Ready to make a splash? This pool workout has a ton of swimming exercises and water aerobics exercises—and not a single lap is required. Why fry in scorching summer temps when one of the best ways to tone up can be found below the water's surface?

That means these pool exercises engage more muscle fibers and burn more calories in a shorter amount of time.

Best part? You don't need to know how to churn out laps to get a solid workout in the pool. If laps are more your speed, try one of these swimming workouts for every level instead.

How to do this pool workout: Do Porciuncula's pool exercise circuit twice through for strong arms, abs, and thighs. You'll need: a kickboard. This Pilates-inspired water aerobics move targets your shoulders, abs, and arms — plus, you get the extra challenge of working to tread water.

Standing in shallow end, simultaneously sit back into the water, treading with hands out to sides, and lift both legs together so that you fold at hips to create a wide V shape. Head and toes should be just above the surface.

Quickly bring knees to chest or bring legs as straight as you can toward chest to make V less wide. Extend legs to return to V position.

Do 15 to 20 reps. Continue treading with hands for 1 minute. Make this pool exercise easier: Skip knee tuck and simply hold V position for 1 minute. You may hate burpees on land, but trust, they're much more enjoyable as a water aerobics move.

Plus, this pool exercise will get your heart rate up without the high impact of burpees. In the deep end, hold on to edge of pool with right hand so that body is perpendicular to edge. Tuck knees into chest to place both feet flat right stacked above left against pool wall, as high as possible.

Maintaining hand grip throughout the pool exercise, jump feet off the wall and extend legs, engaging abs to bring body as parallel to surface as possible, as if in a side-plank position left hip now stacked above right. Return to tuck and continue for 1 minute.

Do for 1 minute on each side. See how to do a burpee—the right way. For a full-body challenge, try this water aerobics move with a kickboard. You'll feel this in your arms, core, and hip as you fight the water's resistance to move across the pool.

Sit on the kickboard with knees together, legs dangling or skimming bottom of pool. Extend arms in front of you, palms facing away from each other, then sweep arms out to sides as if doing a breaststroke.

Continue stroking across pool for 30 seconds, then switch stroke to go in opposite direction. Bring arms out to sides with palms facing forward, elbows slightly bent, then sweep arms together in front of you.

Continue for 30 seconds, squeezing shoulder blades throughout the pool exercise as you push forward and back. Do for a total of 1 minute; 30 seconds for each direction. By using the kickboard in an upright position, you'll challenge your body with added resistance.

If you're comfortable, dip your face in the water as you kick, turning your head to the side to breathe. With back to edge of pool, hold the kickboard with both hands so that it's vertical rounded edge up and half of it is below the surface of the water.

Push off wall with feet, holding the kickboard in tombstone position, and kick as hard as you can toward opposite side of pool. Continue for 1 minute.

Make this pool exercise harder: Hold the kickboard horizontally and completely submerged. If you ever played mermaids as a kid on summer break, this water aerobics move is for you. It targets your core and legs as you fight to keep moving for the full minute. Tread water in deep end of pool, arms out to sides and legs extended beneath you.

Engaging abs, squeeze legs together and sweep them backward, bending knees slightly, then quickly extend them forward like a dolphin's tail. Counterbalance motion by sweeping arms through water in opposite direction of legs.

Pool exercise tip: Your whole body should crack like a whip; initiate the movement from your core, not your legs. No weights? No problem — add this water aerobics move to your pool workout for an upper-body burn.

Perform 10— Muscles worked: glutes, quads, upper back, shoulders. Why it rocks: Working against the water makes jumping jacks so much more exhausting. You'll get your heart rate up in no time, as this move is excellent cardio.

How to: Stand with feet hip-distance apart and arms at sides. Then, raise arms out to the sides and overhead, while simultaneously jumping feet out to slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

Without pausing, quickly reverse the movement. Muscles worked: quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, core. Why it rocks: Squat jumps have less impact on your joints in the water, but still offer the other benefits of high-intensity moves, like building muscle and spiking your heart rate.

