Tom Daley: Great Pool Workout

Great Pool Workouts

Did you know that a swimming pool is the perfect place for body sculpting? Water is about 800 times denser than air, providing much more resistance. Another benefit is a water workout is much easier on your joints because there is virtually no impact.

The Plan

In order to do these workouts you will need a pool that’s at least four feet deep. Perform each exercise in a set without any breaks. Before you start, warm up by swimming a few laps or doing a light jog for 3- 5 minutes. Perform the three sets back to back, take a three minute break and then repeat the sets in reverse.

Set One

Cardio: Knee Sprints Sprint from one end of the pool to the other, lift your knees up high and swing your arms at a 90 degree angle, like a soldier marching. Do this for one minute. Recovery: Buoy swim Put a piece of foam between your legs and swim whatever stroke you prefer for one minute. Keep in mind that you don’t have to kick. Strength: Pull/Push ups Standing in the pool, face the pool’s edge and put your hands a shoulders width apart on the rim. Submerge yourself as much as you can while keeping your head above water then push yourself back up until your hips come out of the water. Hold yourself up for a few seconds then slowly lower yourself repeating for one minute. Do this for one minute. Recovery: Kicking Hold a kickboard with your forearms on the board. Kick the length of the pool for one minute.

Set Two

Cardio: Run backwards Run the length of the pool backwards as fast as you can, once you reach the other end run forward as fast as you can. Repeat for two minutes. Recovery: Buoy swim Put a piece of foam between your legs and swim whatever stroke you prefer for one minute. Keep in mind that you don’t have to kick. Do this for one minute. Core: Rotating Knee Tucks Put your back against the wall of the pool and place your forearms on the deck of the pool a shoulders with apart and palms down. Allow your body to float to the surface doing rotating knee tucks, rotate to the right, tuck, release, rotate to the left, tuck and release. Repeat for two minutes. Recovery: Kicking Hold a kickboard with your forearms on the board. Kick the length of the pool for one minute.

Set Three

Cardio: Relay Sprint the length of the pool as in the Knee Sprints in step one, once you reach the other end of the pool grab a kickboard and kick as hard as you can to the other end. Sprint to the other end in a short zigzag line. Once you reach the other end of the pool, put a buoy between your legs and do the breast stroke back to the other end of the pool. That’s one set. Repeat for three minutes. Recovery: Buoy swim Put a piece of foam between your legs and swim whatever stroke you prefer for one minute. Keep in mind that you don’t have to kick. Do this for one minute. Core: Jump Lunges Using a aqua dumbbell in each hand, put your arms at your sides. Put your right foot back so you are in a lunge. Jump to put your right foot forward alternating your arms, keep them submerged. Repeat for 90 seconds. Recovery: Kicking Hold a kickboard with your forearms on the board. Kick the length of the pool for one minute.