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Exercise 1: Sartorius jog-or-march

This exercise shapes your hips and bottom. It's named for the way the sartorius muscle (which runs along the outside of your hip to the inside of your shin bone) moves your leg. Add some complementary arm movements and you've got an effective way to condition your abdominals (especially the obliques, which are responsible for twisting and side-bending), back muscles (especially the upper and middle muscles of the back), shoulder muscles, hip muscles (especially the outside of the hips) and buttocks muscles.

Note: Keep your wrists held firm and arm straight while moving it forward and backward. Remember to keep your elbow unlocked and to modify any exercise that feels uncomfortable.

Leg movement

1. Lift one leg up, with knee bent.
2. Turn that leg outward as you open up at the hip with knee facing away from you, at your side. Both knees should be slightly bent throughout the exercise.
3. Bring your raised bent leg across to the front and slightly across the midline of your body. Feel your inner thigh working as you move your leg and push against the water's resistance.
4. Return your leg to start position, pushing your leg against the water's resistance.
5. Do a number of repetitions on the same side and when you're ready, change sides.

To increase your workload, add the following arm action:

Arm movement

1. Use the arm opposite to the moving leg to diagonally sweep across your body and simultaneously touch the shin of your working leg.
2. Keep your arm straight and, if you are fit enough, keep your hand in a paddle or flat position.
3. Return your arm to the start position (straight out to the side of the body, just below the water's surface).

Exercise 2: Gluteus maximus skate ski legs with uppercut arms

This exercise conditions your buttocks, the front of your shoulders and your deep abdominal muscles. It is most effective in chest- to shoulder-depth water, with no bouncing or bobbing.

1. Keep your hips still throughout this movement. Do not allow your pelvis to rock forward and backward.
2. Concentrate on activating your bottom and the muscles in the back of your thigh by giving a powerful squeeze while alternately lifting your leg straight back. To protect your lower back, do not lift your leg very high.
3. Coordinate arms and legs, so that when your leg is pushed back, both arms are pushed forward and when your foot returns to standing position, your arms return to the sides of your body. Keep your hands in a lightly held fist position and your elbows bent at 90 degrees throughout the movement.
4. As your leg lifts to the back and your arms to the front, press your navel to your spine and exhale.

Exercise 3: Pendulum legs with low swing pendulum arms

This exercise targets your outer and inner thighs, your waistline and your shoulders.

Stand in chest- to shoulder-depth water. The deeper you go, the harder it is to stabilize your body, and the harder your core muscles work. However, if you have trouble keeping your feet down, move to shallower water. The water's buoyancy makes your body bob, so try working against this force. When you reduce bouncing or bobbing and anchor the body, you increase your energy expenditure and burn more calories.

1. Lift one leg to the side. Keep your hips level and -- to target the correct muscles -- make sure your feet and knees point forward throughout the entire movement. Avoid allowing your body to turn your leg outward, so that the knee points up.
2. Only lift your leg about 30 degrees to the side of the body (to protect your hip joint) and apply force to the movement, rather than letting your leg float up.
3. While your leg lifts to the side, swing both arms to the opposite side of your body, down and in front of the thighs, reaching away from your working leg, so that while your leg lifts to one side, your arms swing to the other side.
4. Repeat this exercise several times on one leg. Then repeat on the other leg.

Remember to control your movements and use muscle force rather than the force of momentum to move your limbs. Stay in your comfortable range of motion and enjoy the feeling of working your body. When done properly, this exercise works the muscles that stabilize your spine and keep it from rotating or twisting.

Things to consider:

• let go of tension and feel the muscles lengthening, stretch in your zone of comfort, an 'ouch pain' means you are stretching too far 

• enjoy the stretch and use slow, uplifting and relaxing music that makes you feel good

Suggested movements for the stretch phase: hold each position for at least eight seconds if you are in the water; while stretching the upper body, you may want to jog lightly to keep the entire body warm. Remember the water likes to conduct heat away from the body. Try to avoid getting cold during this phase, the muscles will not stretch effectively if they are cold. Move to chest deep water for the stretches and hold on to the dock for stability:

standing quadriceps stretch22
standing hamstring stretch23
standing calf stretch24	no picture available
standing triceps stretch25
standing chest stretch26
standing upper back stretch27

• repeater sartorius jog-or-march with sartorius arms

• flamingo swivels with bow and arrow arms

• mogul tuck

• kayak arms - variety of legs & different ‘phase focus’

• abdominal jack with reverse breast stroke arms

• recumbent to sitting to vertical to triathlon cycling

• anchored narrow jog-or-march with unison cross country ski arms

• narrow tuck with jumping jack arms

• tuck-jack-tuck-ski combo

• pumping karate kick with unison arms reaching away from leg

Other Aquafit Leg movements include:

In addition to the above leg movements there are complementary arms. Click here for CALA moves and other Aquafit handouts.