Sunday, May 11 2025

7 Pool Exercises for Core Training

Mark Grevelding

Try these 7 water exercises to train your core. No equipment needed, and no sit-ups or crunches required. Get fit in the pool and target the rectus abdominis, obliques, erector spinae and other core muscles by creating a challenging core circuit with these 7 pool exercises.  Repeat this circuit one or more times, depending on how much time you have to exercise. Repetition of sets/circuits is the key to muscular conditioning. Repeating more than once at a faster clip will also provide a calorie-burning cardio boost.

 

Try this Poolfit core exercise by lifting your knee and flexing your spine as you hug forward.

1  Core Knee lift
Start standing in pool with elbows by sides and thumbs up. Lift your right knee and hug around it, flexing your spine.  Spinal flexion targets the rectus abdominis. Perform 12-20 repetitions and then switch to the left knee.  

 

Poolfit App workouts include ab exercises such as this core tuck.

#2 Core Tuck 
Start standing in the pool with elbows by sides and thumbs up. Tuck both knees up and hug around your knees while flexing your spine. (Think Cannon ball!) This is a more cardio-inducing way to perform spinal flexion. Perform 12-20 repetitions.

 

Core training in the pool with the Poolfit Water Exercise App

#3 Core Tuck & Shoot 
Start standing in the pool with arms extended in front of you. Perform a knee tuck, flexing your spin and then shoot both legs in front of you, tuck your legs back in and return back to start position.  (Cue: tuck, shoot, tuck & down.)   Perform 12-20 repetitions.  . 

 

Performing a frog tuck in the pool as part of a core training circuit by Poolfit

#4 Core frog Tuck
Start standing with legs in a wide stance. Perform a frog tuck by sweeping your lower legs up and in, while you push your hands towards the inside of your ankles. Think of flexing your spine.  Perform 12-20 repetitions.

 

This Poolfit exercise is a core twist which targets the obliques with spinal rotation.

#5 Core Twist 
Start standing with elbows by sides and thumbs up.  Perform torso rotation by twisting to the right and then to the left. Perform windshield wipers with your forearms, with arms and legs in opposition to each other.  Perform 12-20 repetitions. 

 

Alternating ankle reaches as part of core circuit on Poolfit, an on-demand water exercise streaming platform

#6 Core Oblique Reach    
Start standing in a wide stance. Reach your left hand towards your right ankle, flexing and rotating your torso as you do so.  Torso rotation targets the obliques. Perform 12-20 repetitions on the right leg and then switch to your left.

 

Core moguls are part of a 7-exercise core circuit on Poolfit.

#7 Core Moguls 
Start standing with elbows by sides thumbs up. Perform a knee tuck and then extend both legs out to the side and then tuck back in and return to start position. Think of doing ski moguls but with a greater range of motion. Perform 12-20 repetitions on the right side and then switch to the left, or do alternating moguls.

For more water workouts, try the Poolfit App. There are over 260 pool workouts for all fitness levels, all led by top industry instructors. The water exercise videos can be downloaded in the app and so there is no need for WIFI.  Take your device poolside and enjoy the workouts. Subscribe on the website, Poolfit.tv or in the App Store or Play Store. There is an automatic 7-day trial and then $15.95/monthly after that. You can cancel in your account settings anytime.