A great way to incorporate the many components of fitness into one workout is to provide intervals of alternating muscular conditioning and cardiovascular conditioning for your class. This “work at your own pace” program allows every participant an opportunity to do their personal best and blend a total body program.
INITIAL PLANNING: An Interval Aquatic program requires organization.
Muscle Intervals- Target a specific muscle group (3 exercises of approximately 8-25 repetitions). Generally you should be able to target 4-5 muscle sets in a 45-60 minute program. Be sure to focus strengthening the weak muscles to aid in better posture and joint stability. Stronger more advanced may use equipment while new or less fit clients may opt to perform the same exercise without equipment. Add active recovery sets in between muscle targeting sets so ideally you repeat the muscle exercise at least 3 times or 3 different exercises (ideally beginner set of 8-25 reps, then active recovery, then intermediate exercise set of 8-25 reps and then advance muscle exercise of 8-25 reps). Performing enough sets and reps and three exercises for the same muscle group will greatly improve muscular strength and performance.
Muscular Strength is the ability of a muscle, or group of muscles, to generate force in one maximal effort. Programs designed to increase muscular strength utilize higher resistance and lower numbers of repetitions. Typically this will involve equipment to overload and work the muscle enough to yield a training effect.
Muscular Endurance is the ability of a muscle, or group of muscles, to repeatedly exert force against a given sub-maximal resistance or to sustain an isometric contraction over time. This is generally measured by how many times the muscle or group of muscles can contract before reaching momentary fatigue. Programs designed to increase muscular endurance utilize lower resistance and higher numbers of repetitions –generally without equipment.
Cardiovascular Intervals – The main focus of cardiovascular sets should be to benefit the heart and circulatory system to prevent heart disease. Progressive overload as well as interval training using a mix of intense then less intense work will train a person to perform more total work while lowering resting heart rate.
Cardio respiratory endurance is defined as the ability to engage large muscle groups namely the lower body muscles, dynamically or rhythmically, continuously or intermittently, at low through moderate to high intensity exercise. Exercise design needs to be 3 or more minutes in duration to utilize aerobic or with oxygen energy systems.
Simply stated cardiovascular or cardio-respiratory training is training the improving the VO2 and breathing.
Research has shown that heart rates in the water are, on average, about 14% lower than land heart rates when working at the same intensity. (However there may be a range of 10 and 20 beats difference depending on conditions.) It is important to help your participants monitor and regulate their intensity through some system, i.e. talk test, rate of perceived exertion, or a heart rate monitor.
When designing your class, all working together as one group, it is essential that you plan ahead to make sure all the necessary preparation is in place. Check on the following:
Equipment: What do you have available?
Water Depth: Will you use all shallow water, all deep, or a combination of both for your program?
Station Locations: Where will you set up the Muscle Interval stations? How many? How do clients transition? Where can you put equipment so easy to get out and/or put away.
Time: What is the total length of the program? Generally interval sets are approximately 3-5 minutes each (one song)
Level of difficulty: Who are your participants? Are they swimmers or non swimmers, buoyant or sinkers, workers or talkers, movers or shakers? – in other words knowing the mix of personalities and fitness levels may change the group dynamics substantially.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Depending on the size of the class you may want to work as one group or break into 3 or 4 small groups
- If you have more than one group you will not be able to be at every station yourself. Recruit reliable (regular) participants to act as team leaders so you can delegate responsibility to lead their group in the right direction.
- Preferably -You will make signage for all the muscle interval stations to clearly indicate which muscle group and how the exercise should be performed.
- If you are using music make sure it is cued to signal the break between workout stations and the group cardio intervals. If you do not plan to use music – have some means to time the intervals.
- Make sure all the equipment is out ready at the correct station and in good condition.
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS OF INTERVAL AQUA TRAINING:
1. Provide a program suitable to the participants’ level of fitness and abilities. You can use the same muscle group exercises and signage for a variety of skill levels. Always show easiest exercise first and ideally progress skills and intensity.
