Swimming is a good sport for strengthen your abs. But you can also work in water without swimming.
The water offers you a resistance which allows you to tone your abdominal muscles by performing leg raises, scissors, etc.
We chose for you 8 exercises to try in the pool for some concrete abs !
A little reminder about the abdominals
How are the abdominal muscles composed?
You should know that the abs are made up of several muscles which extend from the thorax to the pelvis. There is :
- The external oblique, also called major oblique, located on the flanks.
- The internal oblique, or small oblique, also on the sides.
- THE transverse and the rectus abdominis (straight major) around the navel.
How to bring them out?
To make your abs stand out, it's good to strengthen them, but above all you need to burn enough calories to lose weight. The goal is to consume fewer calories than your body demands.
For that you need eat well (in appropriate quantities), but above all practice a physical activity to burn calories.
There swimming is a good way to burn calories and to exercise. And to strengthen your abs, you don't need to get out of the pool!
Swimming to tone your abs
Swimming will help you strengthen your abdominal muscles, because:
- YOU stabilize your core using the muscles abs.
- THE flexions And trunk rotations are done using your abs.
- THE leg kicks request your abs For stabilize the pelvis.
- For keep the body aligned And on the surface of the water you have to stay covered.
THE crawl and the backstroke will mainly solicit your obliques. THE butterfly and the breaststroke are going to work there abdominal strap as a whole. And that, thanks to the undulating movements of the lower body.
But as the butterfly is not the easiest stroke to do, we have prepared a list of some exercises for abs to do in aquasculpt, aquagym and much more in the pool. 😉
Eight abs exercises to try in the pool
1. Armless Waves
Jump into the water with your chin towards your chest and your head in a neutral position. Tense your arms in front of you with hands on top of each other. keep them feet together.
Strengthen your abs to be very stable. For trigger the waving movement, it's yours pelvis moving up and down under water. Then, follow your hips and legs.
The movement starts from the rib cage, abs and pelvis. Reason why you must stay well covered.
Alternate lengths on your back, stomach and sides. You can also hold a board or pull-buoy in front of you. And to accentuate the work of the abs, put on fins.
2. Vertical waves
Settle into a pool where you have no footing. Stand straight with the legs stretched.
The exercise is “simple”: do vertical undulations to stay on the surface. To do this, reproduce the same undulations as the previous exercise.
Engage your abs well while remaining cored. to stay in a good vertical position.
If you're having a little trouble, don't worry, grab a fries or a board!
3. Abs with fries or plank
Speaking of fry and board, you'll need one or the other for this exercise.
Place two fries under your arms Or hold a board out in front of you. Hold on straight with legs outstretched in the pool, without touching the bottom.
Raise your legs up to your chest by lifting your toes slightly out of the water. The goal is to form a V with your body.
Slowly lower your legs back to the original position and start again. For a little more difficulty, you can hold your legs raised for a few seconds.
This exercise will come work your abs.
4. Plank Scissor Kicks
Dive into the water with a plank and place it in front of you arms outstretched. Hold on straight in the water, legs stretched.
Raise your legs to waist level so as to create a 90° angle with your body.
Make kicking legs up and down all in remaining well sheathed. Make small smooth movements. You will quickly feel your abs working.
Your feet must always stay in the water. You can also do these scissor kicks on the sides, crossing your legs.
5. Swimming and conditioning with pull-buoy
Place a pull buoy at the level of your thighs or your ankles And swim breaststroke or crawl only with your arms (can also be done backstroke).
Focus on strengthening your abs to maintain a stable position to align your pelvis with your legs and head.
After several lengths, you will feel your abdominal muscles heating up.
6. Kick
For this exercise, put yourself in a pool where you stand and or the water you arrive at least to the waist.
Stand straight with your legs straight which touch the ground. Stretch your arms out in front of you. You go lift your leg, keeping it tense, and touch the opposite hand.
For example, raise your right leg and touch your left hand. When you do raise your leg, tighten your abs.
Stay strong throughout the exercise to maintain a good position. Alternate between each leg.
7. Sheathing by the pool
For this exercise, immerse yourself in a pool where you have no footing. Press your back against the edge And extend your arms to either side of the ledge.
Raise your legs up to your navel and stretch them to make a 90° angle. Tighten your abs and keep it back straight against the edge of the pool.
Hold this position for several seconds or even several minutes. For more difficulty, bend your legs to bring them up to your waist and straighten them again.
A variant consists of pedal in the water with this same position.
8. Abs by the pool
This exercise will require a little flexibility from you to set up.
By the swimming pool, place your legs on the edge so that your knees be in the corner of the ledge and your buttocks stuck to the edge, underwater.
Once in this position, keep your head above water And bring back your head up to your knees. As if you were doing crunches.
You can also lower your body and head into the water for a more complete movement. Pull up and tighten your abs and catch your breath before diving back under the water.
To avoid drinking the cup, you can of course plug your nose or use a nose clip.
A variation of this exercise is to stay in initial position and hold it in sheathing.
Conclusion
These 8 ab exercises in the pool will help you tone And build muscle your abdominal belt. You can achieve several sets of around twenty repetitions (or more, or less) for each exercise.
By adopting a good Alimentation and in not exceeding your caloric needs, you can then bring out those famous abs.
If you associate these exercises with swimming sessions, you will have a concrete abdominal strap !
Are there other exercises to do in the pool?
The answer is yes ! You can swim with fins, do exercises to improve your swimming or even more exercises to tone your legs.
If you want even more details, we invite you to take a look at our article dealing with exercises to do in the pool ! 👀
Do you like doing sports in the water? You will love aquabike!
Aquabike is a complete sport which allows gently tone the whole body in water.
Immersed in a pool, you pedal a bike submerged in water. YOU work all the muscles (thighs, abs, arms, etc.) and you improve your cardiovascular capacities.
If this water sport intrigues you, we invite you to read our article on the benefits of aquabike !
Aquabike at Aqua by
And for those who are dying to try aquabike, come to Aqua by !
Of the varied sessions in unique places, with some motivating coaches For combine sport and fun, this is what awaits you.
Take the plunge And book your first session in one of our studios located at Paris and to Boulogne. We are looking forward to seeing you ! 💦
