Walk it out with Sharlie. This 30-minute land fitness workout blends together marching activities with aerobic movement, kickboxing, dancing and more. Whether you teach land fitness or just need a substitute aqua class due to weather or pool issues, this low-impact workout is a perfect way to keep participants moving and energized.
Workout-at-a-Glance
This workout requires a pair of good athletic shoes and an area in your house where you can move. The walking is mimicked with marching in place. Marching in place would obviously become boring and so other movement is incorporated to provide results and keep the action engaging. Shock Walk begins with a 5-minute warm-up that familiarizes the participant with different levels of marching, while preparing their body for the workout. The main body of the workout consists of walking movement blended with low-impact dance aerobics, kickboxing and various changes in arm patterning. The workout concludes with a cool down and stretch. Watch Sharlie talk more about the workout below, and then read about her inspiration behind creating Shock Walk.
Shock Walk Inspiration
By Sharlie Peterson
When COVID-19 hit, most of the pool world shut down along with a majority of gyms and fitness centers. Unable to teach at the time, I started walking for my personal exercise. I discovered that just because you’re fit in the pool does not mean you’re fit for walking. It took me a while to build up endurance and go for longer distances. Before I knew it, I was checking out hiking trails and various different walking routes to map out the next adventure.
As my enjoyment for walking increased, I also began to provide online videos for my class members to follow along with. These videos consisted of walking mixed with a little pizzazz. The online videos became so popular that I soon created the Shock Walk class. Now, I have a designated Shock Walk class at the YMCA, in addition to using the walking format as a substitute for aquatic fitness classes on days when we can’t get in the pool.
Most of us know about the benefits of walking and the fact that it improves just about everything in your body. However, the one thing about walking is that if you’re doing it inside or on treadmill, it can get boring quickly. That’s why I started incorporating a little shockwave magic into the mix. We kick, we punch, and we groove. All in between sets of walking to upbeat music to keep it fun. Best of all, Shock Walk is for everyone. I always tell my class members that if anything is ever too hard or too fast to just modify movement or walk in place. Be sure to follow Shockwave Aqua Fitness on their website, Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok to see occasional videos we post of our Shock Walk class at the YMCA in Topeka.
Poolfit extends a big thank you to Sharlie for contributing content to our in-home workout category. Our goal is to provide you with year-round workouts in and out of the pool. Stay tuned for another in-home workout, this time from Sharlie’s mom, Shelley. The Sassy Senior Sitdown video will post in the next 6 weeks. Do you have any suggestions for in-home workouts? If so, please be sure to complete the Winter 2023 Poolfit Survey.
Below, join Sharlie and Shelley in a fun behind-the-scenes video of their last Florida filming adventure.