Ready SET Lets Go Again

Wednesday, August 30 2023

Breaking News! Stephanie Thielen is back with another volume of her “Body Pump style” class series – Ready S.E.T. Go!  Similar to volumes 1 & 2, volume 3  is preformatted and includes strength and endurance water exercises for chest, back, biceps, triceps, legs and core

 

 

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.   

  • Cardiovascular endurance:  the ability to perform exercises and activities at moderate-to-vigorous intensities for a prolonged period of time. 
  • Muscular strength:  how much force your muscles can exert. 
  • Muscular endurance:  the ability of your muscles to sustain exercise and daily activities. 
  • Flexibility:  the ability to move muscles and joints through a full range of motion. 
  • Body composition:  your body’s ratio of fat mass to fat-free mass. 

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

  • Impact:  grounded/anchored  
  • Hand positions:  various hand positions increase or decrease resistance intensity. 
  • Exercise set up and execution:  bring awareness and attention to body alignment, core activation, and proper range of motion. 
  • Tempo:  combination of ½ water tempo and water tempo. 
  • Single movement pattern:  focus is on the targeted muscle group. 

MUSCULAR ENDURANCE STRATEGIES

  • Impact:  mostly Level I, with various exercises implementing Level II and Level III 
  • Tempo:  mostly water tempo with land tempo used sparingly 
  • Acceleration:  push harder against the water or against the pool bottom 
  • Combination movement pattern:  focus is on the targeted muscle group with the addition of a secondary muscle pattern to enhance the endurance phase of the workout. 

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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.