A beginning participant in a deep-water class has a lot on her mind! She has to learn how to balance her center of gravity (located in the pelvic girdle) with her center of buoyancy (located in the chest where the lungs are). If she has difficulty with this, her body alignment will be poor. Any movement she makes causes an exaggerated reaction, and she may find herself moving randomly all over the pool. Her ability to accelerate will be limited by the fact that her feet don’t touch the floor. The hydrostatic pressure of the water against her chest may make breathing feel more difficult, and she may think that she is working at a higher intensity than she actually is. When would be a good time to introduce this participant to interval training?
You can begin interval training after she has learned to maintain an upright posture with her spine in neutral alignment and has learned to control her movements so that she no longer drifts randomly. She also needs to learn to breathe deeply from the diaphragm, which will help her adjust to the sensation of pressure against the lungs. This may take several weeks for some participants.
Interval training is a program in which each session consists of periods of intense exertion alternating with periods of rest or lighter exertion. The period of intense exertion is called the work interval. The time between work intervals is called the recovery interval. The work-to-recovery ratio is the proportion of work and recovery intervals. For example, a work-to-recovery ratio of 1:3 might consist of 15 seconds of intense exertion followed by 45 seconds of recovery. A work interval and a recovery interval is one cycle. A set is a specific number of cycles.
There are many benefits to interval training. It has been shown to improve cardiorespiratory endurance. It burns more calories than continuous training. The recovery periods provide a mental as well as a physical rest. Intense exertion increases blood lactic acid levels, while the recovery period allows the lactate to dissipate, which may make the training more comfortable for participants.
Intensity variables are tools that can be used to increase intensity. The intensity variables for deep water include limb inertia, levers, and acceleration. You can use limb inertia by increasing the speed of motion, but this is effective only if the range of motion stays the same. You can use levers by performing exercises with long arms and legs, moving them through their full range of motion. Be sure to keep the joints soft. You can use acceleration by applying force against the water’s resistance; these are sometimes called power moves. In some exercises, such as a cross-country ski or frog kick, this force can lift the shoulders out of the water, called working with elevation.
It is helpful to give your participants a way to judge how hard they are working, such as Borg’s scale of perceived exertion. This is a modified version of the scale:
Level 1: I just woke up and haven’t even hit the alarm button.
Level 2: I’m comfortable.
Level 3: I’m still comfortable but breathing a bit harder.
Level 4: I’m working a little bit.
Level 5: I can still talk easily and sing.
Level 6: I can still talk but can’t sing.
Level 7: I can still talk but don’t really want to.
Level 8: I can grunt in response to questions and can keep this pace for only a short time.
Level 9: I can’t do this much longer.
Level 10: I’m climbing Mount Everest without oxygen.
These levels correspond roughly to a percentage of maximum exertion.
When your participants are ready for interval training, it is best to begin with a short work interval and a longer recovery interval. Ask them to work at 60% of their maximum exertion, or at a level at which they can still talk but can’t sing. Three cycles in a set of intervals will be sufficient for beginners. Allow them to work at a low to moderate level for 5 to 10 minutes before beginning another interval set.
As they gain experience and their cardiorespiratory endurance improves, the level of the interval training can increase. One way to do this is to change the work-to-recovery ratio. If you started at 1:3, try moving to 1:2. You can eventually work them up to 1:1 in which the duration of the work interval is equal to the recovery interval. Beyond that, you can begin to make the work interval longer than the recovery interval, such as 2:1 or 3:1. A second way to increase the level of interval training is to increase the percentage of maximum exertion. Instead of working at level 6, ask them to work at level 7, in which they can still talk but don’t really want to. Level 8, in which they can grunt in response to questions and can keep this pace for only a short time, is a reasonable goal for many participants. Very fit participants can even work at level 9 for short bursts. A third way to increase the level of interval training is to increase the number of cycles in a set. You can go from 3 cycles and work your way up to 10 or more. Tabata, the popular form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), has 8 cycles in a set, at a ratio of 2:1, at an exertion level of 9.
