Join Mark in the deep end of the pool and take away a 15-minute deep water strength circuit that features 15 exercises that target chest, quads, back, hamstrings, shoulders, glutes, arms, thighs and core. Two versions were filmed, one without equipment and one with HydroRevolution Drag Resistance equipment (scroll to bottom for coupon code for equipment).
Deep Water Pure Strength is performed without equipment to better understand hand positions and directional forces. Deep Water Loaded Strength was filmed with HydroRevolution Drag Resistance to showcase the positioning and use of the equipment.
Strength Inspiration
The reason why I filmed Deep Water Strength and Shallow Water Strength (posting next week!) is because we have received requests in surveys for strength videos without cardio. The reason why almost all muscle conditioning videos on Fitmotivation include cardio is because many pools are chilly and I can assure you that class members do not like to get cold. For this reason, we try to combine cardio and strength. Originally, I had planned to film one 15-minute video using the HydroRevolution equipment, with the option of performing the exercises without the equipment. However, while practicing in the pool, I quickly discovered that it was too confusing to explain what the hands would be doing in lieu of not using the equipment. Therefore, I decided to create two videos, one with pure strength and one with loaded strength.
Deep Water Pure Strength
This 15-minute video features 15 strength exercises, each performed for 1-minute, without the use of equipment. Emphasizing select muscle groups when strength training in the water requires a knowledge of hand positions and directional forces. Positioning your hands with thumb up (full) or thumb horizontal (sliced) can emphasize specific upper body muscles. Moving the water with more force in one direction can also emphasize specific upper body and lower body muscle groups. Webbed gloves can be worn to increase upper body resistance. The hand position cues are the same with gloves as they are without. Water shoes can add a little bit of resistance to lower body exercises.
Watch Mark demonstrate hand positions and directional forces when not using equipment.
Deep Water Loaded Strength
This 15-minute video features the same 15 strength exercises as the Pure video, each performed for 1-minute. However, this video includes the use of the HydroRevolution Drag Resistance equipment. Emphasizing select upper body muscle groups when strength training with the Aqualogix Bells requires a knowledge of how to position the bells. Like full and sliced hand positions, there is a flat side and seam side to the bells that can emphasize certain upper body muscle groups. Likewise, moving the water with more force in one direction can also emphasize specific upper and lower body muscle groups when using the bells and the Aqualogix Hybrid Fins. When practicing for this video I found myself getting frustrated because I could not seem to get the fins tight enough so that they did not rotate and move around. If you find yourself struggling with that, I discovered a very useful hack. I cut off the feet portion of a pair of socks, leaving just the ankle portion. The Velcro straps on the fins fit more snugly on the cut off socks and my fins never budged once I started employing this hack. Interested in the HydroRevolution equipment? Be sure to use our coupon code for 12% off: FM24PF
Watch Mark talk more about the use of the Aqualogix bells and fins in the video below.
Summer is here and hopefully the water temperatures in the pool you teach at are heating up just in time for this strength - minus the cardio - routine. Stay tuned because I also filmed two shallow water videos with 15 different shallow-water specific strength exercises, one version without equipment and one with the HydroRevolution equipment. Those videos will post next week.
It's officially summer! Enjoy!