| Water Works |
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The most effective water-based workout requires the assistance of a specialized personal trainer. Research has shown, for example, that transferring land movements to the water will not produce the same intensity. Water has unique properties that require some skill in adapting movement for strength, endurance, weight loss, cardiovascular fitness, posture, balance, coordination, flexibility, agility, athletic conditioning, relaxation, and fitness maintenance. An APT is able to create a program specific to the needs of the participant in a new environment. The trainer can design safe, effective, and stimulating programs, which will enable you to progress to the level you desire. We learn to crawl, walk, and run with our bodies planted on level ground and the air around us offering little to no perceived resistance. We learn the feeling of normal gravity and air pressure at such an early age that we take it for granted when we graduate from simple movement to the more sophisticated movements involved in exercise and sport. This is why movement in a new and different medium, such as water, offers tremendous challenge and training possibilities. But it isn't as easy as it looks. Those who benefit from training in the water: 1. Regular participants in a group aquafit class who are never quite sure about performing the exercises correctly. 2. Baby Boomers looking for a low-impact workout without being tied to a group class schedule. 3. Athletes who need variety from sport-specific regimes. 4. Overweight individuals who require motivation to start and continue an exercise program. 5. Those with injuries that prevent them from taking part in land-based routines. Briefly, the following are some important properties of water and their effect on exercise design: ResistanceWater has approximately one thousand times the resistance of air; movement is therefore more difficult and requires greater effort. For strength and endurance training, progressive variable resistance training against the force of the water is used. For example, when training the biceps and triceps (both can be done with elbow flexion/extension), progression is attained by changing the surface area of the hand pushing against the water. For level 1, the hand slices through the water; level 2 uses a fisted hand; and level 3, a flat hand with fingers together. With each change of hand position, greater effort should be exerted. When one has mastered level 3, neoprene web gloves will add even greater resistance. A fairly new piece of equipment, called omni-directional aqua bells, along with leg fins take the exercise to the next level. The bells and fins come in three sizes. The greater the surface area, the greater the effort and strength required to perform the muscle strengthening exercises, assuming the range of motion and speed are maintained with powerful posture as well. The bells and fins are designed to use the resistance of the water more effectively. Even without equipment, correct exercise execution is the key to successful muscular conditioning.Hydrostatic PressureThe overall pressure of the water against the body during water workouts acts like a full-body compression garment, constantly pressing all around the submerged body.The circulatory system is positively affected by hydrostatic pressure, which helps blood return to the heart (venous return). It acts like a pump aiding the heart in its work to circulate blood. BuoyancyBuoyancy is an upward assisting force. In general, upward movements are assisted and downward movements are resisted, an important consideration when designing exercises in both deep and shallow water.The positive effects of buoyancy: 1. Buoyance cushions impact, which decreases jarring action on ligaments, bones, and joints, thus enabling special populations, such as the obese, elderly, arthritic, disabled, and pre- and post-natal women, to exercise in relative comfort and ease. A trainer specializing in the needs of special populations would be able to design exercise programs that would be of great benefit to each individual. 2. This cushioning of impact assists athletes who are recovering from an injury or those who want to keep up a high-intensity training regime, but without the stress of repetitive impact in a land-based workout. 3. Increased range of motion and flexibility due to the decrease in gravity and increase in space between the joints allows for varied exercise intensity by manipulating impact from light to greater impact in the shallow end and no impact in the deep end. Thermal ConductivityWater conducts heat away from the body. During exercise, the heat produced by working muscles is transferred to the skin via the blood. This excess heat is pulled away from the body by thermal conductivity of the water. One can do a vigorous workout and not feel overheated. This is especially beneficial for cardiovascular conditioning.Fitness Benefits of Water TrainingFor most people, improved functional capacity on land is at the top of the list of fitness goals.Humans are bipedal; our erect stature is fundamental to our function. Water training in deep or shallow water is done with the body in a vertical position, which is functional. One of the challenges for aqua participants is maintaining proper posture when performing an exercise. The APT, with precise cueing and careful observation, ensures that a structurally safe position for the core of the body is established before adding any level of increased difficulty, avoiding overload. This safe position is known as "neutral body alignment," a position that places the spine in its strongest, safest alignment, ready for the ensuing stress from the exercise. The key to training in the water is the proper execution of each exercise. The APT can determine when the client needs to increase the range of motion, speed, change the length of levers (flexion or extension of arms and legs), change the hand positions, or use equipment to increase the intensity of the workout. Water offers specific training for sports. Sports conditioning experts know that to improve performance, muscles must be trained with movements simulated as closely as possible to the land or desired movement skills. Not all land exercises are functional, though. For example, supine abdominal curls do not prepare the abdominal muscles to be strong in a functional, upright position. In the water, the abdominal muscles can be worked by walking, jogging, kicking, jumping, skiing, cycling. Performing these moves in an upright position strengthens the abdominals and stabilizes the core. Running is the exercise of choice for millions of people. To run with ease and comfort, injury prevention is an important ingredient in any training program for runners. By adding aqua running sessions, closely monitored by an APT, the runner will maintain or improve fitness without repetitive impact. Biomechanics will be improved, especially for the upper body. An APT will create a variety of workouts that will overcome training boredom. If you are looking for a way to intensify your workout regime, or to train at a level that is designed to specifically benefit you, try cost-effective training in the pool with an APT. Plunge in and discover the magic of the water. About the AuthorElizabeth Spencer, B.A., B.Ph.Ed., Certified Canadian Aquafitness Leaders Alliance (CALA) Instructor, Water Art Personal Training Program, certified in mat and reformer Pilates, instructor at the Jewish Centre of Calgary."Water Works" was first published in the November/December 2009 Winter Running & Fitness Issue of IMPACT Magazine. |
