Fitmotivation is delighted to welcome Stephanie back after a 6-year hiatus. Making a career switch from teaching fitness to teaching school, she took time off to pursue her education credentials. Good news, she has picked up fitness classes again and can travel to Florida to film in the the summers. Ready S.E.T. Go Volumes 1 & 2 remain among the most popular videos on Fitmotivation. Filming a volume 3 was considered a must.
Below, Stephanie explains the S.E.T format and the magic behind the class template.
READY S.E.T. HERE WE GO AGAIN!
By Stephanie Thielen
Ready S.E.T. Go is a preformatted workout that focuses on muscular strength and endurance. Strength and endurance are two of the five health-related components of physical fitness.
Including all five components of physical fitness into your classes is the best way to provide your class members with optimal wellness. Having a well-rounded class format can help participants improve their health in many areas, reducing their risk of chronic disease, improving mental well-being and overall healthy aging. The Ready S.E.T. Go series focuses on engaging and activating muscles for improved strength and performance and is an excellent routine to add to your weekly aquatic fitness classes.
WHAT IS S.E.T.?
S.E.T is the acronym for Strength and Endurance Training. The Ready S.E.T. Go class format is designed to ensure a well-rounded and muscular focused workout. Improvements in muscular strength help class members move and lift heavier objects with ease, which can make day-to-day tasks much easier. Building muscular endurance is important for participants because it prepares them for longer duration activities, and it allows them to withstand exercises or activities for longer without getting fatigued.
Instructors should strive to teach body conditioning classes that prioritize strength training of all of the major muscle groups. As we age, it is common to have muscular imbalances due to how we move our body in our work and daily activities. While S.E.T. was not designed to address specific imbalances, it does include equal time spent training the major muscle groups for a balanced workout. These muscle groups include chest, legs, triceps, back, biceps and core.
CLASS-AT-A-GLANCE
This workout uses music phrasing for timing.
32 counts of music = 15 seconds
64 counts of music = 30 seconds
Every S.E.T. is formatted as such:
2 strength exercises for 4 sets. Each exercise is performed for 32 counts of music, making each set 64 counts total
Strength 1: 32 counts
Strength 2: 32 counts
2 endurance exercises for 4 sets. Each exercise is performed for 32 counts of music, making each set 64 counts total.
Endurance 1: 32 counts
Endurance 2: 32 counts
Total time for each muscle group is approximately 4 minutes.
S.E.T order: chest, legs, triceps, back, legs, biceps, core
STUDIO vs. POOL BODY CONDITIONING
The outcome of muscular focused workouts on land are not the same as those in the water thanks to the properties of the aquatic environment. Gravity is the primary force affecting movement on land, while buoyancy, drag, viscosity and other unique properties require adaptations to create an effective class format. Distinguishing between muscular strength and muscular endurance, the Ready S.E.T. Go series uses simple aquatic training principles such as hand positions, tempo variations, impact options, and other properties to ensure optimal results.
SELECTING EXERCISES
How do you differentiate between choosing exercises for strength and endurance? These exercises can look the same, but there are distinct differences.
Strength exercises are typically performed at a high load for a short duration.
Endurance exercises are typically performed against a relatively low load over a long duration.
MUSCULAR STRENGTH STRATEGIES
MUSCULAR ENDURANCE STRATEGIES
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Fitmotivation extends a big “Thank you” and “Welcome back” to Stephanie. Below, watch a fun behind-the-scenes video for her filming production. Stay tuned for three more videos posting this fall.
Author: Mark Grevelding is the founder of Fitmotivation. He is also a training specialist and consultant with the Aquatic Exercise Association’s (AEA). Mark has been active in the fitness industry for 22 years as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, international presenter and a continuing education provider for AEA, AFAA & ACE.