Stretch before any exercise. Just stretching your muscles will make you more flexible and less likely to get injured. It gently warms them up to reduce the risk of damage and increases the heart rate.

To achieve and maintain the benefits of an aquatic exercise program, it must follow the main principles of a workout. It should begin with a 5 minute warm-up stretching on the pool deck, followed by an in-pool aerobic warm-up session.

1. Start your stretch at the top of your body and work downward.
2. Stretch every muscle in your body from neck to calves.
3. Concentrate on your thighs, hamstrings, chest, back, and shoulders.
4. Stretch to tightness, not to pain.
5. Hold the stretch for 10-15 seconds.
6. DO NOT BOUNCE.

   During a swim meet, limit stretching before your event to a few seconds to help you relax after you complete an in-pool, pre-event warm-up. No warm-up pool? Then do some other gentle activity to increase blood circulation and raise the temperature of your muscles. Do a slight, gentle stretching, then get up and swim fast!

   Follow-up with additional stretching after completing your workout as part of your cool-down routine.

The following should be done in shallow water. The whole point is that water can increase the resistance to your your training effort. You can control this by the amount of clothes you wear.

Push-ups

Do at least 10 push ups to get started. If you can't do them, then you'd better start practicing right now. If you cannot do push-ups correctly or not enough of them, then start doing kneeling push-ups right now, start today. Start building the muscles that you probably had no reason to use lying around your house.

In shallow water position yourself as shown. Facing downwards lower body so it just touches the water surface, keep legs together and use your toes (or knees) as the pivot point. If this exercise is too difficult, pivot off your knees instead of toes by flexing knees. With your fingers pointing forward, place your hands below your shoulders.

Push up by straightening your arms until your elbows are locked, then return to the starting position (with your chest just touching the water). Keep hips and waist straight and your body in a straight line throughout. Exhale as you push up; inhale on the way back down before you contact the water.

Perform this motion in a continuous manner. Do as many repetitions as you can, without a time limit. Stop the exercise when the movement becomes forcibly strained.

Finally move into almost knee deep water. Immerse yourself fully and then push your body up and out of the water, which is quite a challenge when your wear lots of clothes. This is great fun, but rather exhausting.

Sit-ups

This works best if you wear a hooded sweatshirt or anorak with the hood up. Sit in chest deep water. Bend your knees at a 90-degree angle and put your feet flat on the floor. Get a friend to hold them down, if possible. Place your hands on the side of your head (covering your ears).

Press your lower back against the floor to begin the movement with your face under water, curl up and touch your elbows to your knees (count one), then return to the starting position.

Exhale as you come up; inhale on the way back down. Perform as many sit-ups as you can in 60 seconds. Stop it when the movement becomes forcibly strained or when you start to lift your buttocks off the floor at the beginning of each repetition.

Move to slightly deeper water so that your face gets fully submersed during each repetition. This will prepare you for lifesaving in the sea, where waves wash over you.

"Burpees" or the "5 Point Body Builder"

This is a nice tough exercise that will get you fit all round, great for developing quickness and agility. It is an amalgamation of a squat and a squat thrust. This is the best lowerbody exercise invented, we cannot recommend it highly enough.

If you want to get the most out of it we would advise you do one pressup while in the pressup position and while standing up jump a few inches off the floor.

Try it on dry ground first. Then do it in ankle deep water and later in knee deep or waist deep water. Adjust clothing to your fitness level.

Starting position: Standing or jogging in place.

1. Squat down (think Hindu squat, but with your hands planted on the ground).

2. Fling your legs back so that you're in a face down position.

3. Do a push-up variation into the water.

4. Jump your legs back under your body.

5. Jump back up to your feet and clap your hands above your head.

These exercises use the deep end of the pool and work against gravity. Again vary the load level with the amount of clothes you wear.

Jump and Climb

Jump into deep water and immediately climb out, do not use the steps. For a minute do it as often as you can. Pushing yourself up is the hard bit, jumping in is the fun reward.

Next put on some light clothes and do it again. Feel the difference. Add more robust clothing layers until you reach the limit of your strength.

Poolside Push-up

This is a great arm and upper body workout. Slowly raise and lower yourself in and out of the water as shown on the left. Try different hand positions, closer together or further apart. Push-ups get tough in heavy kit.

Ladder Pull-up

This fun exercise will train your legs and arms. Hold on to the ladder with both hands and step down kneedeep so your feet are about two steps below the surface. Whilst your hands slide down the handles, lower yourself into the water into a squatting position, about neck deep. Don't move your feet. Then push yourself up again with your legs and pull up with your arms. Go down again and repeat as often as you can.


Ladder Pull-up.