Monday, April 12, 2010

Water Warm Ups

As we have seen, swimming is a great way to get in shape. Not only does it provide a workout for your heart, lungs and muscles, it also can be a great way to relax and forget the stresses of the day.

Even so, some people are just not ready to dive in. There are other ways to get fit in the water if you aren’t quite ready to start swimming laps. Here are a few exercises that are good for beginners who want to warm up to swimming by doing some simple, low impact, easy exercises in the water that will not stress your body. These exercises can be a good option for people who are not prepared to begin a heavy workout routine.

Arm Toning

To tone your arms, take an inflatable ball (one about the size of a volleyball) into the water. Standing in water that reaches your shoulders, extend our arms with the ball in front of your chest. Keeping the arms extended, make figure eights with the ball in front of your chest.


The March

Stand in water up to your shoulders with your arms to your side. Begin marching with deliberate, coordinated movements, extending your arms in front of you, down and back to your sides, as your legs march. Raise the knees up so that your leg forms a 90 degree angle at the knee.

Jumping Jack

Perform the traditional jumping jack in shoulder-high water. Start with your arms at your side, spring up from the legs and fan your arms out to the side and above your head. If there are others around, try not to splash them too much!

Even if you are ready to start doing laps in the pool, these exercises can be a great warm-up or cool down to your swimming routine. At BOOTCAMP 619, we encourage everyone to make sure to warm up and cool down as an integrated part of their workout. It will help you get the best results possible during your workout.

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