2. Light intervals are a good way to start when first introducing this program – Maybe try the whole program the first time without equipment so that everyone “knows the moves & feels comfortable”.
3. Take time to demonstrate the correct use of the equipment that you plan to use. Use regular class times to go over muscle conditioning with and without equipment before you move on to intervals.
4.Always remind everyone to work at own pace throughout program –always give the option to do the exercise without equipment if the participant is not yet comfortable or sufficiently skilled.
5. Emphasize the importance to do only as many repetitions as are comfortable at the stations
6. Take time for good warm-up – mimic moves that you will be doing for the cardio.
7. Make sure to incorporate all planes of movement to give fatigued muscles time to recuperate.
8. Use the warm down to stretch and relax, keep moving to maintain thermal regulation
10: Monitor intensity with talk test and/or perceived exertion. Program in a drink break to remind everyone of the importance of staying hydrated.
PROGRAM CONTENT:
Cardio Interval: Add lots of variety such as: using the properties of water to promote assistance and/or resistance when traveling. A mixture of basic moves and working or body positions – dance moves – partner fun or group interaction.
Decide – How long should the segments last and which kind of moves work well together?
Muscle Intervals- Train to target every muscle group correctly before progressing to equipment.
Decide: Which muscle groups will you target for strengthening, which need more flexibility?
How can you target other components such as agility, balance and coordination?
CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT TO SEE WHAT CAN BE USED FOR INTERVAL AQUA –
SET UP THE CIRCUIT STATIONS: Use what you have on hand for exercise intervals, Stations can be set up to use the same equipment more than once for different muscle groups.
Decide how to use – is the equipment resistive or buoyant
For example:
AQUATIC MITTS: May be used for complete or part program – Use when training for balance and sculling to promote good posture.
NOODLES: Buoyant/resistance
Muscle Interval: -can be used to target specific muscle groups with noodle in front, around waist, behind back in horseshoe, seated bicycle style, or standing on it.
Balance and Agility: can be used swing style, kneeling or standing.
Cardio: May be utilized as bicycle/horse or hug a noodle to allow for non bottom contact moves and travel (for more intensity).
BARBELLS: Buoyant/resistance
Muscle Interval – use for all upper body conditioning and target abdominal work.
Cardio – Can also be used for suspended work incorporating basic moves.
RESISTIVE PADDLES: Resistive only:
Muscle Interval – use for all upper body conditioning and target abdominal work.
Can be used to simulate sports moves, household tasks and resistive walking.
Cardio: Use to create more resistance when traveling basic moves
RESISTANT CUFFS: Restive only:
Muscle Interval: use to target all lower body muscle groups for conditioning
Cardio: Resistance of the kickers create more drag when moving to promote higher c/v work.
AQUATIC STEPS:
Restive only
Muscle Interval : Great to use for lower body strengthening and sports activities incorporating squats, moguls, stair climbing re-training, and lunge movements.
Balance and Agility Training: Can be used for balance, agility movement using properties of water such as inertia, turbulence and buoyancy.
TUBING WITH HANDLES BANDS: Resistive only
Muscle Interval: Use for flexibility and improving ROM.
With tethering – may be used for core strengthening, balance and posture
Resistance bands/tubing may used for upper and lower body strengthening moves.
BALLS: Buoyant – ideally smaller sized so that clients may handle them (2-5 inches)
Agility and Coordination: great for hand-eye coordination, hand exercises and flexibility.
Cardio: Use to increase speed to push through the water. Good for partner and social interaction.
BUOYANT CUFFS: Buoyant only – can be used on the ankles, arms and around the waist.
Muscle Interval: on ankles -use to target lower body muscle conditioning and cardio.
On arms – use for upper body conditioning like dumbbells
May be used as a buoyancy belt: to encourage suspended work
Cardio: Use cuffs in all positions to promote buoyant resistance for all basic moves.
