Authored by Victor Roffel in Exercise 
Published on 11-02-2009

Swimming is one of the most effective methods for fat loss and restoration of the body. There is simply no other form of exercise that can help you strip the fat off your body while providing a restoration effect for the muscles. Most people enjoy swimming but there are some who are afraid to. Believe it or not, these people are afraid to take off their shirt and reveal their beer belly. Luckily, there are many ways to work out your abs while enjoying your time in the pool.

Waddling – Walking in a pool is a tough thing to do. Anybody who has ever swum before in their lives would understand that. When trying to walk in a pool with the water level at around your waist, most people will end up waddling like a duck.

Although simple, waddling back and forth around the pool strains the abs a great deal. Because there is no eccentric motion in water, the abs and hip flexors are forced to work harder to stabilize the body. Depending on the size of the pool, you can make around 5-10 trips around the pool.

Leg raises – This exercise is a great movement to work the abs hard. As read, it is simply raising your legs up to your chest for repetitions. Find a nice and quiet side of the pool and with your back facing towards the wall use your arms to hold yourself afloat. Bend your knees and bring them up to your chest as fast as you can. Keep in mind that this exercise is useless if done without effort. You have to raise your knees or legs up to your chest as forcefully as you can. If done correctly, 10-20 repetitions is enough to exhaust your abs.

Flutter kicks – Many people have seen great results in not only swimming but also ab work with this exercise. Flutter kicks are probably one of the oldest and most traditional exercises you do when learning how to swim for the first time. And even though it’s old, it works great.

Find a quiet side of the pool to hang on to with your arms. Make sure your body is in a straight line before executing flutter kicks. Kick your legs alternatively with short bursts and speed. Because this exercise don’t really give too much resistance to work with, aim for high repetitions. 100 repetitions for a couple of sets is a good place to start.

Swimming – That’s right. Just swimming will help work your abs hard. As previously stated, there is no eccentric motion in water and thus, the abs have to work harder to keep you stabilized. Even if an individual trains his abs hard, the effort will only contribute to hypertrophy of the muscles. Your abs will not be seen unless the fat surrounding them is gone. Swimming is a cardiovascular exercise. That means if you swim constantly, you can burn off the fat covering your abs.

Try these exercises out the next time you are at a pool. Having those six pack abs is no longer a dream if you apply these exercises every time you go for a swim.