How to Develop Lower Body Power With Pool Kicking

Swim-kick workouts can improve your leg strength and flexibility. If you swim competitively, you are already familiar with the four basic kicks. If you are a novice, engage in water exercise by holding onto the pool wall and performing a workout using only your legs. Kicking can be performed gently or strenuously, according to your fitness goals. For this workout, perform only two minutes of each kick until you are confident of your skills. Your goal is to work up to five or more minutes of each style, with one to two minute's rest in between.

Things You'll Need

  • Swimsuit
  • Cap
  • Towel
  • Non-slip pool-deck shoes or flip-flops
  • Rope or tether, in case you are unable to grasp the pool's edge
  • Swimming reference manual
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Instructions

    • 1

      Perform the flutter kick to build powerful quadriceps and hip muscles. Grasp the pool's gutter or edge, or the ladder's rungs, and stretch your body out as if you were lying on your stomach, and begin to flutter kick. The flutter kick is a scissor kick in which your feet alternate up and down in approximately 12-inch arcs. Use your hips and butt muscles, not your knees or feet, to initiate the kick. Keep your legs straight, but allow them to flex gently at the knee for a smooth, flowing motion. Point your feet, but allow your ankles to flex as much as possible; this helps your feet "feel" the water.

    • 2

      Build your hip, gluteal and calf muscles with the breast stroke. The breast stroke kick is also called the frog kick, and the action is almost exactly like that of a real frog's kicking motion. Remain floating on your front, point your feet and draw them toward your butt, keeping your knees pointed out to the side. If you are familiar with ballet, this action mimics the grand plié, with your knees bending outwards. When your feet have come as close to your butt as possible, flex them hard, and kick them outward, then backward and slightly downward, leading with your heel. As your legs pull together, point your feet again. It might feel as if you are scooping the water behind you. Practice this smooth, circular motion until you can perform it without a hitch.

    • 3

      Strengthen and stretch your hamstrings with the backstroke kick. Roll onto your back, keeping your legs extended along the water's surface in front of you. You might have to readjust your grip on the pool's wall or ladder to get into a comfortable position. It sometime helps to bend your hips so that you are "sitting" in the water. Then, perform the flutter kick again. Your mechanics will change slightly because you are now on your back rather than your front, but the basic scissor motion is the same. Your feet should again be pointed, and your ankles should remain as flexible as possible.

    • 4

      Perform the butterfly kick to develop your gluteal, back and abdominal muscles. Roll onto your front, and extend your legs behind you, keeping them together. Point your feet, and relax your ankles. The butterfly kick is a whip-like action, with your hips, legs and feet undulating like a wave. Begun by by thrusting your hips downward. As your hips move downward, your knees will naturally follow, then your ankles and feet. As your feet move down, kick them through the water hard enough to help raise your hips again. Think of your hips leading the way, rolling through the water, followed by your knees and feet. It takes practice to master this maneuver, but it is a highly effective kick for developing muscle strength and flexibility.