How to: Start in a low squat with arms extended straight forward at shoulder height. Explosively jump off the pool floor. Land back in starting position.

Muscles worked: core, back, legs, shoulders. Why it rocks: Mountain climbers performed in the pool might be easier on your upper body, but they up the ante for your core and lower body as you drive those knees through the H2O.

How to: Start in a plank position with hands on edge of pool and body forming a straight line from head to heels. Drive knees toward chest one at a time, as quickly as possible. Muscles worked: full body and cardio. Why it rocks: This high-intensity move not only builds strength, but it also increases your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption EPOC , which means you'll burn major calories even after your workout, says Davi.

How to: Start standing with feet hip-width apart, arms at sides. Bend knees slightly and extend arms out at shoulder height, elbows bent and wide, palms facing water. Use legs to bend deep and then jump straight up, lifting knees to touch hands. Land softly with knees bent. Muscles worked: core, inner and outer thighs, glutes.

Why it rocks: Hit your core from all angles as you work to stay stable in the water and maintain that kicking pattern. Holding onto the wall gives you extra support so you can focus on your abs, according to Davi. How to: Start leaning with shoulders on side of pool and arms out wide, holding onto the edges on either side of body.

Extend legs out straight so body forms one long line. Engage core, lift feet up off floor of pool and perform quick, short, alternating kicks underwater with legs long and toes pointed. Every two kicks equals one rep.

Muscles worked: core specifically obliques. Why it rocks: This move challenges your balance and fires up your obliques in a way that few other core moves do.

How to: Start standing with feet wider than hip-width apart. Bend arms and place hands behind head. From here, bend and lift left knee towards left elbow. Reverse the movement, then repeat on right side. Muscles worked: upper back, core, quads, glutes. Why it rocks: Working against the resistance of the water in this move allows you to strengthen your upper back without weights, Davi says.

How to: To start, stand with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, hinged forward at the hips, torso tilted forward, arms hanging straight down, palms facing body. Raise both arms out to the sides until they reach shoulder height and squeeze shoulder blades together.

Return to start. Muscles worked: quads, hamstrings, glutes, core. Why it rocks: Performing underappreciated lateral lunges in water makes them easier on your balance, but still challenges your lower body as you push through the water.

How to: Start standing with feet hip-width apart and hands at sides. Take a big step to right, pushing hips back and bending right knee to lowering seat until right knee forms degree angle.

Push back to an upright position, lift right knee, and pull it into chest with arms. Perform 10 per side. Here, Tyler Fox, a senior swim coach at Life Time in Scottsdale, AZ, walks us through three ways to make the most of any pool routine. For moderate-cardio exercise like these in-pool strength moves listed here!

If possible, aim to complete a single bout of exercise within 30 to 45 minutes, Fox says. That way, you can stop, dry off, reapply sunscreen, and wait an additional 15 minutes before hopping back in if need be. Any movement while submerged turns into a full-body blast—the water itself is applying pressure to every square-inch of your body, requiring you to work harder to move your muscles think: trying to run in a pool when your legs are completely submerged.

One of his go-to pre-pool meals: a bowl of granola, low- or non-fat Greek yogurt, and fresh fruit. Snug-fitting swimwear. As adorable as that multi-colored bikini might look, save it for sunbathing.

Similar to goggles, he recommends Speedo, Arena, and TYR suits. Training paddles. Just like fins add resistance for your lower body, training paddles can do the same for your upper body, says Fox.

They enlarge the surface area of your hand, forcing you to push more water with each stroke. As for what type of board to choose, Fox says that there are typically two types: light and heavy ones. Mesh or deck bag.

Open the palms and press the fingers together. Then, keeping the arms straight, bring your fingers together in front of you as if you are hugging your arms around a tree. For a bonus, flip the palms so that they face the reverse position when bringing them back out to the sides.

Stand with your feet a few feet away from the wall of the pool and your hands on the edge of the pool as wide as your shoulders.

