How to Do a Rocking Horse

Exercise that doesn't cause additional strain on the joints is good for arthritis. Water is the perfect place to perform a routine because the water gives additional buoyancy to the body. You can jog in the pool, but if you really want all the muscles to get a good workout, perform a planned exercise program. The Rocking Horse is one exercise that can give a good upper and lower body workout.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Stand with one ahead foot ahead of the other and your weight evenly distributed. Lean forward and put the weight on the front foot.
2. Stabilize your body position so you can lift the rear leg. Bend the leg at the knee and bring it behind you as high as you can. This is also known as a leg curl.
3. Put the leg back to the bottom of the pool and shift your weight back to that foot in a rocking motion. That is how the Rocking Horse got exercise gets its name.
4. Move your body forward again putting the body weight on the front foot. Repeat the process of raising the back leg once more.
5. Shift the other leg to the front and do the exercise. You need to make certain that you keep an even count on each lead foot. If you start with your right foot as lead six times, do it on your left foot as lead six times. Different muscle groups get exercised on each leg in one set so you don't want to neglect one side.
6. Scull the water with your hands or cup your hands and push the water backward as you exercise. This burns additional calories but also exercises the upper body as you work on your legs.
7. Push a noodle or sqoodle under water as you rock forward. The noodle is a foam snake that gives a little extra support in the water and buoyancy. A sqoodle is just a square noodle. Since the sqoodle is larger it takes more effort to push it under the water.