Abdominal Water Exercises

Why do abdominal exercises in the water? Well, it’s one of the most effective ways to exercise, without straining your body excessively or unnecessarily.

For the past decade or more, health experts have realized the optimal benefits you can get from water exercise, enabling you to develop muscles or to repair damaged or weak areas of your body. The water is both buoyant, and at the same time offers resistance to the movements of your body, both supporting you and creating a challenge in your exercise routine.

To get the best results from water exercise, it is most advisable to work with a qualified trainer, who will be able to assess your requirements, as well as your fitness levels before starting an exercise program. Always remember to work within your limits, and advise your trainer if you feel that you are pushing yourself too far at any time. You should never feel more stressed in the water than you would when exercising out of the water. You will be surprised at how easy it is to start abdominal exercises in the water. You must remember that one of the main goals of doing abdominal exercises is to strengthen your spine and your back muscles, so you need to concentrate on both of these areas.

Some examples of standard water exercises would be, for example, standing in the water, with your arms in the water, and sweeping your arms in a rotational movement, backwards and forwards. Simply walking through the water, as fast as you are able, again creates the resistance, to which your body will respond. You can then run in the water, or dart from one leg to another. By working the abdominal muscles, you will strengthen the spine without undue strain. The resistance created by the water will automatically work your abdominal muscles, without you feeling the strain and effort that crunches or similar abdominal exercises would make you feel. It’s a much gentler, yet very effective way of exercising.

Another very good exercise for the abs is to hold on to the edge of the pool with your elbows, and your back to the wall of the pool. With straight legs, bring your legs up as if you are sitting on the ground. Keep this position for 10 to 15 seconds, then bend your legs and return to a standing position. Remember to always keep your back as straight as possible and flush against the wall of the pool. Again, do as many of these as you are comfortable with, but don’t over-exert. You will find that, while it appears to be relatively easy with the buoyancy of the water, you may be exerting yourself more than you realize. Particularly in the beginning, pace yourself until you are completely at ease with how much your body should be doing.

The water is your exercise equipment. But if you want a little variety, or if you want to push yourself a bit further, there are a number of accessories that you can use in the water to vary your exercise routine. They do help you vary your exercise routine, and sometimes help you reach your goal a little faster. The most simple, and the most versatile would be the pool noodle, on which you can do any number of exercises, particularly those focusing on the abdominal area. Remember to keep your balance, and check that your spine is straight. You’ll be surprised at how easily you tend to “slouch” in the water, simply because it is supporting you.

Water exercise has grown in popularity over the years, and is gaining more and more credibility in fitness circles as one of the most sensible and reliable means of exercise.