In this Article…
- My 8 Foundational Aquafit Exercises;
- 1. Water Walking;
- 2. Water Jogging;
- 3. The Jax;
- 4. The Ski;
- 5. Kick;
- 6. Rocking Horse;
- 7. Pendulum;
- 8. Tuck.
- Video Version on YouTube: “Aquafit: My 8 Foundational Exercises to Get You Started“
My Foundational 8: Exercises for Aquafit
Each exercise can be adapted to your level of fitness, either to make it easier or more advanced. For now, let me show you the basics with my foundational 8 exercises for aquafit!
1. Water Walking
Just as you do every day out of the water, we’ll be Walking in the water.
The idea is to create the most amount of drag possible with long levers. That’s to say, long arms and open hands.
You want to focus on keeping a good posture with your shoulders back and your core tight.
And it’s important to move your arms and legs with as much range of motion as possible so you get the most water drag for resistance as you Walk.
And try Walking Backwards. The same idea applies, except this time you’re Walking Backwards. Remember to focus on range of motion, long levers, and good posture.
And then, try Walking Sideways. With this Walking variation, cross your midline with your moving arm and moving leg and repeat. Don’t forget to switch directions.
2. Water Jogging
You can Jog on the spot and you can also travel around the pool, going forward, backward, and sideways. If the pace is too easy for you, experiment with Jogging faster without sacrificing your good posture and engaged core.
With Jogging, there are many variations like Jogging with high knees, Jogging with Heel-to-Glut Kicks, Wide Jogging, and of course doing different movements with your arms such as Jog and Punch, Jog and Push, Jog and Make-Water-Boil to name a few. You can get creative with Jogging to make your workout more advanced and fun!
3. The Jax
My third foundational exercise is the Jax.
Just like a jumping Jax on land, you’ll want to move your arms and legs away from the body and back in, and repeat.
This is the basic movement for Jax. There are plenty of variations you can experiment with but remember that you’ll get the best workout with more water drag – so longer levers keeping your hands open and arms and legs just slightly bent.
Experiment with arms in front as well as arms behind. Again, you can crank up the intensity by going faster.
You can also do a combination exercise where you add in a Tuck, another foundational exercise that can be done on its own or added to another exercise such as the Jax. So the motion is Jax-Tuck-Jax and repeat.
4. The Ski
Have fun with this one! You’ll want to focus on moving with opposite arms and legs, keeping in mind longer levers for more water resistance.
Speed it up and slow it down. Ski on the spot and Travel Ski going forward, backward, and sideways.
And just like the Jax-Tuck, you can do the Ski-Tuck too.
Remember to keep your shoulders back and core engaged for a full body emphasis on your workout.
5. Kick
There are plenty of different movements you can do but my basic foundational Kick exercise is simply alternating a Front Kick. You can do this with straight legs for longer levers and more drag or you can do a Front Kick with a bent knee.
Variations include side to Side Kick, Back Kick, Fast Flutter Kick, and more but for now, let’s get the foundational Front Kick in motion.
You can speed it up or slow it down in addition to experimenting with different arm movements. Give it a try!
6. Rocking Horse
The Rocking Horse is an excellent full body movement that allows you to really work against water resistance.
The basic movement of Rocking Horse is to focus keeping one leg coming forward and the other leg going backward as you push and pull through the water with your arms and upper body.
It’s important to get a bigger range of motion with long levers so as to bring those legs higher toward the water’s surface.
And then, you’ll want to switch legs.
Experiment with your speed but remember to keep your form and core engaged for a better all-around workout.
7. Pendulum
Similar to Rocking Horse, but this time rocking like a Pendulum from side-to-side.
You’ll want to keep straighter arms and legs for again, you guessed it, more drag for more resistance!
Remember, posture and core are super important for full body muscle engagement.
Try to create bigger movements with your legs and arms each going as far as they can go and even hitting just below the water’s surface.
And you can experiment with speed if you want to crank up the intensity.
8. Tuck
I’ve already introduced the Tuck to you during the Jax and Ski exercises as variations. The Tuck is an exercise on its own and is an excellent way to work your abdominal muscles.
You can Tuck on the spot and you can also travel forward, backward, and sideways.
There are a few variations you can experiment with such as the Leap Frog for a Wider Tuck, and you can also do a combination Tuck and Kick for a more advanced movement.
With a Tuck-Kick, you can do sculling with your hands in the water for suspension support.
And you can try the Leap Frog and Wide Kick too.
Final Words…
And that’s a wrap my friends!
I hope you enjoyed learning about my 8 Foundational Aquafit Exercises. Try these the next time you hit the pool and let me know how these went!
Until next time, Keep on Splashin’!