Water Exercise Guidelines

Water's unique benefits

§ Attractive to challenged populations, such as older trainees, pregnant trainees and people with medical conditions or injuries.

§ Also attractive to the general population in that water is inherently refreshing and fun to be in.

§ Lessens impact. A person in waist-deep water works with only 50 percent body weight.

§ Eliminates fear of falling during balance or full-range-of-motion moves.

§ Athletes can practice plyometrics in more shallow water with lower injury-risk.

Water depth. This is usually classified into three levels: shallow (navel to nipple), transitional (nipple to top of shoulder) and deep (feet cannot touch pool bottom).

Believe it or not, some populations will find it challenging just to maintain posture in shoulder or waist-deep water. The instructor must make sure class participants know proper neutral stance-the ears, shoulders and hips line up. Participants must be reminded to correct alignment as needed, since the water buoyancy continuously pushes and pulls at the body. Some trainees can have difficulty moving from horizontal to a vertical position in deep water. Basic safety skills, including recovering from a fall to a stand in shallow water, must be mastered.

Water temperature. Warm water is appropriate for low-intensity drills. Cool water is better for jogging during upper body muscular work. Warm water is not recommended for cardiovascular work. For most aquatic fitness classes, the temperature should be 83-86 degrees F (29-30 degrees C). Some experts suggest 84 degrees F (29 degrees C) as the best all-around temperature for the average water participant.

Equipment. Iron weights are not used in water. Dumbbell "weights" for the water are made of foam. There are four basic types of equipment.