How to Get More Cardio From Your Water Aerobics Workout

You don't have to move faster to make water aerobics feel more cardio. Sometimes the simplest change is deciding which part of your body does more of the work.

Take a jumping jack. Try it three ways:

1. Let your arms lead. Push and pull the water with purpose. Notice what happens to your breathing.

2. Let your legs lead. Make the leg action bigger and more powerful, and let the arms play a smaller part.

3. Bring it all together. Whole body, working as one.

Same exercise, but practiced like this gives a very different feeling.

Why it works

Your heart and lungs respond to how much work your body is doing, not how fast you're moving. Ask more muscle to join in, or ask one part of you to push harder against the water, and your cardiovascular system has to keep up.

That means more challenge without turning every workout into a race.

Gear can change the feel, too

Webbed gloves add drag, so your arms are forced to work harder as they move through the water. Water shoes give you more grip on the pool floor, which can help you feel steady when you make your leg movements bigger or more powerful.

Neither is essential, but think of them as another way to adjust your workout.

Try it in your next class

Watch Laurie show you the jumping jack three ways and notice which version changes your breathing the most. Then, in the pool, ask yourself: where do I feel the work right now — arms, legs, or both? Change it on purpose.

One small shift, and a familiar move becomes a whole new cardio challenge.

Ready to experiment in your next pool workout? Explore H2OWear's webbed gloves and water shoes, and discover more ways to make familiar exercises work differently inside Wavemakers.