Aqua Board Exercise Library
Abdominal Exercises
Single Leg Plank
Starting Position: Lie on your stomach with your hands directly under your shoulders and elbows in close to your sides. Contract your quadriceps to extend your legs and flex your ankles. Contract your core and abdominal muscles to stiffen your torso.
Upward Phase. Push through your hands to lift your torso off the mat, maintaining a tight body. Life one leg. Avoid arching your lower back or lifting your bum in the air. Hold this position for a specified time, or lift and lower leg for an additional glute exercise. Repeat and switch legs.
Downward Phase: Maintaining a tight body, gently lower yourself back onto the mat.
Body Parts:
Abs
Difficulty: Intermediate
Glute Bridge
Starting Position: Lie on your back with knees bent and your feet hip-width apart. Contract your abdominal muscles to flatten your low back into the mat.
Upward Phase: Gently exhale. While holding your abdominal contraction, press your heels into the mat and lift your hips up by contracting your glutes.
Lowering Phase: Inhale and slowly lower yourself back towards your starting position.
Body Parts:
Abs, Glutes/Hips
Difficulty: Beginner
Bicycle Crunches
Starting Position: Lie flat on your back with knees bent, feet on the mat and fingertips behind your head. Engage your abdominal muscles, pull shoulders back and down. Bring knees directly over hips to tabletop.
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Exhale and bring your right knee towards your chest while extending your left leg, keeping it elevated off the mat. At the same time, contract your abs, lift your left shoulder blade off the mat and rotate your trunk to drive your left elbow towards your right knee. Hold for 1 – 2 seconds then return to starting position & repeat on opposite side.
Body Parts:
Abs
Difficulty: Intermediate
High Knees
Starting Position: Stand with your feet hip-distance apart knees slightly bent. Focus on a stationary object in the distance.
Upward Phase: Lift one foot off the mat bringing knee towards chest. Rapidly alternate legs. Make sure to stay on the balls of the feet and exaggerate a high-knee action. Emphasize springing off of the balls of your feet and landing softly.
Body Parts:
Abs, Legs
Difficulty: Advanced
Cobra
Starting Position: Lie on your stomach with your hands by your sides, directly under your shoulders and hands facing forward. Extend your legs and plantar flex your ankles.
Upward Phase: Exhale, pressing your hips into the mat and lifting your chest. Hold for 15 - 30 seconds. Return to mat.
Body Parts:
Abs, Back
Difficulty: Beginner
Scissor Kick
Starting Position: Lie on your back, and lift your shoulder blades off the mat. Lift your right leg off the mat, and bring your left leg to 90 degrees, gently holding the left shin.
Keep your upper body lifted as you pulse the legs twice in the open position and switch legs.
Repeat the scissor action 8 times.
Body Parts:
Abs, Legs
Difficulty: Intermediate
Arm Exercises
Down Dog
Starting Position: Kneel on the mat with your feet together behind you. Bend forward and place your hands shoulder-width apart, fingers facing forward, on the mat. Move into a push-up position, with your hands directly under your shoulders.
Upward Phase: While maintaining a tight torso and straight arms and legs, exhale and send your hips backwards and upwards, creating an inverted-V shape with your body. Keep your head aligned with your spine and stretch your heels towards the floor.
Downward Phase: Inhale and return to starting push-up position.
Body Parts:
Arms, Back, Butt/Hips. Legs, Full-Body
Difficulty: Intermediate
Bicep Curls
Starting Position: Begin in sitting, kneeling or standing position.
Hold the resistance bands with both hands facing up so the wrists, elbows, and shoulders are in a straight line about shoulder-width apart. Lift the handles toward your shoulders while bending the elbows and keeping them next to the middle of the body. Slowly lower the bands to return to the starting position. Keep chest still, using just the arms for the movement.
Body Parts:
Arms
Difficulty: Intermediate
Push-Ups
Starting Position: Lie on your stomach with your hands directly under your shoulders and elbows in close to your sides. Contract your quadriceps to extend your legs and flex your ankles. Contract your core and abdominal muscles to stiffen your torso.
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Upward Phase. Push through your hands to lift your torso off the mat, maintaining a tight body. Avoid arching your lower back or lifting your bum in the air.
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Lower your body towards the mat until your chest or chin touch the mat, all the while maintaining a tight body and your head aligned with your spine.
Body Parts:
Arms, Chest, Shoulders
Difficulty: Intermediate
Back Exercises
Bow Pose
Starting Position: Lie on your stomach with your legs hip-width apart and your arms by your sides. Bend your knees. Inhale and reach for your right ankle and then your left.
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Upward Phase: Exhale and lengthen through your spine. Lift your chest off the mat, shoulders away from the ears. Press your feet into your hands and your hands into your feet as you open your chest. Let your shoulder blades slide down your back. Hold for 30 seconds.
Doward Phase: Lower your upper body to the mat on an exhale and release your ankles.
Body Parts:
Back, Full Body
Butt, Abs, Chest, Shoulders, Legs
Difficulty: Intermediate
Bird Dog
Starting Position: Begin in tabletop, with your hands and knees shoulder-width apart. Hands are directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips.
Upward Phase: Tighten your core. Extend your left leg parallel to the mat, keeping your hips squared.
Shoulder flexion: Send your right arm parallel to the mat. Head should remain aligned with the spine throughout the movement.
Downward Phase: Come to starting position and repeat with the opposite limbs.
Body Parts:
Back, Abs, Butt/Hips
Difficulty: Intermediate
Sphynx
Starting Position: Lie on your stomach with your elbows by your sides, positioned directly under your shoulders and hands facing forward. Extend your legs, hip distance apart, and flex your ankles.
Upward Phase: Exhale and press your hips into the mat while lifting and opening your chest. Keep you leg muscles firm and actively pull elbows toward one another. Hold this position for 15 - 30 seconds.
Downward Phase: Relax and lower your body to rest back on the mat.
Body Parts:
Back, Abs
Difficulty: Beginner