upper arms, which are called the biceps, contract to prevent the dumbbell from moving too quickly to the water's surface.

Body Position

To protect your shoulders, do water dumbbell exercises in shoulder deep water. Always move your joints through a full range of motion. Your feet should remain on the bottom of the pool to provide a stable base. Your stomach should be tightened to support your spine during the exercises. According to IDEA Health and Fitness, when you use water dumbbells to support your entire body weight, you may incur shoulder injuries over time. A back strengthening exercise that uses the full range of motion in your arms is the pull down. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and begin this exercise with your arms extended to the sides of your body in line with your shoulders. Strengthen your back by pulling your dumbbells down and behind your backside while keeping your arms straight.

Cardiovascular

If you are able to keep your shoulders underneath the water and your feet on the floor, you can use a dumbbell during cardiovascular movements. For example, you can jog and alternate hands while pressing a dumbbell away from your chest. You can also hold the dumbbell behind your body to increase the water's resistance as you walk or run forward.

Workout

Since water dumbbells are resistance-training exercises, your body requires a day of rest in between strengthening workouts. You can perform two or three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for your exercises. Your water dumbbells can be used for core strengthening exercises. You can perform a side bend by holding the dumbbell in your right hand with your right arm at your side and then bending toward the right by bringing your ribs to your hips. Moving the dumbbell in front of your body in a side-lying figure-eight position will also help improve the strength of your core.