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General Pool Exercises

All photos taken courtesy of Herongate Leisure centre Hungerford

Exercise programs written by Victoria Kerr Davies

Photography Cayford Media

ALL EXERCISES TO BE PERFORMED WITH CONTROL

 Warm up:

Walking with your hands resting on the water forwards, backwards and sideways across pool

x 2 each direction.

hydro walking forwards big strides
sideways walking

Then hands out of the water:

High stepping walk

Long strides.

On your toes

Walk with a dip

Then Running:

1. Forwards

2. Sidestepping

 

Standing facing side and holding side if necessary.

Progress to standing away from the side and add resistance by pushing down on a float /woggle

Marking Time

Then Alternate knee bring up towards chest

Bend alternate knee up behind to bring heel towards bottom

Then speed this up and run kicking your bottom

knee flexion, kick bottom copy 2

Alternate straight leg stretch back

hydro Hip extension standing 41kb
hip abduction holding edge copy

 

 

Alternate straight leg out to side and back in

Stand with your feet a hip’s width apart

Do Squats

squat one leg other leg copy

Then do single leg squats

Hip and knee at 90°, keeping foot under knee take the leg out and in ( ie hip rotations )

 

hip abduction in 90 flexion 2 copy

Alternate elbow to opposite knee as per video above

Alternate forward lunges.

 

lunge forwards
lunge sideways

Alternate sideways lunges

 

Standing sideways to side: repeat each side x10 each

  1. Alternate leg carry back and swing through.

 

Bend one hip and knee to 90° then straighten knee and bend it from that position keeping thigh horizontal in the water.

hip and knee 90
stand hip flexion

Alternate cycle action with leg.

Standing: can use milk bottles, floats or bats for added resistance.

1. Clap hands under alternate knee

2. Both arms stretch out in front, take straight arms together back and forth or walk standing one arm forward one arm back, swing arms, change.

3. Arms by your side lift arms up and out, bring back to your side and repeat.

hug to straight arms copy

4. Arms by your side, quickly side bend left and right

Arms out to the side rotate taking right arm across body to touch left hand, repeat opposite  direction.

5. Shoulders shrug.

6. Shoulders roll.

7. Arms by your side, bend your elbows and straighten them to take hand to touch shoulder and down.

8. Bend elbow to bring hand by your hip and then straighten elbow to take forearm back, bring back to start position, repeat.

9. Take arms out to side, bend elbows to take hands behind back, straighten elbows repeat.

Hands behind your neck move your elbows forwards and backwards.

hands behind head
shoulder opp hand on knees starting position copy

With straight arms pull down and across towards the opposite thigh, stretch back up and out.

Then with straight arms by your sides, lift up and across chest, chop down and back to start position.

With your hands on your shoulders rotate to the left and to the right.

Now hands on your hips, stretch down to one side and then the other.

sidebend hands on hips 2 copy
shoulder trunk ex punch alt arm forwards

Punching with alternate fist forwards then bring your arm back and repeat

Breaststroke arms.

Then Standing hands together:

1. Arms circling/ stir water in a big circle clockwise and anticlockwise.

2. Forwards, down into water round and up. 

thoracic rotation double arms together copy
shoulder golf swing copy

Make figures of eight with your hands and arms.

Then take your hands down together in to the water and swing arms side to side (as in a golf swing)

Standing in water at waist height.

Using a small float, place your hands on top of the float and push it down under the water, slowly . Then bend your elbows to let the float come up towards the surface and push down again. 

shoulder press float down copy
shoulder pass float copy

Keeping the float under the water, with either hand on top of float

1. Pass the float across in front of your body to the left and right.

Then Pass the float all the way around your body

Progress the above exercises by standing in stride standing and also single leg standing.

Lying on back support with woggle. ONLY IF CONFIDENT .

1. Ankles up and down

2. Ankles circle.

3. Straight leg down and up.

a. Long and slow

b. Fast

3Q4A4858

Hip scissors

With your legs held straight push them apart and then back  

1. Slow then 2. Fast

3Q4A4866

 

Then bicycling in lying and

 Alternate knee bring up towards chest and stretch out.

single leg to chest in corner good one
double knee to chest

Both knees bring up towards chest and stretch out.

 

 

With both knees bent towards chest roll them side to side.

knee rolls in corner 2 copy
lying straight on water ready to start abduction exercise

 

 

 

With both legs out straight  swing them from side to side.

 

Lying on your tummv supported with woggle

Float out from steps or side.

Straight legs down and up a/ Slow kick b/Fast kick

Legs together curl up and stretch out and repeat.

Then Cycling on your front

on tummy with woggle knees bent copy
step ups

At steps

Step on and off bottom step with each leg leading, progress to running on and off step.

Step on and off 2nd step.

Now do the 4 exercises below

 

 

Sit astride Woggle 

Cycling legs from one end of pool to other.

balance on woggles side view

Sitting on woggle as if on a swing: Balance work.

 Balance on the woggle

Then lift alternate hand out of water

Lift both hands out of water

Repeat with eyes closed.

balance on woggles small arm lift copy

Lying on back floating with woggle. Balance exercises as above.

 IF A SWIMMER.

Swim on front holding a float or woggle

1. Legs only doing breaststroke and crawl

2. Alternate arm, stretching to float

Swim on back holding float behind head 1) Legs only, Straight leg kick and frog kick

Finish with walking, running or swimming

Below is a general exercise video