Many people are turning their backyards into year-round swimming pools, and for a good reason. Whether you are a swimming enthusiast, superstar athlete, fitness guru, or just looking for ways to improve your health and wellness, an all-season pool is the perfect way to stay in shape all year round!
Let’s explore the benefits of an all-season pool, how it can help with staying fit, and some of the many all-season pool exercises you can perform in them.
What Is An All-Season Pool?
An all-season pool is what you get when you cross a hot tub and a pool so you can enjoy the benefits of them both in one.
They are larger than a hot tub but still allow you to enjoy all of the relaxation benefits of hot water jet therapy. You can heat the water during the winter months, which means that they’re great for year-round use because you don’t have to worry about whether it’s hot or cold outside.
And they are smaller than a traditional swimming pool but are cleverly designed to let you swim laps without actually moving from your spot in the water.
They do this by incorporating powerful swim jets that create a current for you to swim against, adjustable depending on the level of difficulty you want in your training.
What Are The Benefits Of Owning An All-Season Pool?
An all-season pool will allow you to exercise or relax in the water all year round in the comfort of your own home, without having to drive to a public pool or having to fight for lanes with other swimmers.
And on a social level, an all-season pool can be the perfect extension of your home. They offer an ideal area for sunbathing during the day or lounging at night while enjoying a glass of wine with friends. Pair it with a barbeque to make your backyard your favorite spot to enjoy, whether you’re with guests or having some special alone time.
They are great investments that last many years with proper care, saving money in the long run. Plus, they’re a stylish option to add value to any home or property.
Exercise In An All-Season Pool
All-season pools offer a comfortable and practical environment for a fun, interactive workout that has a low impact on the joints. The low impact makes them perfect for those who have arthritis, joint pain, or recovering from a sports injury.
The water provides excellent resistance when exercising, making workouts in an all-season pool very effective. And since the buoyancy of the water supports your weight, this allows you to exercise longer without feeling exhausted.
The characteristics of the all-season pool allow for a variety of exercises. You can use the swim jets to give you some resistance to exercise against or simply take advantage of the space in the tank to have freedom of movement in the water. And as they have ledges to hold on to both outside and under the water, this gives you more flexibility when planning your exercise routine.
You can choose to go for aerobic exercises that use the body’s oxygen to provide energy and increase heart rate. These types of activities often improve your cardiovascular fitness, reduce stress levels, and are suitable for weight loss as well. Or you can go for exercises that work your flexibility, strength, range of motion, or any other aspect of your fitness that you wish to improve on.
And if you want to track your progress or need extra help to ensure that you stay consistent, add some Bluetooth connectivity to your all-season pool. This will let you keep track of what you are doing every day in the water so you can measure how effective your exercises have been and help you plan your workouts for your upcoming weeks.
Before You Begin
Before getting into some exercise options available to you, please remember that it’s always recommended to ask your doctor before engaging in a new form of exercise, especially where there is an existing injury.
Always make sure you warm up before starting your workout session and stretch once you’re done to prevent injury and encourage muscle recovery. Also, stay hydrated by keeping a bottle of water close by, especially if your all-season pool is on the warmer side.
And if you truly want to level up, you can book a session with a personal trainer that can help you find what water exercises will be most effective to achieve your fitness goals. They can also ensure that you have the proper form and give you options to add a little variety to make sure you stay motivated.
6 Best All-Season Pool Exercises You Can Try Today
Here are a few exercises you can do at home in your all-season pool with or without additional equipment.
1. Swimming
Swimming is a great aerobic exercise option that you can do in your all-season pool, taking advantage of the jets. It has a low impact, burns calories well, and increases strength and flexibility because of the nature of the swimming motions.
Whatever swim stroke you wish to practice, you’ll be working both your upper and your lower body muscles. Or, if you want to work on perfecting your kick, you can practice it while holding onto the edge of the pool.
2. Water Aerobics
If you want something less strenuous than swimming but still want to get your heart rate up, then water aerobics may be perfect for you. This type of exercise requires less physical exertion on your part other than basic stretches while standing in waist-deep water.
You can add some support with buoyancy aids such as noodles or foam blocks if needed, which are very inexpensive but useful additions to your workout.
The range of movements practiced in water aerobics includes low-impact moves like kicking with one leg while holding onto the side ledge above the surface, marching on tiptoes in shallow water, doing arm circles underwater, and so on.
