Water Fitness Instructor Basic Training
The course covers basic anatomy, movement terms, physical fitness, the properties of water, the parts of a class, how to increase and decrease intensity, how to use equipment, contraindications and more. Participants take a quiz on what muscles are involved in typical exercises and teach a brief practice class to the other participants. The course takes 8 hours. No CECs.
Strength Training in Water
The properties of water, the types of muscular contractions, and the kinds of equipment available make strength training in water unique. This course explains how to use the properties of water to increase intensity. It describes how to use weighted, buoyant, drag and rubberized equipment. And it includes contraindications so that you will know when caution is advisable. 3 hours, 3 CECs. The course outline covers:
- A review of the opposing muscle groups, movement terms and the properties of water.
- A discussion of the types of contractions in submerged movement and how to use the properties of water to increase intensity.
- A review of the research on shoulder, spine and knee safety to establish a baseline of good form before adding equipment.
- An explanation of muscle action using weighted equipment, buoyant equipment, drag equipment, and rubberized equipment.
- A pool session that includes a warm up without equipment followed by a variety of strength training exercises using the equipment available at the host facility. This can include noodles, buoyant dumbbells, cuffs, gloves, paddles, kickboards, resistant arm trainers or bells, rubberized tubing and aquatic steps.
Working toward Peak Fitness
Step back and take a longer view of your water fitness program. Do you offer progressions so that your participants will see improvement in their level of fitness? Athletes use periodization to train for their sport. Why not use the same tool to train for the sport of daily life? Periodization divides the year into four seasons: pre-season, transition season, peak fitness, and recovery. Each season has its own training program that builds into the next season, followed by a season that allows the body time to recover and prepare for the next year. 3 hours, 3 CECs. The course outline covers:
- A review of the benefits of exercising in the water and maintaining a neutral spine.
- A discussion of common exercises used in a water fitness class , what the targeted muscles are, and how to perform them with good form.
- An explanation of how to use inertia, acceleration, action/reaction, frontal resistance, hand positions, and levers to increase or decrease intensity.
- An explanation of how to use periodization to improve cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength and endurance and achieve peak fitness.
- The pool session includes a 5-minute warm-up, 20 minutes each of pre-season, transitional season and peak fitness activities, followed by 15 minutes of recovery activities and 5 minutes of stretches.
© 2022 Christine Alexander