Create fun, fitness and fellowship in your classes with partner ideas presented by Mushi Harush from Israel and Javier Bergas del Rio from Spain. This video is a compilation of partner ideas that can be used in all aspects of a class, including warm-up, cardio, upper & lower body, core, stretching and more.
Filmed in Israel in February 2019 as a collaboration between Fitmotivation and the Israeli Aquatic Exercise Center, 2B or Not 2B Partner Work was delayed in post-production for months afterward. The video was eventually made available to Fitmotivation in Spring 2020, just as the pandemic was spreading around the world. Due to COVID restrictions and social distancing, we didn’t think it was wise to release a partner video in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. We decided to postpone the release until things improved. The good news is that things are improving in many areas due to vaccination successes and so at long last we are happy to release this long-delayed video.
The inspiration for this video comes from the many years that Mushi and Javier presented together on the conference circuit. Well known for teaming up and leading fun sessions relating to partner work and fitness games, they decided to film a video with some of their favorite partner moves. Aquatic fitness classes tend to be different than land fitness classes in that there is more member camaraderie and socialization. Therefore, given the social nature of water fitness classes, many instructors seek out ways to include socialization in their fitness programing rather than squelch it. Instructors often complain about students talking and so this strategy is “if you can’t beat them, join them.”
Created with ideas from their many co-presented sessions, this video is not intended to be taught as a class. Instead, the material presented in this video is meant to be used as a library or a resource for including partner work in portions of a class. The video is separated in segments that include, Warm-up & Cardiovascular Training, Upper Body & Core, Lower Body, Combinations and Stretching. Obviously, not all class participants are fond of partner exercises and so it is best to introduce these ideas in small doses.
Breaking down the barriers of resistance to partner training is not always easy, but if you can do so by adding some of these ideas to your classes, there are benefits to creating fellowship in your classes. First of all, the partner work is fun. If given a choice, I think most people would rather laugh their way through a workout, rather than watch the clock in boredom. Creating an engaging and exciting fitness experience increase exercise adherence. If class participants don’t show up, we can’t help them. Partner work can add healthy competition and motivate participants to work harder than they normally would on their own. Read more about the benefits of partner work and the inspiration behind this video in the 2B or Not 2B handout written by Javier and Mushi.
Fitmotivation would like to extend a big thank you to both Mushi and Javier for their passion and contributions, and we would also like to thank the Israeli film crew for their exceptional filming, production and editing efforts. We do realize that there are still many parts of the world where COVID restrictions are still very much in place. We just want instructors to know that this video will remain on both Fitmotivation and the Israel Aquatic Exercise Center’s website as a resource for whenever you are ready to use it.