Work (15 – 25 minutes)
The work phase of a SilverSneakers Splash class is designed to improve cardiovascular endurance, strength, power, and agility. Drills to improve the 5 skill-related components of fitness may also be included for fall prevention and improving activities of daily living. Design class choreography utilizing functional movement patterns, considering the properties of the aquatic environment, including action/reaction, drag, viscosity and surface tension.
The temperature of your pool is a key factor in determining the mix of aerobic and strength training in your Splash class. Cooler temperatures, less than 83 degrees, will allow you to design movements with more cardiovascular focus and higher impact options, such as jumping jacks or cross-country skiing, always being mindful to provide multi-level instruction to make your Splash class attainable for a broad range of skill and fitness levels. When pool temperatures are higher, movement should be designed with more options to anchor exercise to the floor of the pool, adding more strength options for intensity.
The work segment may be modified according to the pool temperature, with attention to safety and efficacy. Movement in the Work phase can be designed in several ways to make class interesting, effective and fun. Class Work phase design may include:
- An aerobic conditioning segment, followed by resistance training using the splashboard, with options to use additional tools, such as pool noodles and hand buoys.
- Short interval segments that alternate aerobic choreography with muscular strength and endurance exercises.
- An emphasis on muscular strength training, anchored to the pool floor, in warmer pools, eliminating or minimizing an aerobic element.
Sample Aerobic Exercises
Cross-Country Ski – contralateral arms
- Include hand progressions – slice, fist or cup hand
- To progress upper body load, increase lever length, adding acceleration with arms.
- To increase lower body load, add acceleration, submerging body up to shoulders to increase surface area and drag.
Aerobic Exercise Choreography Tips
- Teach exercises that include hip flexion, extension, rotation, abduction, adduction and circumduction to give the joints an opportunity to achieve maximum range of motion.
- Include compound movements requiring upper and lower body coordination. For example, Jumping Jacks performed in the frontal plane with arms slicing forward and backward in the sagittal plane.
- Teach intensity options and concepts to accommodate all skill levels (e.g., anchoring, rebounding and acceleration).
- Utilize the laws of motion and water principles to progress and regress intensity (e.g., inertia, force, action/reaction, leverage, drag).
- Move the body through a variety of positions, such as neutral, extended and rebounding. Incorporate short bouts of suspended movement using risk-versus-benefit exercise selection principles. Because suspended movement is an exercise progression, requiring more muscular force and increasing cardiovascular training intensity, grounded options should be provided first. In water that is between 86 and 88 degrees, high-intensity suspended movement is considered high risk.
- Teach simultaneous movement requiring upper and lower body. One example would be Cross-Country Skiing with contralateral (opposite side) arm movement, transitioning to Cross-Country Skiing with ipsilateral (same side) arm movement.
- Show lever progressions for the arms and legs. For example, to increase the challenge of a jog, try lengthening arm levers from a bent elbow to a jog with straight arms slicing the water. For additional progression of the jog, add the option for a bent knee “soccer” kick to a straight leg kick. To regress the straight leg kick with slicing arms, shorten levers by bending the arms and legs.
Sample Strength Exercises with Splashboard
Strength Training Choreography Tips
- Follow muscle balance guidelines when using buoyant equipment.
- Use concentric and eccentric contractions.
- Introduce isometric “pulse” modifications when applicable to preserve participant safety.
- When using splashboard, be sure to cue for shoulder girdle stabilization.
- The Splashboard should be submerged no more than 12- 15 repetitions per exercise to reduce overuse of shoulders and wrists.
- Use progressive overload techniques to increase strength:
- Low intensity – perform exercise with arm/hand only.
- Medium intensity – perform exercise with splashboard, applying the board for minimal drag. For example, slice the splashboard forward, away from the body, and back on the surface of the water, applying the board in a horizontal fashion.
- High intensity – perform movement applying the board to create more drag by using a larger surface area. For example, try pushing the splashboard forward, away from the body, and back while partially or fully submerging the board underwater using a vertical application.
Aquatic Terms Defined
Actively grounding feet down to the pool floor.
Movement performed by pushing down on the pool floor where both feet are off the pool bottom for a short period, landing gently with bent knees, then pushing back up again (e.g., Jumping Jacks and Cross-Country Skiing).