3. Water Walking
If you’re intimidated by some of the harder exercises but still want to break out of your comfort zone and try something new, then water walking is perfect for you. This type of exercise works well because it has a low impact on your joints, making it great for people with arthritis or other joint issues.
Simply walk around the perimeter of your all-season pool. You can do it at a slow or brisk pace and add in arm movements if you prefer.
4. Running
For an extra challenge, try running laps inside your pool! Jog in place by wading through waist-deep water at a slow pace, or turn the jets on for an extra challenge.
This is good for endurance training and cardiovascular fitness, getting the heart rate up while being supported by the water as opposed to pounding the pavement so hard (which can be rough on the joints).
If all-out running isn’t feasible due to injury, the water resistance will let you slow the pace down to whatever you need.
5. Water Yoga
The water provides a soothing and relaxing environment for you to clear your head and breathe, making it the perfect place to take your yoga practice. The warm temperature will also help your muscles relax and stretch farther, helping you get deeper into your asana.
You will also find the water resistance and the buoyancy it provides makes it easier to perform certain poses. For example, any balance poses will be much easier to hold. If you struggle to get into your dancer or mountain pose, practicing them underwater will help you build up the confidence and flexibility to attempt them on your mat.
6. Rowing
If you’re a rower but it’s too cold to take your boat out, or you want to train at home, you can get some stretch rowing accessories for your pool. They give you the necessary resistance to let you practice the rowing motion with your arms while staying toasty in the warm water.
And it’s another great aerobic exercise that can get your heart rate up and your fitness level soaring.
Bonus: HIIT Exercises In The Water
HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. It’s a form of exercise that alternates between short, intense bouts and low-intensity recovery periods. HIIT is one of the best ways to burn calories and lose weight. It’s becoming increasingly popular now, as you can get an effective workout in just 20 minutes, much faster than with traditional cardio.
Your metabolism will stay high after the exercise because it takes more energy to recover from high-intensity moves than standard exercises. The HIIT exercises raise your heart rate during every interval, so oxygen reaches muscles quicker, which helps them develop endurance faster.
You will be breathing heavily and sweating more than usual during the high-intensity intervals – both signs that it’s working!
Some examples of the exercises you might do in a HIIT session include sprints, jump squats, planks, lunges, jumping jacks, kettlebell swings, mountain climbers, and push-ups. These are all suitable to do in the water, and you can even incorporate weights for an extra challenge.
1. Spa Planking
One of the favorites of many fitness trainers, this one is a killer core builder. You can use the ledge in the pool to place your hands or forearms, straighten your legs out behind you, and try to hold the position as long as you can, using only the strength of your upper body and core.
2. Lunges
These are great for getting the thighs burning, but they also act as an excellent stretch to improve the flexibility of the hips. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips.
Step forward with one foot into a lunge position, keeping your back straight, and then return to your starting position by stepping it backwards again.
As an alternative, you can do reverse lunges where you step your foot back behind you and then return it forward to your starting point or use the all-season pool’s length to try walking lunges. After each lunge, bring your back foot forward, and then lunge forward again, doing laps around the pool.
3. Mountain climbers
Start in a plank position, with your hands on the ledge in the pool and your legs straight behind you. Then bring one knee up towards the same arm, and switch legs. The faster the pace, the harder you are working out.
4. Squats
These exercises help strengthen your butt and legs in a way that jogging does not. They are generally performed using just your body weight, but you can also add weights for an extra challenge.
With your legs shoulder-width apart, bring your arms straight out in front of you for balance, and sink your butt down slowly as if you were trying to sit on an invisible chair behind you.
Then slowly come up to the starting position. To make sure you’re working the right muscles, keep your core engaged, and put all the weight of your body on your heels. For a variation, try a jumping squat.
When you’ve come back from the squat to the starting position, do a little jump in the air, landing with your feet back in place, ready to start the next squat.
5. Jumping jacks
These are great for increasing cardio levels – especially when combined with deep breathing exercises while doing them.
Start with your feet together, and jump them apart as you raise your arms over your head. Then move back to the starting position, and repeat!
Get Your All-Season Pool In Saskatchewan Today
Did you find this article helpful? You can find more information about all-season pools in our blog. Please drop by our showroom in Saskatoon to view the range of models we have available.
Our experts here at Premium Home Leisure will be happy to answer any questions you may have, advise you which all-season pool best suits your needs, or talk you through the installation options available.
We will also be able to take care of your service and maintenance needs once you buy your all-season pool, so you can leave with complete peace of mind.
