Variety is the Spice of Life: Six Ways to Shake Up Your Water Workouts!
Do you remember the soreness you felt when you first started your current workout regimen? Maybe it was a new fitness class, a jog around the neighborhood, or your first time exercising in the pool… You felt fantastic while exercising, but in the days that followed, delayed onset muscle soreness crept in, forcing you to question WHY you decided to try something new. Was it really worth that pain?
Because of a phenomenon called General Adaptation Syndrome, your body is able to adapt to the physical demands that are placed upon it. When you start a new form of exercise, you will likely feel quite sore as your body reacts to the stimulus, and this acclimation period may take 1-3 weeks. Over time, your body will react to your consistent workout habits and become more and more efficient. By weeks 12+, that stimulus will no longer have a significant impact on you.
Sounds great, right? Not exactly. Some soreness and fatigue are to be expected with exercise! These are signs that your body’s homeostasis has been disrupted – an indication that you’re applying stress to your muscles, and your body is responding to the challenge. While consistency IS desirable with your workout regimen, it’s important to shake up your routine periodically. When you continue with the same exercises over time, your body will become more efficient - requiring less energy and burning fewer calories to do the same routine. Your strength, balance, and cardiovascular gains will also plateau.
Of course, any exercise is better than no exercise, but why not work out in a way that will provide you with the most benefits? If your water workouts are starting to feel easy, or if you haven’t changed your regimen in 6-8 weeks, it’s time to mix things up!
Making slight changes to your exercise habits can sometimes result in big gains!
Here are six ways to shake things up in the pool:
Make a splash in class!
Sign up for a group class! Your instructor will keep you on your toes, pushing you outside your comfort zone and teaching you exercises you may not have done before.
Already taking classes?
If your schedule is flexible, we encourage you to try a new class format. Splash FIT, Aqua Boot Camp, Deep Water HIIT, S’WET, and Wavemakers may feel similar at times, but the exercise sets, intervals, duration of shallow/deep time, and games do vary.
You might also try a different class time. For example, if you normally exercise before you go for a bike ride, try taking class after your ride, when your muscles are more tired. Or, if you typically workout in the morning, consider scheduling an afternoon or evening class once a week.
Another option: sprinkle in some “non-class” workouts every now & then! When you work out during Open Pool (or with a personal trainer), you can ensure your exercise program meets your specific needs. Our group fitness classes have a heavy cardio component, but you might benefit from additional stretching, balance training, or strength training with more challenging resistance equipment. If you like classes because of the accountability, consider signing up for open pool (or personal training) with a friend!
Change the order of your exercises.
A very easy way to shake things up during Open Pool is to simply perform your current program in a different order. There’s no “rule” that says you must complete your shallow water exercises before your deep water exercises, or that you should do all of your “core” work before your lower body strengthening.
Many of our clients have a predictable “warm up,” like walking widths of the pool. Try something new – maybe a few laps of deep water bicycling or flutter kicking, noodle stretches, standing trunk mobility exercises, or a set of easy upper/lower body exercises without equipment.
Mixing up the order of your routine is a win-win, as it may potentially free up equipment or space in the shallow or deep end of the pool, too. If it looks crowded in the shallow end, use that as a cue to start with deep water exercise (or vice versa).
Create different workouts for different days.
Can’t squeeze everything you want to do into a 45-minute Open Pool session? Think about your workout goal, and consider creating different exercise plans based on each goal.
EXAMPLE: One day a week might have more of a “cardio” focus with 20-30 minutes of deep water interval training followed by your favorite upper/lower body strengthening exercises. Another day could include more shallow water balance/stability exercises (and less cardio).
ANOTHER OPTION: Add a recovery (self-care) day! Focus on active mobility, stretching, aqua yoga, breathwork, and maybe even deep water traction.
Change your equipment!
Buoyant, drag, and rubberized equipment will work your muscles in different ways (or, potentially, work different muscles altogether!). There’s a reason we have so many pool “toys” available!
Do you always reach for the black bells for your upper body/core exercises? Try one set with bells and one set with dumbbells (hand buoys) or enki boards.
And, as a reminder, save the weighted equipment for outside the pool!
Make it harder.
Remember, your body will adapt to the demands you place on it. Balance and strength training need to be sufficiently challenging in order to make gains! If you’ve been doing the same routine for a while, you need to consider increasing resistance, moving faster, or adding reps/sets. You could also change your base of support, reduce your amount of assistance on the pool wall, and/or change your equipment, too!
