Water polo: Physical condition, endurance, strengthening

Water polo is a very competitive and demanding sport. A professional athlete’s training should be specific and properly studied, with emphasis on kinesiology, endurance and strength.

Pulling Exercises

• Pull Ups
• Chin Ups
• Seated Rows
• Dead Lifts

Pushing Exercises

• Bench Press
• Shoulder Press
• Push Ups
• Pec Deck

2. Be very careful when performing the barbell bench press exercise. Bench pressing with dumbbells is much safer for the shoulders. 3. Push ups is an ideal exercise as the intense push movement keeps your shoulders healthy. 4. Do not stretch the front of your shoulders too much. Most water polo players have great shoulder flexibility. Shift your focus on the mobility of the thoracic spine. 5. Legs, legs, legs! Good water polo players have really strong legs and this is a determining factor in your performance in the water. 6. Having strong legs is not enough if you do not have the required flexibility. Be sure to apply exercise routines that enhance the flexibility of your lower body, especially your hips. 7. Use free weights and avoid machines. 8. Water polo athletes have an advantage over those who engage in sports outside the water: their body is much less stressed. However, do not forget that you spend most of your life outside the pool. So be sure to do strength training to ensure balance, in and out of the water. 9. When lifting weights, do not constantly think that you need to do sport specific exercises. Gain more strength and focus on water polo when you are in the pool. 10. Technique and form are of top importance when you perform dynamic exercises. Always have a trained coach by your side, to avoid unwanted injuries. The workouts The following exercises improve the functionality of the joints and the spine. Perform each movement pattern for 10 repetitions in each direction or side, unless an exercise has a specific instruction: Ankle Tilts (inside and out – 5 repetitions on each ankle) Seated Thoracic Extension / Flexion 4-Point Cross Crawl (Dynamic Horse Stance) 4-Point Thoracic Rotation / Extension Split Squats Hip Hinge Side-to-Side Squats (20 reps) Squat Stretch (5 reps, lasting 5 seconds) Overhead Wall Squats 100 Barefoot Ankle Hops Workouts that strengthen your muscular endurance should be performed twice a week. Alternatively, you can divide each session into two sections, thus doing a total of four workouts, shorter in time. Below are bodyweight endurance exercises. Repeat the circuit three times and perform each exercise for one minute:

• Squats
• Dog (yoga exercise)
• Plank shoulder tap
• Push ups
• Alternate lunges
• Plank hand extension
• Burpees
• Swimming (pilates exercise)

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