5 toning workouts for the pool
Since you’re probably going to spend most of your summer snapping selfies at the pool anyway, might as well squeeze in a workout while you’re there. Transform the pool into your ultimate fitness tool this summer by bringing a foam noodle along and running through these resistance moves. Bonus points if you can round up your whole squad for an unofficial aqua fitness class.
- Oblique twists. Give yourself some space to complete these twists, which are essentially exactly what they sound like. Designed to tighten and tone your obliques, along with other muscles in your upper body, oblique twists require you to first plant your feet wider than your shoulders. Then place your palms together out in front of you, almost like yoga’s prayer pose, just with your arms extended. Then move your hands, palms still tight together, from side to side. Pivot your toes to face the direction that your hands are moving, but don’t turn entirely to face that direction—the point of the exercise is to challenge your obliques, so you really want to twist that torso.
- Wall crunches. When you first get into position for these, people might stare, but don’t worry—that’s just their FOMO getting the better of them. First, hike your legs up over the edge of the pool so that, knees bent, your calves extend across dry land, while your bum and above remain in the water. Cross your hands over your chest and simply begin to crunch upward like you would on dry land. The isometric movements will be small, but when performed precisely, extremely effective.
- Wave Makers. This might be the most fun of all the workout moves on the list. Certainly worthy of a Snap story filmed by a friend. It’s pretty simple: place your hands on the wall of the pool for stability, then move your body in an undulating, wave-like motion. Think about the way a dolphin (or mermaid) cuts through the water. Start at your torso, and roll through your hips all the way out to your toes. Don’t be startled if it makes a splash. That just means you’re doing it right.
- Splash-free cannonballs. If you brought a pool noodle with you, use it for more than lounging. Noodles can be a good source of support for certain aqua-training moves, like the splash-free cannonball. Instead of plunging into the pool and making waves, this version of the cannonball requires you to drape your arms over a pool noodle in deep water. Then stretch your legs out toward the bottom of the pool, with your toes pointed and together. Use your abs to bring your legs up to your chest, almost like a vertical crunch. Hold them there for two seconds, then straighten the legs. You should do about 20 reps of these before taking a break.
- One of the best tush-toning moves on dry land does the same type of work in the water. Again, you’ll need your noodle. Start in water up to your chest, and spread your feet to about hip-width distance. With hands on either end of your noodle, force it into a U shape, then step over the U with one leg. Move your leg back, and replace it with the other leg. Complete a total of 10 reps before moving back to the beginning of the circuit.
With so many moves that you can complete in the pool, you might not even need your gym membership this summer—just a pool membership.
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