Women engaging in water exercises.
Women laughing while participating in water exercises.

Do you go to water aerobics class? Or maybe you enjoy doing water exercises in your pool or spa at home. If so, you likely already know that there are many great benefits to water exercise for seniors. But do you know all that water has to offer us in terms of health and fitness?

Or maybe you’re in the group who has never tried water aerobics, or maybe even are afraid of the water.

Whichever group you’re in, keep reading! This article will explain what benefits water provides and why it’s a great way to exercise for seniors. It also will provide specific exercises to do in the water. And if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy the water, know you don’t have to be a swimmer to get the most out of water exercise!

Beneficial Properties of Water

Individual moving through swimming pool water.

Water has the properties of buoyancy and resistance, naturally.

Buoyancy is what enables water exercises to be lower impact. Our body weight is being supported by the water, so there’s less pressure on the joints.

For many people, especially those with arthritis, this feature of water can help decrease pain and increase one’s ability to perform movements.

At the same time, water provides resistance. If you think about walking waist-deep in water, versus walking on land, it’s tougher to walk through the water because it’s applying force to your body.

We can utilize the natural resistance in water to help build strength.

The Benefits of Water Exercise

Seniors engaging in water exercises holding onto a pool noodle.

Studies have found numerous benefits to water exercise for seniors, including:

  • Increased metabolism1
  • Improved balance2
  • Decreased fall risk2
  • Improved cardiovascular health3
  • Decreased stress3
  • Increased strength1,3
  • Increased endurance3
  • Increased flexibility1
  • Improved agility1
  • Lower cholesterol levels1

While all of these benefits are wonderful, I just want to highlight a few, as they relate to the goals of physical therapy.

Improved Balance, Decreased Risk of Falls

People engaging in a water exercise class.

While we know that falls are not a normal part of aging, the risk of falls does increase with age. They are a major cause of unintentional injury and even death among seniors, so it’s vital that we work to prevent them.2

As previously mentioned, water provides buoyancy, which supports our weight in the water, so we feel lighter.

At the same time, water can also provide perturbations, or small forces that aim to make us off-balance.

The ability to recover from perturbations actually helps improve our balance.

Also, since water is providing the body support and the brain knows it’s safe to “fall” in the water, we have a greater capacity to challenge our balance in the water, which can result in balance improvements and decreased risk of falls.

Improved Strength and Endurance

Water exercise class with weights.

Increasing strength with age is essential, as we all naturally lose muscle strength and power with age.

In general, I recommend higher impact activities to promote increased strength and power, but water provides low impact work, so how do we gain strength in the water?

The key is to utilize the resistance of the water, and add some impact where you can.

Using water weights, hand webs, or completing exercises in deeper water all increase resistance, which can help increase strength.

An example of adding impact would be jumping in the water, or doing marching on the steps (see exercises below). This will provide more force through the bones and muscles, stimulating growth and strength.

Since water is lower impact, many water aerobic/strength classes tend to focus on more repetitions, which promote greater muscular endurance.

Additionally, aerobic workouts in the water increase heart rate and promote greater cardiovascular endurance.

What About Just Swimming?

Woman swimming

There are many great benefits to swimming, especially as they relate to heart health.

However, it’s important to remember that swimming does not help with increasing bone strength, which is really essential for older adults.

If you love to swim, go for it! But make sure you’re adding in strength training (either on land or in the water).

7 Water Exercises for Seniors

Man engaging in water exercise with weights

The following outline a water exercise routine for seniors. Click HERE to see Dr. Katie, PT, DPT perform these exercises.

1. Step Marches

Marches are an excellent exercise for working glute, hamstring, and hip flexor strength, as well as balance.

Step marches can be done on any pool step, or in the shallow end of the pool. I recommend the marches are first done on the top step, then increase the challenge by completing on lower steps, where you have to move your leg through more water. It’s most challenging when you have to move your leg through and out of the water. The shallow end may not be as much of a strength challenge, but will add a balance challenge.

  1. Start with feet hip-distance apart.
  2. Lift right knee towards chest, not allowing pelvis to drop.
  3. Return right knee to starting position.
  4. Lift left knee towards chest, not allowing pelvis to drop.
  5. Return left knee to starting position.
  6. This is one rep.
  7. Repeat for 8-10 reps.
  8. Rest for 1-3 minutes.
  9. Perform 3 sets total.

2. Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks get the heart rate up to provide some extra cardio in an aerobic workout, as well as help strengthen the bones in the legs, and the abdominal (rectus and transverse abdominis), hip (glute max, glute med), thigh (quadriceps, hamstrings), calf (gastrocnemius) and shoulder (deltoid) muscles.

