The appeal of aqua aerobics for fitness enthusiasts lies in the fact that the water reduces any risk of injury. It limits stress on the joints and enables exercisers to do more repetitions of a certain routine. Since it's a form of resistance training, water exercises promote the building of lean muscle mass and developing muscle strength. And because the water minimizes the impact of gravity to the joints, water aerobics for lower body strength is one of the ideal forms of exercise to be performed in a pool. Power jumps, when done on water, greatly increases lower body strength and promotes power, agility and balance.

Here's how to perform water aerobics for lower body strength:

First, begin in the shallow portion of the pool. Ideally, the water level should be no higher than your underarm and no lower than your ribcage. Warm up your body for about eight minutes by jogging around the pool and doing kicks, jumping jacks, strides and knee lifts. Make sure that you give your quadriceps, calf-muscles, hamstrings a long and drawn-out stretch. Do these for a good 10 minutes

Do a tuck jump. While you're standing, keep your knees and ankles together as you pull them up your chest. Go back to your standing position. Incorporate some arm movement this time. As you raise your legs to your knees, let your arms lengthen and as it bends, bend your arms at the elbows.

After a tuck jump, do a frog jump. With your toes, knees and thighs slightly turned out, bend your arms in a diamond shape close to your chest. As you lift your legs up mimicking frog legs with the knees pointing to each side at the highest point in the jump, push your arms down to the hips. Return to the starting position.

Follow this with a scissors jump. In a standing position, let one leg move straight forward and the other directly behind the body, alternating the front and back movements. The hands should move alternately as well.

Do heel lifts. Stand and keep the knees and heels close together. As you jump, lift the heels towards your butt, no higher than the knees. Keep your arms extended away from your body, keeping it at the height of your shoulders but slightly rounded at the elbows. Pull your arms down to your hips when you lift your legs. You can then end the lower body strengthening session by kicking your legs and jogging for two to three minutes.

Finish the whole routine with some quality stretches to flex your quads, hamstrings, hip flexors and calves deeply.

Water exercises for lower body strength are a great alternative to traditional aerobic exercises that pose great risk for injury to the joints and strain on the muscles. For those with previous injuries that make traditional jogging, jumping and leaping on land potentially dangerous, aqua exercises are a better alternative. By performing these routines on water, you reap the benefits of stronger legs and thighs and stronger heart muscles as well.