Can't Get to the Gym? Hit the Pool Instead

Water resistance works your muscles from every angle - and it does it without pounding your joints. If you have pool access, you have a solid workout.

When gym schedules get disrupted - whether by closures, crowds, or anything else - it's easy to skip exercise altogether. Don't. The pool is a genuinely effective training environment, not just a backup plan.

Water provides roughly 12 times the resistance of air, which means even low-speed movement creates meaningful muscular effort. You'll work your cardio and build strength at the same time, often without realizing how hard you're working until the next morning.

Here's what you need and how to do it.

What to Bring

Most of these exercises require nothing more than pool access. A few are more effective with basic gear:

• Foam dumbbells or water weights - for upper body resistance work
• Pool noodle - needed for the plank variation
• Beach ball - used for the running drill

If you don't have any of that, you can still do four of the seven exercises below with zero equipment.

The Exercises

Swirly Whirl

This one doubles as a cardio drill and a lower body burner. Walk backwards as fast as you can along the inside edge of the pool, in one continuous direction. Keep your spine straight and your core tight. Go until your thighs give out, rest, and repeat. The resistance of moving water against your backward motion makes this harder than it sounds.

Spiderman Crawl

You need a pool with firm walls for this. Stand facing the wall and stabilize yourself by sweeping your hands back and forth at the surface. Then walk your feet up the pool wall and back down, alternating which leg leads each rep. It's an unconventional core and hip flexor exercise, but it works.

Lateral Arm Lifts

Standard upper body resistance work. Stand in shoulder-deep water holding foam dumbbells at your sides. Raise them to shoulder height, then lower them back down. Do 3 sets of 10. The water resistance on the way down is the part most people underestimate - don't just drop your arms.

Jumping Jacks and Cross-Country Skis

Both movements translate well to water and are more demanding than the land version because of drag.

For jumping jacks, hold foam dumbbells and bring them up to water level as you jump out, then back to your sides as you jump in.

For cross-country skis, alternate your legs forward and back in a jumping motion while swinging the opposite arm up to chest height with each stride. It mimics the actual skiing movement and challenges coordination along with cardio.

High Knees and Butt Kicks

These work with or without water weights. For high knees, drive your knees up to hip height as quickly as you can in a running motion. For butt kicks, kick your heels back toward your glutes with each step. Both are straightforward cardio drills - the water slows you down just enough to make them genuinely taxing.

Pool Plank

Grip a pool noodle vertically with both hands and push it straight down into the water in front of you. Lean forward over it until your body is in a straight line - head above water, feet off the pool floor, core braced. Hold for 60 to 120 seconds. The noodle wants to surface, so you're fighting it the entire time. This is harder than a standard plank for most people.

Ball Running

Grab a beach ball and hold it against your torso as you sprint across the pool. The ball creates drag and constantly tries to push you off-balance, which forces your core to compensate with every stride. Run for 60-second intervals with 30-second rest breaks. Increase your speed each round.

The Simple Version

You don't need a gym to get a real workout. Pool exercise builds cardio endurance, works major muscle groups, and is easy on your joints. With just a few pieces of inexpensive equipment - or none at all - you can run through these seven exercises and come away with a legitimate full-body session. Stretch before you get in, drink water even though you're already wet, and don't underestimate how sore you'll be tomorrow.