Reps & Sets: Is 1 set of 10-15 reps your go-to? How many reps are you doing? Chances are, not enough!
The National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommends performing 2-3 sets of 15-20+ reps to improve muscle endurance. (If your goal is muscle hypertrophy, you’ll want to do fewer reps, but with more resistance & to failure - typically 6-12 reps).
Consider changing your speed with each set, taking your exercises just a bit faster each time, or adding resistance equipment for your second/third sets.
You could also consider “stacking” your exercises so that you’re working similar muscle groups but in slightly different ways.
EXAMPLE: If you’re performing straight leg lifts, you might perform 12 forward, 12 to the side, and 12 to the back before switching legs. This will fatigue the standing leg and load your gluteus medius!
ANOTHER EXAMPLE: With your straight leg lifts, you might perform 10 with full range of motion, 10 small pulses at end range, and 10 can-can kicks, fatiguing your hip flexors/quads.
Changing your base of support may be helpful, too!
EXAMPLE: Perform your first set of upper body exercises with a regular base of support. Repeat (sets 2 & 3) while standing on one foot, thereby working on your single leg balance and core stability at the same time.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE: Balance training activities can be performed in sitting, kneeling, or standing. Try a narrow base of support, staggered stance, tandem stance, or one foot! Stand on a nekdoodle, small noodle or large noodle… or take your noodle workout to the deep end for a suspended challenge!
Moving Faster: Doubling your speed will quadruple your resistance in water, so even slight changes in speed can make a dramatic difference. Changing your speed can be used effectively for interval training, too, if your goal is improving cardiovascular fitness. Read about HIIT HERE.
Increasing Resistance: Use larger equipment (i.e. instead of black bells, progress to blue bells) or heavier resistance (i.e. progress from the yellow sportcord to the green cord)... or, again, simply move faster!
Reduce Assistance: Do you usually hold the pool wall in deep water? Shifting to a free-floating position will force you to use your core muscles more effectively to keep you vertical. Using the entire body (not just the legs) will get more muscle groups involved, improve your cardiovascular fitness, and challenge your coordination! In shallow water, consider performing your single leg squats and calf raises without holding the pool wall – or while holding (or lifting) a weighted ball.
Increasing the frequency of your workouts or reducing the amount of “rest” time between workouts will also “make it harder”!
Try something new!
Doing the same old thing is boring, and there are thousands of exercises that can be done in the pool. If you’re not feeling creative or comfortable when experimenting with your program, consider taking a group class. You will leave with a new bag of tricks to sprinkle into your existing workouts!
Another way to update your program is to work with the pros! Aquatic personal training does not have to include regular, weekly appointments. Sometimes just 1 or 2 sessions are enough to show you new ways to get the most out of your pool time. Monthly check-ins can be helpful, too, if you have specific fitness goals or needs and would like more tips.
BONUS TIP: If you’ve worked with an aquatic therapist or personal trainer in the past, remember to progress your exercise program periodically – typically every 4-6 weeks, with small changes from session to session. If you were given a written exercise program, it was meant to be a guide; it was not designed to be strictly followed for weeks, months, or years (!!) on end. You always have the freedom to modify your program to make your exercises easier, harder, or simply more fun!
Mixing up your water workout routine is imperative if you want to keep getting stronger, improving your balance, and/or burning calories. It’s also beneficial for your cognitive health. Do your brain & body a favor and shake things up the next time you’re at the pool! Drop a comment & let us know what you’re planning to try!
SPECIAL APRIL PROMOTIONS AT ANDERSON AQUATICS!
Need more help structuring your open pool routine? Schedule a 1:1 session to update your pool exercise program & take $25 off during the month of April! More info about personal training can be found HERE.
If we haven’t created a program for you previously or you have a new injury/condition to address, you can take $25 off your assessment fee. Read more about aquatic therapy and training options.
Ready to start classes? Take $10 off a pool orientation!
All special offers are valid thru April 30, 2025 and subject to staff availability. Call or email to schedule an appointment. Clients must mention this post to receive promotional pricing.
Content provided on this website is for informational and educational purposes only; it does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. Always seek the advice of your physician regarding your health conditions and prior to initiating an exercise program.
