Archive for the ‘Water Aerobics’ Category
I like to change up my water aerobics routines frequently. Right now, what I am working on for my classes is offering water aerobics boot camp. I have done these boot camps before and it is great fun! It challenges your body in the water in a new way, while still getting an intense workout!
Depending on how many participants you have in class, they can actually get through all the stations provided. I alternate stations with cardio and toning. All the stations are timed. Each station is something different. I encourage participants to listen to their bodies. I try to push them and keep them motivated so they get a great workout.
Like many water aerobics routines, we warm up together for about 5-7 minutes. We also cool down and stretch out together at the end. I try to keep the class to 1 hour. There is continuous upbeat music playing! I’m floating around help participants if they forget what to do at each station. There are pictures and notes on the edge of the pool. Plus, I explain each station quickly before we begin.
This is a departure from the usual water aerobics routines, but everyone has lots of fun!
A really good cardiovascular workout to try is water aerobics!! OK, now listen to me, NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE IN A BATHING SUIT!!! Believe it or not, everyone justs wants a good workout. I have been a water aerobics advocate for several years.
Last night, I was talking with family members about the benefits of water aerobics, and like you “they don’t want anybody seeing them in a bathing suit.” Read My Lips, NOBODY CARES!!! So get over that fear and get your tools/toys, like aqua dumbbells and noodles and get moving in the pool. Using these tools can intensify your workout even more. May I also suggest webbed gloves. They can really strengthen your and tone your arms.
Tomorrow, I’ll present to you water aerobics exercises.
Water Aerobics Routine
Last night in class, we had fun with a “Whirlpool” water aerobics routine. By creating a whirlpool with the participants in class you get plenty of resistance. You can use all the different kinds of exercises in a circle creating this whirlpool. As a resting period have the members face the center of the circle while executing an exercise. This creates a more social environment for the class too.
This is an example of a whirlpool water aerobics routine that can work for you. We started out with a basic jog forward and backward the length of the pool. After feeling the resistance as you change directions, I wanted to create more resistance for the class. We all got in a circle. If the class size is large, make 2 separate circles. I’m just using 1 circle for this explanation. When the circle was formed, we started jogging in a clockwise 
manner. Wrists were flexed pushing the water away from you. When there was good movement in the water, we jogged backward in counter clockwise motion but still facing forward. The hand position was open fingers, palms in the water pulling the water behind you. Keep alternating directions in your circle. You could add in a variation to this water aerobics routine, by turning your body around and jog forward in the circle, but counter clockwise.
Then have the participants face the center of the circle and Cross Country Ski toward the middle, with the palms facing up toward the ceiling. Travel back with your ski and with fingers open, palms facing away and behind you pulling the water back.
You could also add in a Rocking Horse toward the center of the circle and switch legs as you travel back from the circle. Switch legs and Rocking Horse clockwise in the circle, switching legs and Rocking Horse in the other direction.
After doing this water aerobics routine for about 20-30 minutes, our heart rates were up and we had fun! Believe me with the whirlpool movement, there is plenty of resistance and an excellent cardio workout!
Come on in and Exercise, the Water’s Fine
As we age, it becomes more important than ever to keep our muscles strong and our reflexes sharp. Muscle tissue can deteriorate and atrophy with disuse, so there’s no excuse not to get out and be active. For many older Americans, lack of exercise has more to do with an ignorance of one’s options than anything else. More and more people are taking up water aerobics routines to stay fit and healthy later in life.
The human body is virtually weightless in water, which means that exercises performed in the water are low-impact with a decreased risk of injury. Since water provides a natural resistance against arms and legs, it’s possible to tone parts of the body without the use of free weights. Exercising in water is not just good for muscles, however. It can also benefit those people suffering from joint pain such as arthritis.