Just as with marches, you can increase the challenge in jumping jacks by moving further into the water. Make sure to give yourself plenty of space to move your feet if you are on a step (you don’t want to risk your foot falling off of the step).

  1. Stand with feet together, arms down by your sides.
  2. Jump (or step) feet apart, lifting arms overhead.
  3. Jump (or step) feet together, arms returning to your sides.
  4. Repeat 8-10 times.
  5. Rest for 1-3 minutes.
  6. Perform 3 sets total.

3. Heel Raises

Heel raises focus on increasing the strength in the calf (gastrocnemius), which is important for our ability to walk. In the water, this exercise really challenges the balance as well.

  1. Stand with feet under hips.
  2. Putting the weight in the ball of the first and second toe, lift your heels up (think about pressing your head towards the sky/ceiling).
  3. Lower heels back down with control.
  4. Focus on moving straight up and down, not rocking forwards and backwards.
  5. Repeat 10x.
  6. Take a 1-3 minute rest.
  7. Complete 3 sets total.

4. Flutter kicks

This exercise not only works the legs, but also works the abdominals (transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis), shoulders (deltoids), biceps, and forearms (flexors). You can add challenge by changing how large your kicks are and by straightening your arms, rather than keeping them bent.

Flutter kicks can also increase your cardio workout, so if you want to challenge your heart, you can decrease the rest time.

  1. Grab the edge of the pool.
  2. Keeping your arms bent (or straightening them in front of you), reach your legs straight behind you and look down towards the pool, as if you’re in a plank position.
  3. Kick your legs up and down (trying to move through the surface of the water).
  4. Remember to keep breathing!
  5. Perform for 30s-1 minute.
  6. Take a 1-3 minute rest.
  7. Complete 3 sets.

5. Pull Ups

Just like out of the pool, pull ups are a great full-body workout! Pull ups strengthen the muscles of the shoulder (deltoids), back (traps, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae), and abdominals (transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis). I also like to add flutter kicks to my pull ups, just to make the movement a little smoother, so your back leg muscles (glutes, hamstrings) are working as well.

  1. Grab the edge of the pool.
  2. Keeping your arms bent, reach your legs straight behind you and look down towards the pool, as if you’re in a plank position.
  3. Kick your legs up and down to help you stay towards the top of the water.
  4. Straighten your elbows, maintaining a flat back.
  5. Bend, you elbows, pulling yourself back towards the edge of the pool (make sure you don’t bump your head).
  6. Perform for 8-10 reps.
  7. Take a 1-3 minute rest.
  8. Complete 3 sets.

6. Punches with Rotation

This punch incorporates a squat, which will work glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius, rotation, which works abdominals (obliques), and upper body movement, which works serratus anterior, deltoids, biceps, and triceps.

The key with this exercise is to try to keep your hips stable and rotate only from the torso. I like to think about my ribs rotating around my spine.

  1. Stand with feet a little wider than shoulder-distance apart.
  2. Bend your knees as if you’re about to sit in a chair.
  3. With your arms at your sides, bend your elbows and allow for there to be a little space between your upper arm and ribcage, palms facing each other.
  4. Make your hands into fists.
  5. Rotate your right palm down towards the pool as you punch under the water, and rotate your torso to the left.
  6. Return right arm to starting position.
  7. Repeat on the left side.
  8. That’s one rep.
  9. Complete 8-10 reps.
  10. Rest for 1-3 minutes.
  11. Complete 3 sets.

7. Leg Lifts

These leg lifts are a great balance challenge! They also work your standing leg and moving leg at the same time! You will strengthen your glutes, adductors, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius in this exercise.

  1. Start with feet hip-distance apart.
  2. Shift your weight to your right leg, keeping right knee straight, and trying to keep hips level.
  3. Lift left leg to the left side, trying to maintain balance on the right leg.
  4. Lower left leg back down, almost to the pool floor.
  5. Lift left leg again.
  6. Repeat 8-10 times on left side.
  7. Repeat on the right side.
  8. Complete 3 sets on each side.

Sources:

  1. Grayson Mathis, C. (2002). Water Exercise for Seniors. Retrieved 26 September 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/water-exercise-seniors#:~:text=Takeshima’s%20research%20found%20that%20older,and%20better%20total%20cholesterol%20levels.
  2. Kim, S. B., & O’sullivan, D. M. (2013). Effects of Aqua Aerobic Therapy Exercise for Older Adults on Muscular Strength, Agility and Balance to Prevent Falling during Gait. Journal of physical therapy science, 25(8), 923–927. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.25.923
  3. Slide show: Aquatic exercises. (2021). Retrieved 26 September 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/multimedia/aquatic-exercise/sls-20076730?s=1

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