Get ready to visit The Combo Factory and take away nearly 40 challenging and fun two-move combos for your aquatic fitness classes. Based on the video, 100 Water Exercises, this class format will challenge your class members’ cardio, coordination and stamina with an epic collection combos. Equipment is not needed, and you can teach this class in both deep and shallow water.
The Combo Factory is the third video in the 100 series. The second video, Total Body Cardio Express, featured a shorter 25-minute version of the 100 list, restructured into five training components for cardio, agility, lower body, upper body and core. This express video also featured reduced timing ratios for a more intense, fast-paced cardio experience. This third video in the series pairs up exercises into 2-move combos, providing a different approach to the list of 100 exercises.
Revisiting Base Move Variations
The exercises in almost all Fitmotivation’s 500 aquatic fitness videos look similar. Why? Because base moves are the foundational exercises found in nearly all fitness formats. They are the clay that we build our routines with because they have been proven to be the most effective exercises in the water. These base moves include jacks, skis, jogs, kicks, tucks and jumps. However, we don’t just use jacks, skis, jogs, kicks, tucks and jumps. Instead, we create endless variations of them. Creating base move variations is one of the most important skillsets a water fitness instructor needs to design classes.
Base Move Variation Techniques
As reviewed in many previous Fitmotivation blogs and online ed programs, base move variations are created with changes in arm patterning, tempo, travel, directional orientation and range of motion (ROM). In shallow water, impact options, such as bounded, grounded, propelled and suspended are also used. However, there is another technique for creating base move variations. Base moves and their variations can be combined to create new moves.
Are Combos New Moves?
Instructors often try their best to create new moves never seen in the world of aquatic fitness. Is this possible? Rarely. In the video, the 2-move combos I created almost have the feel of new moves. In fact, I included 2-move combos in this video that I never thought of using before. I guess they are about as close to new moves as I am going to get. However, they are just descendants of base moves, made from their clay. Most new moves that instructors think they are inventing are just variations of base moves.
In the video below, I talk more about The Combo Factory and then read on for a summary of the class, details on combo intensity progression, modifying suspended or jumped moves, and upcoming videos.
Class Summary
This 45-minute class format includes a warm-up, cool down and five combo segments. Equipment is not required; the water’s resistance is plenty. All the combos can be taught in both deep and shallow water. If instructing in the deep end, be sure class members are wearing a deep-water flotation belt. This video was filmed in shallow water for a better view on the underwater camera.
Combo Intensity Progression Using Music Counts
In this video, I wanted to highlight an intensity progression from using 16-count combos versus 8-count combos. In a 16-count combo, you combine two 8-count moves. I like these because you can get more creative with an 8-count move. Or you use a 4-count move twice.
More Intense
In an 8-count combo, you use two 4-count moves. This is bare bone, such as one jack combined with one kick. For intensity progression, stringing together 8-count two-move combos is more intense because you are changing your limbs and your body more frequently.
Less Intense
A 16-count two move combo sounds like more, but it is less intense because you are changing moves somewhat less frequently. A 32-count combo of two 16-count moves would be even less intense because of less changing.
This is Newton’s Law of inertia in action. Frequent changes promote intensity in the viscous resistance of water.
Below are the exercise segments in The Combo Factory.
Exercise Segment 1 - Cardio Combos: 16-count combos
Exercise segments 2 & 3 - High Intensity Combos 1 & 2: 8-count combos
Exercise Segment 4 - Upper & Lower Combos: 16-count combos
Exercise Segment 5: Core Combos: 16-count combos
Modifying Jumped & Suspended Exercises
Many of the combos in The Combo Factory, and the variations in 100 Water Exercises, feature jumped exercises with both feet coming off the pool floor, as well as suspended moves. In the video below, I demonstrate how these moves can be modified.
I hope you enjoy the nearly 40 two-move combos in this video. Stay tuned for at least one more video in the 100 Water Exercises series. The HIIT Factory will pull various exercises from the 100 list into a variety of high intensity interval training (HIIT) rounds, including Tabata, 4x4, ladder, AMRAP and more.
But first, Fitmotivation is excited to debut international Zumba fitness star, Maria Teresa Stone (pictured below) in the next video. Her first video is Aqua Zumba® Express, a 20-minute special collab video approved by Zumba® Fitness LLC. Maria also filmed three regular aquatic fitness workouts, including Water Combat and Deep Wall Intervals. Joining her for the filming was Australian aquatic fitness expert, Claire Barker-Hemings. Claire also filmed 4 videos. Check out her other videos on Fitmotivation. Both returned with me after AEA’s International Aquatic Fitness & Therapy Conference (IAFTC). As a student in almost all of the videos, I can honestly say the content filmed this week was off the charts and I am excited for a sizzling summer lineup of videos.