Bend your elbows out to the sides lowering into a pushup. Straighten your arms to return to start. Stephanie Mansour is a contributing health and fitness writer for TODAY. She is a certified personal trainer, yoga and Pilates instructor and weight-loss coach for women. Join her complimentary health and weight-loss challenge and follow her for daily inspiration on Instagram and in her new app.

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Water can be both refreshing and relaxing — and it's also a great setting for doing a heart-healthy workout, whether that's swimming laps or doing water aerobics. Aubrey Grant, a sports cardiology fellow at the Cardiac Performance Laboratory at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

In fact, water-based exercise offers several unique advantages over aerobic exercise done on land, he notes. To continue reading this article, you must log in.

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August 1, By Julie Corliss , Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD , Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter ; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing Summer's sultry weather often encourages people to spend time in a pool, lake, or ocean.

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Keeping you in a low squat, this exercise focuses on your thigh and butt muscles, including your quads, hamstrings and glutes. When you do it with good form, this lower-body pool thigh exercise should look a little like exaggerated jogging.

A hamstring-focused move, you might do butt kickers in your dynamic warm-up routine at the gym. In the pool, the water's resistance makes them even more challenging.

One big advantage of exercising in the pool? The water adds extra resistance, making all of your aerobic exercises a little more challenging.

The amount of calories you can expect to burn will vary, depending on factors like your weight, gender and exercise intensity, according to Harvard Health Publishing. You can use the chart below to get an idea of how many calories you can expect to burn after half an hour of aqua aerobics exercises.

Swimming is a low-impact exercise that's easy on the joints, according to Harvard Health Publishing. When you jump or run, your joints absorb some of the ground's impact. Thanks to the buoyancy of water, water aerobic exercises put less stress on your joints, like sensitive knees or hips.

Pool workouts are ideal for older adults or anyone who experiences joint pain with higher-impact activities. Considering water aerobics are easier on sensitive joints, you can do this form of exercise pretty often.

As much as 3 to 4 sessions per week is generally safe for most people. However, if you have pre-existing medical conditions, it's best to confirm with a medical professional. When you think of strength training , you probably imagine dumbbells, barbells or kettlebells.

But you don't need to spend hours in the gym to get stronger — water exercises do the trick, too. Just like weights, water provides extra resistance, helping you build stronger muscles and bones, per Harvard Health Publishing.

While you don't want to cut out other forms of exercise like walking , aqua aerobics can be a little more advantageous, thanks to the built-in resistance factor.

After a week water aerobics program, participants significantly improved their blood pressure. Fitness Workouts Water Aerobics. The Best Water Aerobics Workouts and Exercises By Tim Petrie, PT, OCS Updated May 11, Reviewed by KJ Kroetch, CPT. com may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story.

Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here. Water aerobics provides a great low-impact cardio workout. Video of the Day. Tip If you're not a strong swimmer, it's best to perform all of these exercises in shallow water. Pool Walking. Stand in the water at chest level, facing the opposite end of the pool.

Place one foot in front of the other and walk at a brisk speed back and forth across the length of the pool. As you walk, pump your arms at your sides like you're power walking.

Tip You can make this beginner-friendly water exercise less intense by walking in more shallow water. Skipping Rope. Stand in the water at shoulder level. Hold one end of a hollow noodle in each hand.

Bring the noodle in front of your body with arms relaxed. Sweep the noodle under your body, while simultaneously jumping up and tucking your knees into your chest.

Sweep the noodle overhead until it's back at the starting position and repeat. Treading Water. Stand in the water at chin level with your arms at your sides.

Paddle your arms in front of your body and kick your legs until your body rises off the bottom of the pool. Continue to paddle your arms and legs as though you were swimming in place without letting your feet touch the bottom.

Move 1: Jumping Jacks. To target your lower body, you don't need to devote your entire aqua aerobics routine to thigh exercises in the pool.

Instead, give jumping jacks a try to build total- and lower- body strength. Stand in the water at chest level with your feet together and arms at your sides. In an arc motion, bring your arms overhead as you jump your legs apart.

With a quick rebound, reverse the motion and return to the starting position. Tip Thanks to the resistance of the water, this move definitely feels harder in the pool than it does on land.