Moving through various ranges of motion while submerged in water provides low-impact resistance to your muscles and may help alleviate symptoms of certain medical conditions, including arthritis, osteoporosis and tendinitis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that water-based exercise may also provide mental-health benefits for some individuals. Do exercises that target all the major muscle groups for an effective, full-body workout, and spend extra time concentrating on problematic areas in your body.
Ball Lever
The ball lever exercise targets the muscles that extend your shoulders and the triceps on the back of your upper arms. Float facedown in chest-deep water with your legs extended and feet together. Hold a beach ball in front of your head with your arms fully extended.
Arc the ball downward and backward through the water as quickly as possible, allowing your head to come out of the water so you can take a breath. Bend your elbows and press the ball back to the starting position once it reaches your thighs, then repeat. Keep your legs and torso aligned horizontally throughout the movement.
Knee Extensions
Performing knee extensions in water works the quadriceps muscle group on the front of your thighs. This exercise may help ease knee pain, regardless of the cause, and rehabilitate certain knee injuries. Sit in in a hot tub or in a pool with an underwater bench so the water comes up at least as high as your chest. Place your feet flat on the floor, then lift one foot at a time and repeatedly extend and flex your knee joint. Gradually increase the speed of movement to make the exercise more challenging. You can also move both legs at the same time.
Leg Swings
Leg swing exercises targets the muscles that move your hip joints through abduction, adduction, extension and flexion ranges of motion. Stand about 3 feet away from the side of a pool in chest-deep water. Extend your arms forward and hold the edge, and lift one foot at a time and swing it sideways, away from your body, then across the center of your body, in front of your right leg, repeatedly. Turn so your left side is closest to the wall, hold the edge with your left hand and repeatedly kick your leg forward and backward, then turn around and repeat the exercise with your right leg.
Wave Maker
The wave maker exercise targets your abdominal muscles, hips and knees. Float facedown in chest-deep water with one hand holding the edge of the pool and the opposite palm flat against the wall with your fingers directed downward. Extend your legs backward, even with the surface of the water, with your feet together and toes pointed. Flex your knees slightly to lift your feet out of the water, then flex your hips and extend your knees simultaneously in a dolphin-kick motion, trying to make as big a wave as possible. Continue kicking as fast as you can for up to 30 seconds.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Health Benefits of Water-Based Exercise; April 2010
- "Fitness" Magazine; Slim Down in a Splash: Pool Workout; Lara McGlashan; July/August 2009
- "Basic Biomechanics"; Susan Hall; 2007
- University of Washington Orthopedics and Sports Medicine: Warm-Water Exercises
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