Water workout is a fun and challenging way to improve your fitness levels. The water itself will give you a great amount of resistance, but with added water equipment you can spice things up even more and create an amazing aquatic gym. This kind of equipment is unique to the water environment and so taking the weights from the gym to the pool is probably not the preferred way of adding more challenge to your water workouts.
I’ve taught countless aqua classes and worked with a big variety of specialized water workout equipment. To help you make the best out of your pool exercises, I created this small collection of my favorite pieces of aqua equipment. To better understand how to use the pool equipment click here. For the full list of all water workout equipment shop click here.
1. Hand Buoys
These props are under the category of Buoyant equipment, which is usually made of foam that floats. This type of equipment doesn’t weight much on land but in the water it can generates a lot of resistance, depending also on the size and the density of the foam. You will feel the resistance when moving it towards the bottom and also on the way up when you need to control it on the way back up. You can find many workout videos using this equipment on my YouTube channel : @MorMovement
Hand Buoys
AquaJogger Water Dumbbells
2. Buoyant Noodles
The pool noodles are probably the most popular props in aqua aerobics classes. Again, a buoyant prop that will provide resistance as you press it down toward the bottom of the pool, as well as on the way back up. The noodle provides more variety of exercises. you can use it for your upper body and for the lower body as well. you can also use it as a floatation device for placing your body in different positions like side lying or sitting and riding on it. You can find countless creative water workouts using the noodles on my YouTube channel: @MorMovement
Pool Noodle
3. Webbed Gloves
You wouldn’t imagine how this little piece of equipment can level up your water workout. These water webbed gloves are under the category of drag equipment, which means that its purpose is to increase the drag force of the water. In other words, the aquatic webbed gloves increase the water resistance that your upper body encounters. They add more drag when you move your hands and arms underwater.
Hydro-Fit Webbed Gloves
Speedo Aqua Fitness Gloves
4. Ankle Cuffs for water workout
These buoyant ankle cuffs will provide more resistance for your leg and core workout. With different body positions and leg movements you can challenge your glutes, thighs and abdominal muscles. In this following video demonstration (linking to my Instagram) you can get some inspiration.
Hydro-Fit Ankle Cuffs
5. Water Fins and Bells
This drag equipment will help you increase the resistance as you move your limbs through the water. You’ll feel the water’s drag force even when you exercise without equipment, but you can enhance your muscle load and the muscle-value of your exercise by adding drag equipment. These fins and bells will sure do the work.
AquaLogix Fins and Bells
6. Floatation Belt
When performing water workout in deep water it is highly recommended that you use a floatation belt or vest. The floatation equipment creates a neutral buoyancy rather than increasing resistance. This will help you overcome the most challenging part in deep water workout which is to hold your body vertically aligned, straight up and down with your head above the water line. Holding your body in vertical alignment is very important in deep water workout as it allows you move your body freely, working against the water’s drag with a full range of motion and with zero joint compression. You can also use flotation belts that suspend or support your body for either relaxing or stretching in deep or shallow water.
Floatation Belt
7. Water workout Bike
I taught my first water bike class back in 2003… A whole new level of water workout! Such a fun and challenging way to improve your fitness levels. A cardiovascular training combined with upper body movements against the water resistance; a total body training. You can burn a lot of calories without the sweat and the heat, and enjoy all the benefits of exercising in the water.
