Take a break from HIIT and treat your class members to a 50-minute moderate intensity aqua aerobic class that can be performed in deep or shallow water. Choose Your Current with Donna Boucher is a dual-depth aqua class that is designed to improve cardio and muscular endurance. Your class members get to pick their depth, enjoying a completely different movement experience based on that depth. Equipment is not required, but a flotation belt should be worn by class members in the deep end.
Fitmotivation has many dual-depth aquatic fitness class formats that can be taught in both deep and shallow water simultaneously. There is a reason for that. It is maddening for an instructor to modify movements when class members camp in the deep end, even though they are teaching a shallow water class. And vice versa. Designing a workout that can taught in both depths with minimal modifications makes it easier on the instructor, while providing the best customer service to class members. Many members have a strong preference for either deep or shallow. If a participant has lots of joint impact issues, they will prefer exercising in deep water. If a member does not have strong swim skills, they will want to exercise in shallow water. Some instructors don’t have a choice. The pool they teach in may be limited to just one or two lap lanes, with each lap line divided into both deep and shallow water. For instructors who teach in both deep and shallow water, a dual depth class means they can create less depth specific routines.
Class Summary
Choose Your Current is a 50-minute dual-depth workout that uses freestyle choreography and includes a warm-up, four movement Currents, a grand finale Current and a cool down. Each movement Current concludes with a mash-up of select exercises in that segment. The grand finale is a final run through of all four mashups. At the beginning of the class, participants choose their preferred depth and remain there throughout the workout as movement patterns evolve through guided progressions, travel, and choreography. Equipment is not required, but a flotation belt should be worn in deep water.
Below, Donna talks more about the video and then read on for a summary in her own words regarding her inspiration for this content.
Current Inspired
By Donna Boucher
Choose Your Current was created around a simple idea: one workout design can create two completely different movement experiences. In this dual-depth workout, participants choose their depth before class. The unique properties of the water create two distinctly different movement environments depending on the depth they choose. Throughout the workout, evolving movement patterns unfold through changes in tempo, travel, range of motion, using freestyle choreography. Simple movements gradually connect, layer, and build into mashups. A Grand Finale that brings the entire experience together.
Choose Your Own Current demonstrates how one connected class experience can create two unique journeys through movement while bringing your class participants together through energy, challenge, and fun.
Fitmotivation extends a big thank you to Donna for sharing her favorite classes with subscribers. If you teach a deep-water class, be sure to check out her debut video – The Quiet Burn. It has gotten lots of great comments. Stay tuned for two more workouts with Donna posting this Fall.