Don’t be afraid to play with these formulas. Try changing the ratios of each cycle in a set. For example, your work interval can be 15 seconds and your recovery interval 15 seconds in the first cycle; then increase the work interval by 5 seconds each cycle, keeping the recovery interval the same for a set of four cycles. You can increase or decrease the intensity level in each set, for example working at level 6 in the first cycle, level 7 in the second, and level 8 in the third. You can change the exercise, such as using a cross-country ski the first two cycles and a frog kick in the next two cycles of a four-cycle set. And you can also change the intensity variable. Try a cross-country ski with long levers for the first two cycles and a cross-country ski with acceleration in the next two cycles of a four-cycle set.
Following are three versions of a 10-minute choreography sample from deep-water lesson plan 28 in Water Fitness Lesson Plans and Choreography. The first version is modified for beginners or deconditioned participants. The second version is moderate intensity for more experienced participants. The third version is high intensity for fit participants.
Deconditioned
Knee-high jog with scull (30 seconds)
Straddle jog clap hands (30 seconds)
Run tires with scull (30 seconds)
Jumping jacks (30 seconds)
Knee-high jog with scull, travel backward (30 seconds)
Straddle jog, clap hands (30 seconds)
Run tires with breaststroke, travel forward (30 seconds)
Jumping jacks (30 seconds)
Cross-country ski (30 seconds)
Jumping jacks (30 seconds)
Cross-country ski 8 times and jumping jacks 8 times, alternate (1 minute)
Interval set 1:3 at level 6 for 3 cycles
Cross-country ski with long levers (15 seconds) and knee-high jog (45 seconds) 3 times
Cossack kick (1 minute)
Moderate Intensity
Knee-high jog with scull, travel backward (30 seconds)
Knee-high jog with scull, travel forward (30 seconds)
Straddle jog with reverse breaststroke, travel backward (30 seconds)
Straddle jog with breaststroke, travel forward (30 seconds)
Run tires with alternating paddle pull, travel backward (30 seconds)
Run tires with alternating paddle pull, travel forward (30 seconds)
Jumping jacks, clap hands, travel backward (30 seconds)
Jumping jacks, clap hands, travel forward (30 seconds)
Cross-country ski 4X and jumping jacks 4 times, alternate (1 minute)
Interval set 1:1 at level 7 for 4 cycles
Cross-country ski with long levers (30 seconds) and cross-country ski (30 seconds) 4X
Cossack kick (1 minute)
High Intensity
Knee-high jog with scull, travel backward (30 seconds)
Straddle jog with breaststroke, travel forward (30 seconds)
Cross-country ski and jumping jacks alternate 8, 8, 4, 4, 2, 2, 1, 1 (1 minute)
Interval set 2:1 at level 8 for 5 cycles
Cross-country ski with long levers (20 seconds) and tuck ski (10 seconds) 5 times
Cossack kick (30 seconds)
Jumping jacks, clap hands, travel backward (30 seconds)
Run tires with paddle pull, travel forward (30 seconds)
Cross-country ski and jumping jacks alternate 8, 8, 4, 4, 2, 2, 1, 1 (1 minute)
Interval set 2:1 at level 8 for 5 cycles
Cross-country ski with elevation (20 seconds) and tuck ski (10 seconds) 5 times
Cossack kick (30 seconds)
Obviously there are many ways to work with interval training. By using different intensity variables, changing the work-to-recovery ratio, working with perceived exertion, and varying the number of cycles in a set, you can come up with an interval training lesson plan that works for your class regardless of their fitness level.
References
AEA. 2010. Aquatic fitness professional manual. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Alexander, Christine. 2011. Water fitness lesson plans and choreography. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Rebecca Cardozo-Pfeiffer. June 2009. Rut-busters. Aquatics International.
Stuart, Craig. 2005. Deep water exercise. Evanston, IL: SCW Fitness Education.
YMCA. 2000. Water fitness for health. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Christine Alexander is the author of Water Fitness Lesson Plans and Choreography. She is an AEA CEC provider and a member of the board of the Metroplex Association of Aquatic Professionals in Dallas, Texas. She teaches water fitness classes for the City of Plano Parks and Recreation Department. She holds certifications through AEA, USWFA, YMCA, and the Arthritis Foundation. Christine can be reached at chris.4321@verizon.net.
