Sometimes you just need an easy-to-teach and easy-to-follow cardio routine to coach your class participants through. Aquafit Cardio Combos with Melissa Plumeau is exactly that kind of routine. This aquatic fitness format starts with 4 sets of four exercises, with each exercise performed twice, with a hard, then harder approach. Deep or shallow, your class members will enjoy total body results. The class finishes with a 10-minute “Burn-Out” segment that winds through a challenging finale of all 16 exercises.
Fitmotivation has a wide variety of aquatic fitness videos to choose from. Some instructors prefer teaching a more choreographed class, while others prefer high intensity interval training (HIIT) classes. My observation over the past 10 years is that most instructors and class members prefer the simplified approach HIIT and timed exercises. Why? The instructors can simply coach and the students don’t have to think, they just have to work hard. Consequently, many Fitmotivation videos feature HIIT formats with timed intervals Below, Melissa explains the structure and the benefits of the Aquafit Cardio Combos class.
Creating Simple Cardio Intervals
By Melissa Plumeau
Creating dual-depth workouts that are both effective and dynamic can be a daunting task. After all, not all components will effectively transition from grounded to suspended, nor will all cueing remain the same. Additionally, planning transitions between the exercises to not only give each participant time to transition safely must also be considered. And this doesn’t even include equipment considerations and how they differ from shallow to deep water. That is exactly why I created this class. Simple, yet effective in both ends of the pool. All you need is a flotation belt if exercising in deep water and you are ready to go.
Class Breakdown
This workout consists of four sets of work. Each set includes one core exercise, one jack or ski variation, one glute exercise, and one speed, power, or agility component. The four exercises in each set are performed twice. The work-to-recovery ratio is 2-1 (30 seconds on/15 seconds off). Class participants are encouraged to work hard (RPE 6-7) the first time the exercise is performed, and then harder the second time (RPE 8). These short bursts of work encourage class members to push out of their comfort zone and challenge their cardiovascular system while targeting specific training purposes.
Set Structure
Each of the 4 sets has four exercises with the following focus:
A= Core
B= Speed +Strength + Power
C = Lower Body Wrap ( ie: legs on Fire)
D= Speed + * Power
Between each of the four sets, I do one-minute active recovery in my classes. I like to use active recoveries to get people moving around the pool and to break up “clusters.”
The Burnout Finale
Once all four sets have been completed, I challenge my classes with a 10-minute “Burn-Out” finale. In this final set, we deconstruct the four sets by doing all of the “A” (core) exercises for 2-minutes or 30 seconds each exercise, followed by all of the “B” exercises, then all the “C” exercises, and finally all of the “D” exercises. This fun and challenging finale delivers a satisfying and surprising finish.
The Benefits
This workout is designed to challenge the glycolytic pathways through short, high-energy efforts. The glycolytic energy system, or the anaerobic lactic system, is used for bursts of activity lasting between 15 seconds and three minutes. Developing this system helps the body to become more effective at eliminating lactate buildup in the blood, which in turn, improves an individual’s capacity to work harder, for longer. The catch? If we were to ask participants to give us two full minutes of their hardest effort, chances are pretty good they may lose interest or stamina rather quickly. Designing the intervals with four different activities with a specific target, we can keep them moving and working at a pace and effort that will deliver “the burn” and fitness results that will translate into their activities of daily living. And it will likely keep them coming back for more.
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Fitmotivation extends gratitude to Melissa for sharing yet another one of her popular class formats. Stay tuned for Deep Strength & HIIT with Melissa, posting in February 2025. Below, watch a fun behind-the-scenes look at Melissa’s Florida filming adventures in June 2024.