I teach two different water aerobics classes in Urbandale Community Pool (suburb of Des Moines, IA). If you are ever in the area, send me a message on my cheer board and I’ll get you a one-time pass to try out one of my classes. To get you started working out in the water, however, (and as a teaser) I’m blogging several of my workouts. Hope you enjoy them.

Workout Disclaimer - As with all exercise, please consult your physician before beginning a new program. I do not know you or your limitations and have not made adaptions in this workout. Understand your physical limitations and listen to your body. Stay hydrated and take short water breaks as necessary. When working out in shallow water, chest height is generally the most comfortable. Try different depths to see what works for you. Those with joint issues should go a little deeper. Personally, I work out anywhere from rib cage height to armpit height depending on the particular exercise. Also, remember to get down on your whole foot. Due to buoyancy, many people new to working out in the water will stay on their toes/balls of their feet for most of the workout. This is like working out in high heels which most would agree is not good. You can land on your toes/ball of the foot, but let your heels come down to the pool floor as well. Form is key especially when working with stretch bands,. It is better to have good form than work quickly. Working quickly is an easy way to injure yourself.

For most water exercises, your arms are either in or out of the water. You don’t generally cross the surface plane of the water in one exercise. For instance, while doing jacks, start with the arms at your side and bring them to the surface of the water rather than overhead. During class, I have access to many types of exercise aids. I have listed them in the workout. If you don’t have the particular item I list, leave it off, be creative or drop me a note on my cheer board and I’ll suggest free/cheap alternatives you can use. Below the workout, you’ll find a list of definitions or exercise descriptions for things I think you might not know. If I leave one out, comment and let me know. Enjoy!

Tone and Ladder Boot Camp Class

Music:  140 bpm

Equipment Used:  Buoyancy Barbells, Resistance Stretch Bands, watch/timeclock

 

Warm Up – 5 mins

  • Trunk Twists; Lunge Walk across pool forward, backward, and laterally; XC Ski; Jacks; Jogging

Toning 1 – Resistance Stretch Bands – 1 min each, 2x

  • Squat & Shoulder Press – stand on the middle of your stretch band and hold handles of stretch band at your shoulders – perform a squat, after returning to standing position extend your arms straight up over your head and back down to shoulders, repeat
  • Lateral Raises – stand on the middle of your stretch band, cross the band in front of you so you are holding the left handle in your right hand and the right handle in your left hand. Raise and lower your arms like you were doing a jack
  • Lawnmower Pulls (right side first time through, left side second time through) – stand on the middle of your stretch band with the handles crossed like with lateral raises, anchor your left hand on your hip, pull right hand up to your shoulder leading with the elbow and twist your torso (much the same motion as starting a lawn mower)

Ladder 1 – Elevated XC Ski and Power Jacks – Legs Apart

Toning 2 – Resistance Stretch Bands – 1 min each

  • Butterfly Press – anchor stretch band at the wall at chest height, face away from wall, arms at shoulder height extended out to the sides with elbows slightly bent, press the arms forward to meet in front of you and controlled return to start
  • Sprint from wall – anchor stretch band at the wall at chest height, face away from wall, hold arms stationary at a 90 degree angle at sides with elbows tucked in, run forward as hard as you can
  • Triceps Press - anchor stretch band at the wall at chest height, face the wall and squat down, keep upper arms still and tucked in against body, perform biceps curls with palms face down
  • Butterfly Pull - anchor stretch band at the wall at chest height, face the wall, arms at shoulder height extended out in front of you, with slightly bent elbows pull the arms open to extend out from your sides (movement looks the same as butterfly press but works opposing muscles) and controlled return to start
  • Sprint from wall – anchor stretch band at the wall at chest height, face away from wall, hold arms stationary at a 90 degree angle at sides with elbows tucked in, run forward as hard as you can
  • Biceps Curl – stand on the middle of your stretch band, keeping upper arms still and tucked in against body, palms face up to perform biceps curl

Ladder 2 – Straight Leg Kicks to Front (get them up as high as you can) and Level 3 Jumping Jacks

Core – 8 mins

                Honestly, without demonstration in this section, I’m not sure I can adequately describe my core routines. YouTube some water core exercises. You can also try planks or burpees with the noodle.

Stretching – 5 mins

                Again, without demonstration, this would take lengthy description. Start at your feet and work toward your head making sure to stretch each muscle group. If you’ve been doing any sort of workout videos, you probably already know most of these.

 

Definitions/Descriptions

Lateral – in the sideways plane to left and right

Elevated – exercise is performed while propelling yourself up and out of the water

Level 1 – standard default – exercises performed at chest height. All exercises above are performed at Level 1 unless stated otherwise

Level 2 – bend knees and crouch down so that your shoulders are in the water, this level reduces impact and increases range of motion, if any exercise is too hard on your joints you can perform it as a level 2 exercise

Level 3 – start in level 2 with your shoulders wet, then lift your feet off the pool bottom, perform exercise without touching bottom (easier, but not necessarily better, to do if you move deeper), level 3 exercises tax your core muscles and arms more heavily, some are VERY hard

Ladder – This interval set alternates between two exercises. One exercise is used on the work phase and the other is used as gentle, active recovery. (Where I have listed an elevated or level 3 exercise, take it to level 1 when it is the recovery exercise.) The timing goes like this – recovery 15 sec, work 15 sec, recovery 15 sec, work 30 sec, recovery 15 sec, work 45 sec, recovery 15 sec, work 1 min, water break 30 sec. Repeat with the recovery exercise becoming the work exercise and vice versa.

Power Jacks – This exercise can start with legs apart or together depending on the muscle group you want to work. For today’s workout, start with your legs and hands at the surface of the water. Jump up bringing your legs together and arms into the body. Before you land, return to starting position. With Power Jacks – Legs Apart, where your toes are pointed will change the muscle group emphasized. If you point your toes forward, you will feel it in your inner thighs. If you point your toes out diagonally at 45 degree angles (think plié), you will feel it in your hamstrings and glutes.

Level 3 Jacks – You can perform these in the traditional sense of tucking up when your legs come in or in a seated position with your legs extended straight out in front of you.