Pool Exercises That Build Real Strength (Not Just a Tan)

Bas Rutten, former UFC heavyweight champ and the man behind roughly 40% of all "boom" noises ever made in a fitness video, rebuilt his upper body in a swimming pool. Neck surgery left him with atrophy he could not train around on land, so he took to the water for all his training. It might seem counterintuitive to see a big bad guy splashing around in the water for a heavy duty workout, but as Bas says, "the harder you go, the more resistance you get," and there are no annoying pains in the joints.

Pool exercises have an image problem, mostly because everyone pictures a noodle class set to disco. That version exists and it rules, by the way. But so does the version where you do squat jumps at the bottom of the deep end until your lungs file a complaint and legs are burning. You'll see.

What Makes Pool Exercises Different

Water pushes back in proportion to how hard you shove it, so you can do easier lazy reps, or fast, brutal reps. Buoyancy takes around 90% of your body weight off your frame at shoulder depth, which is why people with joint pain or injuries can still train in the water when squats and running are not possible. Because of the drag hitting you in every direction, you'll build strength while working your cardiovascular system at the same time. One nice feature of pool workouts is the water cools you off as you go, which Rutten calls "cooling the engine down."

Another water fan, big wave surfter and co-creator of XPT Laird Hamilton, says "water and aggression, they don’t really go together," because "water has its own pace." Muscling through a set the way you would on land just burns oxygen you can't spare. Working on your conditioning will certainly help you out here.

Benefits of Water Aerobics (And Who Should Bother)

The benefits of water aerobics are absurdly well documented for improving all areas of fitness. Water-based aerobic training raises cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, balance and flexibility. Athletes also use it to recover faster while maintaining their speed and power.

Water exercise also makes you feel better about life, cutting mood and anxiety symptoms, even just for easy sessions. It also helps ease a long list of chronic conditions including hypertension, diabetes, and Parkinson’s.

Pool exercises make the most sense if you're dealing with iffy joints or pains, or if you're rehabbing surgery, are pregnant, or are a runner in need of conditioning without wrecking your knees since it's low impact cardio. They make less sense as your only training, since you can't exactly load a pool like a barbell.

Pool Workout Equipment

Pool workout equipment is typically pretty cheap. Foam aquatic dumbbells work the opposite way typical ones do since the foam wants to float so you're using strength to push it down instead of up. Another fun tool are webbed gloves that turn your hands into bigger scoops for more resistance. Adding a pull buoy makes it so your arms do everything since you can't rely on your legs at all. For the heavy drills you need something that sinks, like a water-safe ammo can or a rubber dumbbell (ask the facility first).

Pool Exercises to Try

Stream and Gleam Arm Thrusts

Push and pull your arms through the water, switching which hand sits on top every five reps. The trick is the return trip, where Rutten shrinks his hands so they "stream and gleam" back through, then opens them wide on the way out.

Underwater Hand Claps

Start with your arms wide at chest depth and slam them together fast enough to clap. You are moving a huge amount of water, so you produce a lot of force without trying. Closest thing a pool has to a plyo chest press.

Biceps and Triceps Pop Pop

Bend and extend your elbows fast with your upper arms pinned to your ribs. Pulling up hits the biceps, slamming it down hits the triceps.

Leg Stomps for Your Core

The best of the pool exercises for abs. Stand on the ball of one foot so you are not scraping the bottom, stomp the other leg back, then swing it up high. Rutten calls them "core attacks" and does 30 per leg between blocks.

The Seahorse

Hold your body in a rigid pike, breaststroke with your arms only, and move down the pool on a held breath while your legs stay dead. Hamilton built it to expose weakness, and it does, especially for guys whose heavy legs drag like an anchor.

Hulk Jumps

Grab a weight, sink to the bottom of the pool, and tuck your feet so you land in a deep squat. Explode up, punch out three or four overhead presses, walk backward, and reset. The Hulk always lands in the squat, hence the name.

Pool Exercises for Weight Loss

Pool exercises for weight loss help about as much as any other exercise, which is to say they are not magic, but they do add fun and variety. Research shows adding aquatic training to your workouts can reduce fat and improve blood pressure, cholesterol, and functional capacity. It also builds strength.

Any of the exercises we're giving you here can be used for weight loss. They're especially great for conditioning and adding joint-friendly volume. Check out our breakdown of cardio vs strength training for how to split up your week, and if you train fasted, the same rules apply in the water.

Try This Pool Workout

We borrowed this one from Rutten, who does 12 exercises in four blocks of three, 25 reps each, repeating each mini-circuit four times. That's quite a bit of volume, so start with this simpler version.

Block 1 (repeat 3 times)

• Stream and gleam arm thrusts x 25
• Underwater hand claps x 25
• Biceps and triceps pop pop x 25

Block 2 (repeat 3 times)

• Hulk jumps x 8
• Weighted one-arm swim, one length per side (start non-dominant)
• Underwater walking lunges x 20

Finisher

• Wall knee strikes, 1 minute on and 1 minute off, 3 rounds

Run 30 leg stomps per leg between blocks, and pull your toes toward your shins on the knee strikes to catch more water.

When you only want to focus on conditioning, one of the best swimming workouts is a swimming cardio session of 8 to 10 rounds of 25 meters hard with 45 seconds rest. You never feel yourself sweating in there, so keep Purist® Hydration on the deck so you stay properly hydrated.

Read more: Plan an Epic Outdoor Workout

Takeaway

Pool exercises are legit, not just for vacay or deload week. Try some of these moves out in the water, then hop out to dry off with some air bike intervals to really blast your conditioning. You'll have a good chance of feeling a lot better and looking better while you're at it.

FAQs

Are pool exercises good for weight loss?

Pool exercises help with weight loss the same way any training does, by adding energy expenditure and protecting your fitness while you eat in a deficit. Pool workouts without any changes to your diet can still give you modest fat loss and might move the scale, but it's best to use the pool for conditioning volume that your joints can absorb, then control calories in the kitchen.

What pool workout equipment do I actually need?

You can start with nothing but your body and once you want more, you can add something like webbed gloves, or foam aquatic dumbbells for the biggest jump in difficulty for the least money. A kickboard, a pull buoy, and something heavy that sinks are ideal for advanced drills.

Can you build muscle with pool exercises?

You can build strength and some size, especially if you are new to training or coming back from some time off, since water drag provides lots of resistance. Progressive overload gets tricky, though, because you can't keep adding resistance very easily. If you're main goal is to gain muscle, you'll want to do traditional lifting as well.

Do pool exercises work your abs?

Pool exercises constantly work your abs and entire core. Every drill where you are unsupported in the water forces your deep core to stabilize against drag. Leg stomps, the seahorse, and any weighted one-arm swim hammer the core hardest because your midsection is the only thing keeping you from spinning sideways.

What are the best swimming workouts for cardio?

Intervals are better than steady laps for most people short on time (which is most of us). Try 8 to 10 rounds of 25 meters hard with 45 seconds rest, or 6 rounds of 50 meters with a minute of easy floating. You can also add a longer continuous swim once a week to build your aerobic base.