The Joy of Exercise

It’s time for action, a gentle 10-minute warm-up to prepare both body and mind for the aerobic and muscular exercises in the main circuit.

Time invested in this part of your workout will pay good dividends.

• You want to work your way around your body, mobilizing each joint so that they move smoothly and safely. Try to act normally in the water. Move in a controlled and graceful manner, without cutting corners or becoming instantly uncoordinated.
• You want to raise your HR so that you steadily increase the flow of oxygen-rich blood around the body. Start slowly and build up gradually. Imagine you are in an elasticated tube — your arm and leg movements close to your body until you slowly ease off the restriction and the size of your actions increases. This is just an appetizer for what’s to come.
• You want to make sure your muscles are nice and warm, increasing their elasticity so that they can work from full extension to full contraction.

And you should gently stretch out your major muscle groups before beginning the circuit proper, to make sure they are firing on all cylinders!

Hygiene is not the only reason you should take a long hot shower before you start, because staying in there for a few minutes before getting into the water could actually start the process of warming up and increase your flexibility.

Each movement throughout the whole workout will be given in its simplest form to begin with, followed by a series of one or more progressions for the more advanced participant. If it’s the first time you’ve done any aquatic exercise, though, take it easy to begin with, no matter what your level of fitness, and build up only gradually.

The Build-up

Time: 10 minutes-plus, with at least a minute spent on each movement. Make sure that your HR is normal before you start and that you have topped up your system with fluid.

Pulsing on the spot

A great name for a movement which begins the job of raising your HR so that your blood starts flowing around your body more quickly.

Stand feet hip-width apart in chest-deep water and by the pool edge to begin with. Bend your right knee so that the right heel is lifted and your weight is over on the left. Now simply shift your weight over to the right and back again, pulsing gently from side to side and allowing your arms to move as if you were walking along the road — right hand forwards as left heel lifts; left hand forwards as right heel lifts.

Keep the supporting foot flat on the floor each side and the knee slightly bent.

Always keep the big toe of the lifted foot in contact with the pool floor.

Keep your upper body lifted and relaxed, shoulders down and stomach in.

Breathe evenly.

Progressions

• Add a slight bounce to the step, lifting up on to your toes a bit more but still staying on the spot. Make sure your feet land true, rolling from toes through to heels without your ankles falling inwards or turning out.
• Now lift your foot right off the floor each side, pumping your arms a little more vigorously now so that you are almost running on the spot. Again, think about how your feet strike the pool floor.

• And finally, allow your hips to sway gently from side to side so that you begin to mobilize your spine a little. Keep your upper body lifted and relaxed, with your shoulders square and stomach muscles tucked in.

Water-walking

Again very simple, but surprisingly demanding when you want it to be. So hold fire until the circuits proper, and for now make use of water-walking’s great warming and mobilizing potential. It also starts working on those under-used muscles in your backside and behind your thighs.

Walk forwards through waist- to chest- deep water for eight steps, and then go into reverse for eight, arms pumping and elbows bent. Repeat so that you get a feel for the movement.

Now concentrate on your feet again, rolling from heel through to toe as you walk forwards, and toe through to heel as you walk backwards. Repeat.

Mobilizing your shoulders

Continue this but add some action in your upper body, first shrugging your shoulders up and down as you go, then rolling them in small circles forwards as you walk forwards and backwards as you walk back.

And finally make this action bigger by bringing your elbows into play, circling them forwards and back with your shoulders as you go.

• Watch your posture! Keep upright and lifted throughout, avoiding the temptation to lean forwards. Centre your head by looking in front of you all the time, keep your upper body relaxed and square and stomach muscles pulled in.
• Keep your lower back flat, especially when walking backwards. It’s all too easy to arch it, so tuck those buttocks in.
• Almost exaggerate the foot action, flexing toe and heel on the forward and backward movements so that you begin warming up both the front of your shins and your calves.

• Don’t hold your breath but keep your breathing even.

Knee bends

With your pulse rate starting to rise a little now, start these stationary knee bends.

Posture-check.

With your feet a little wider than hip-width apart and your knees and feet pointing outwards in the same direction — at about ten to two on the clock-face. When you bend your knees gently, they should travel outover your ankles.

Never squat so low that there is less than a right-angle bend at your knees. (A mouthful of water may well remind you! )

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
The Warm-Up, a Gentle Build-up Aerobic Water Exercise part 1

• The Warm-Up, a Gentle Build-up Aerobic Water Exercise part 2
• The Warm-Up, a Gentle Build-up Aerobic Water Exercise part 3
• Aquatic Exercise and Drag
• Build Health and Fitness: Walk to fitness
• Effective Aerobic Exercises to Flatten Your Belly (No1 Aerobic Dancing)
• Simple Aerobic Exercises to Flatten Your Belly (No2 Walking) continued
• Swimming Optional Extras, Testing the Water
• Aerobics Exercise and fitness: Energy Burning + Oxygen
• Equipment and Gear: From Suits to Kick Sticks
• Thumbs up for Water Fitness, Essentials for Enjoyment

Category: Athletic, Exercise, Fitness, Workout

Tags: action, again, around your body, back, body, feet, floor, floor each side, foot, forwards, gently, gently from side, heel, knee, lifted, movement, muscles, shoulders, side, side to side, sure, time, toe, travel, upper, upper body, upper body lifted, water, work