The Best Water Aerobics Workouts and Exercises

Water aerobics offers several health benefits, from improved strength to better blood pressure. (More on this later.) But they may also be a fun way to add some more variety to your workouts. Here, we discuss the benefits of water aerobics and workouts you may want to try next time you’re in a pool.

 7 Water Aerobics Workouts and Exercises to Try

Looking to make your pool days just a little more challenging, but don’t know where to start? Consider trying these seven exercises.

1. Pool Walking

Walking comes with a host of benefits. The Mayo Clinic explains that walking helps improve your heart health, strengthens your bones and muscles, and boosts your mood. And when you walk in water, you might also be alleviating some impact that walking can have on your joints.

Here’s how to do it:

• Stand in the water at chest level on one end of the pool.
• Place one foot in front of the other and walk back and forth across the length of the pool in the shallow end.
• As you walk, pump your arms at your sides like you’re power walking.

2. Skipping Rope

In the pool, you can get all the cardio benefits of jumping rope without any of the stress on your knees and hip joints. All you need is a hollow pool noodle.

Here’s how to do it:

• Stand in the water at shoulder level, if possible.
• Hold one end of the pool noodle in each hand.
• Bring the noodle in front of your body with arms relaxed.
• Sweep the noodle under your body while simultaneously jumping up and tucking your knees into your chest.
• Let the pool noodle go over your head until it’s back at the start position.
• Repeat as many times as desired.

3. Treading Water

Treading water is no easy feat, and it works your entire body. If you’re really up for a cardio or upper-body challenge, wear a pair of webbed gloves to add even more resistance. It’s also worth noting that treading water in the shallow end of the pool may be more challenging. If you’d like to modify this exercise, consider doing it in deeper water if the pool has different levels of depth. Just make sure you know how to swim!

Here’s how to do it:

• Stand in the water at chin level with your arms at your sides, if possible.
• Paddle your arms in front of your body and kick your legs until your body rises off the bottom of the pool.
• Continue to paddle your arms and legs as though you were swimming in place without letting your feet touch the pool floor.
• Repeat as many times as desired, and take breaks as needed.

4. Jumping Jacks

While you may be more familiar with doing jumping jacks on solid ground, it’s another exercise that you can easily modify to do in the water, too. However, due to the resistance of the water, this move definitely feels harder in the pool than it does on land. When you’re first getting started, it may help to go a little slower in the pool than you might in the gym.

Here’s how to do it:

• Stand in the water at chest level with your feet together and arms at your sides.
• Jump and spread your legs apart while raising your arms in an arc-like motion.
• Bring your feet back together by jumping in and bringing your arms back down.
• Repeat as many times as you’d like.

5. Side Shuffle

This exercise focuses on your thigh and butt muscles, including your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.

Here’s how to do it:

• Stand in the water at waist or thigh level.
• Bend your knees slightly and push your hips back into a half-squat position.
• While holding your upper body steady, step sideways across the width of the pool.
• Reverse direction once you reach one end of the pool and repeat to the other side.

6. Alternating Scissor Jump

When you do it with good form, this lower-body pool thigh exercise should look a little like exaggerated jogging.

Here’s how to do it:

• Stand in the water at chest level with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
• Jump up and kick your left leg forward, and drive your right arm forward. (Note: your knee and elbow will be bent.)
• As you do this, your right leg and left arm should go behind you.
• Return to the starting position.
• Repeat on the opposite side, this time putting your right leg and left arm forward.
• Come back to the starting position and alternate each side as many times as needed.

7. Butt Kicker

This hamstring-focused move is often a part of warm-up routines at the gym. But when you’re in the pool, the resistance of the water makes them a little bit more challenging.

Here’s how to do it:

• Stand in the water at waist level and hold onto the edge of the pool.
• Keep your upper body stable and bring your left leg back up to your left glute.
• Return to the starting position.
• Switch sides and bring your right leg up to your left glute.
• Alternate back and forth between each side and repeat as necessary.

Benefits of Water Aerobics

If you’re interested in trying some of the workouts we listed above, here’s more information on how they’re also helping your body.

1. They Torch Calories

One big advantage of exercising in the pool? The water adds extra resistance, making all of your aerobic exercises a little more challenging. And just like other workouts, you’ll be burning calories in the pool, too.

The amount of calories you can expect to burn will vary, depending on factors like your weight, sex, exercise intensity, and the length of your workout, according to Harvard Health Publishing. You can use the chart below to get an idea of how many calories you can expect to burn after 30 minutes of water aerobics.

2. They’re Easy on the Joints

Thanks to the buoyancy of water, swimming and water aerobics are low-impact exercises that help ease the stress on your joints, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Water aerobics is especially beneficial for people who have arthritis, as this allows them to still get in a good workout without causing more pain or worsening symptoms. However, if you have arthritis or another health condition that affects your joints, be sure to check in with your healthcare provider or physical therapist to ensure that these exercises are safe for you.

3. They Build Strength

When you think of strength training, you probably imagine dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells. But you don’t need to spend hours pumping iron to get stronger; water exercises do the trick, too. Just like weights, water provides extra resistance, helping you build stronger muscles, Harvard Health Publishing explains. While you don’t want to cut out other forms of exercise (like walking), water aerobics can be a great workout to try due to the built-in resistance factor.