Pilates Water Exercises

Pilates exercises provide core support and strengthening to anyone who wants to look and feel their best. A recent trend has transitioned some of these moves to the pool. Water is supportive to the body, and especially to aching joints, so you may find that you can do exercises in the water that are too challenging for you on land.

  1. Noodle Planks

    • For this exercise, you will need a floating pool noodle. Take the noodle to the shallow end of the pool, and hold it with your hands shoulder-distance apart. Keeping your toes on the bottom of the pool, lower the noodle under the surface of the water by about 1 foot. Use your core muscles, your legs and your arms to hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds.

      To progress the move, you may lift one foot off of the bottom of the pool and hold, while keeping your hips level. Repeat on the other side.

    Frogs

    • This exercise also requires the flotation noodle. Wrap the noodle around the middle of your back and under your armpits, so that you can lean back, pick your feet up off of the bottom and float. Your body should look like the letter V, in profile.

      Starting with your toes turned out, keep your heels together and bend your knees out to the sides. Press your feet away from you as you straighten your legs out, zipping your inner thighs together. Repeat the exercise about 10 times. Be cautious during this exercise, as it tends to make you move around a lot. Try not to hit anything.

    Leg Circles

    • Start by standing at the side of the pool. Hold onto the edge of the pool with your outside hand, keeping your outside foot and leg strongly planted on the bottom of the pool. While keeping the rest of your body perfectly still and stabilized, make circles with your inside leg, moving through the hip joint. Perform an equal number of repetitions both directions with both legs.

    Bicycles

    • Start in the same position as the Leg Circles. Raise your inside leg in front of you, and bend your knee to a 90-degree angle. While keeping the rest of your body absolutely still, pedal your inside leg as if riding a bicycle. After pedaling forward six to eight times, reverse directions, then switch legs.