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Aquatic/Water-Based

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Exercise/Class Formats

Sample Class: Pool Circuits for Older Adults

Water fitness classes have grown in popularity and creativity over the past 20 years. What started off as something more or less for older, less fit women has developed into a recognized form of fitness training for the superfit exerciser, the athlete recovering from injury, the older adult with a chronic condition or the person who simply enjoys how forgiving the water environment can be to joints. The pool is also a terrific environment for circuit and interval classes.

A Wet Wind-Down

Incorporating the noodle is one of my favorite cool-down strategies for a water class. It’s fun to use the noodle individually or—when you want to foster sociability—with partners. Water Walking…

Ready to Dive Into Water Fitness?

Are you considering a water fitness program? More people than ever are exploring pool activity programs, and for good reason: Water fitness can improve strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health; decrease body fat; facilitate rehabilitation; improve functionality for daily living; and even enhance sports skills. Water fitness classes today offer more variety than ever before, but how do you f…

Sample Class

Sample Class!

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Sample Class: Aqua Dance

Are you looking for a new way to add spice to your water fitness program? Try adding dance elements. Aqua Dance captivates the joy of movement and the expression of life t…

Wet workout

When you think of using the pool for fitness, you probably imagine swimmers doing laps. Although swimming is a fantastic workout, it's time to rethink the pool as another frontier of fitness, a liquid athletic training ground, if you will.So say goodbye to aqua aerobics, and make way for a new generation of water-based classes.This summer, instructors across the country have been exp…

Feeling a Little Weak in the Knees? Try Deep-Water Running

The impact of land-based running can often have significantly debilitating effects
on the body. Yet running is one of the most popular cardiovascular activities, and
enthusiasts have difficulty cutting back, despite the potential for injury. If this is the case with a client of yours, you might suggest deep-water running (DWR) as a more accommodating alternative to the unforgiving terrain o…

Sample Class: Nekkid Water Fitness

“Nekkid Water Fitness” is a fun-based format designed to accommodate an apparently healthy population in shallow water. The class uses traditional and nontraditional exercises to achieve both cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance. Absolutely no equipment is needed. Enlist your imagination, and bring your own style and expertise to the workout. Bottom line? This cl…

Add Water to the Mix

With the number of Americans who are inactive and/or overweight steadily increasing, personal fitness trainers (PFTs) face many challenges. Meeting these challenges requires the ability to cater to a broad client base, as well as a determination to keep up-to-date with current industry trends and research.
Successful PFTs, like successful businesspeople in any industry, continuall…

Splash Start

Water warm-ups are similar to land warm-ups in that the purpose is to raise the body’s temperature and to practice movements before working out. This is where the similarities end. Water warm-ups require additional consideration owing to the element’s viscosity, temperature and buoyancy.
This warm-up is divided into two parts: buoyancy and cardio. The sections each la…

Sample Class: Buoyant Intervals

Exercising in the water offers many benefits. Not only does the pool serve as a “liquid weight room,” but the buoyancy factor makes it easier to move. Water ex…

Take the Plunge

Personal training has branched into numerous subspecialties, extending its reach to include a wider audience. The diversification is good for the industry, but there are still many paths waiting to be discovered. Personal training in the water is one of them.

Sample Class: H2O Bootcamp

Every now and then, participants need
to be reminded that training in the swimming pool offers numerous benefits for all fitness levels. Based on speed, power and strength rather than rhythm and choreography, H2O Bootcamp incorporates pyramid training, kickboxing drills, interval training, power drills, speed bursts and strength exercises. While this class requires no coordination, it does demand a lot of stamina and is great for students who need a new challenge and prefer hard, athletic workouts.