Adapted Aqua - Register of Exercise Professionals

Debbie Lawrence. MA. (2012)
Adapted Aqua:
Exercise in water potentially offers an ideal
exercising environment to work with a range
of special populations - older adults, ante post
natal, persons with muscular skeletal
conditions, mental health conditions and
persons who are overweight or obese.
Objectives:
This interactive workshop will:
 Discuss the benefits of exercise in water
 Provide an overview of the supportive and resistant
properties of water
 Outline session structure and exercise adaptation
considerations for special populations/groups
Session structure
 20 minutes – Interactive presentation and Discussion -
Benefits of exercise in Water
 20 minutes – Interactive small group work with workcards
Specific needs and adaptations for specialist groups
 20 minutes – Discussion and presentation
Putting it all together
Well-being - Holistic
Trains all components - Flexibility, muscular
fitness, cardiovascular fitness, motor skills
Water covers body
Equipment can be used
Refreshed and rejuvenated
Freedom of movement
Greeks and Romans used to
refresh spirits, recreation,
leisure, enhance well being
and alleviate fatigue
Group and partner work
Social interaction
Play and fun
Games
Choreographed routines
Line dance
Circuits
Spiritual
Social
Release tension as push and pull
against water
Therapeutic benefits
Massaging
Feel hungry afterwards
Replenish energy stores
Can assist weight management
Burn calories and energy
Physical
Nutritional
Well
being
Emotional
Medical
Mental
Same benefits as other
physical activities
Offers more support to
body
Physiotherapists use for
rehabilitation
Body weightless
Distraction from other thoughts
Doing something good for self
Reduce stress
Benefits for special populations
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Supportive properties – reduce stress
Improve all components of physical fitness
Assists weight management – burn energy
Social interaction – fun/play
Encourage a healthier lifestyle
Therapeutic and relaxing effect – reduce tension
Assist with stress management
Assist with the management and prevention of some
medical conditions
 Enhance feelings of well-being
Overview of the supportive and resistant
properties of water
 Buoyancy
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Reduced gravitational pull
Weightlessness
Floatation
Decreased impact
 Resistance – Frontal
 Turbulence - Eddy resistance
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Challenge to muscles and balance
 Hydrostatic pressure
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Improved circulation
Buoyancy
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Reduced gravitational pull ↓
Weightlessness
Floatation ↑
Supports muscle work
Assists mobility and flexibility
Reduced impact forces
Decreased stress on weight bearing joints
Muscle contraction altered – mostly dual concentric
Working against buoyancy assists muscular fitness
and toning (some eccentric, depending on floatation)
Buoyancy & Fat distribution
Apple shape
Legs sink affects horizontal positioning
Pear shape
Legs float affects vertical positioning
Frontal Resistance
 12 times more resistance than air (approximately)
 Overload for muscles
 Affects movement speed
 Vary speed
 Increase force to increase intensity
 Increased surface area = increased resistance
 Dual concentric muscle work
Eddy resistance greater when:
 Moving faster
 Travelling more
 More directional changes
 More people moving in the pool
 Pool wall is higher than the waters edge - rebound
 People use more random directional moves (less
turbulence when linear)
 Manage Eddy and assist movement with propulsive
movements – action reaction
Hydrostatic pressure
 Pressure exerted increases with depth
 Massaging effect
 Reduces swelling
 Conscious breathing – pressure on thorax
 Increased blood flow (kidneys active)
 Increased venous return
 Decreased working heart rate – use RPE
Small group task with Work cards:
Discuss considerations and specific needs of the following:
A. Older adults
B. Ante post natal
C. Obese and overweight
D. Muscular skeletal conditions
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E.
Osteoporosis
Osteoarthritis
Mental health – depression
General adaptation considerations
 Session structure
 Longer warm up and cool down for specialist populations
 Combine CV and MSE
 Gradual increase/decrease of intensity
 Interval approach
 More rest intervals – active
 Intensity: reps/rate/resistance/repetitions/ROM
 Circuit approach – linear, corners or satellite
Warm up
Cardiovascular
Muscular
Cool down
Mobility
Pulse raise
Prep stretch - ROM
10-12 minutes
Build
Hold
Lower
10-20 minutes
Whole body
CLABS
10-12 minutes
Develop & Maintain
Relax
Wake up
5-10 minutes
Dev
10
HR
Whole
RPE
Max
9
8
Anaerobic
90%
7
High intensity
6
5
75%
Moderate intensity
4
3
2
Low intensity
55%
Aerobic
1
revit
Relax
Maint
Body
Lower
Hold
Fartlek
Interval
Build
Stretch
PR
Mob
0
Special Population Adaptations
Warm up
CV
MSE
Cool down
Postural and technique focus and teach into and out of stretch/ROM positions
Arms under water
↑ mobility/ROM
Isolated mobility
Lower intensity
Moderate duration
Less repetitions
Lower resistance
Range of motion
mobility
Build ROM
gradually
Gradual , longer
build up and down
Isolated muscle
work
Less complexity
Specific relaxation
↓ directional
changes
Slower transitions
Less jumping
↓explosive moves
Full ROM
↑Abdominal fixation Avoid extreme
Longer rest
positions
Slower pace
Flowing movement
Low intensity
More gradual ↑
Rhythmical and
flowing
Simple moves
Interval with CV
Flow
Maintenance ROM
Shorter hold
Teach maintaining
balance
Slower moves
Slower music
Low co-ordination
Comfortable
Balanced positions
Pelvic floor
Comfortable
Balanced positions
Choreography Jog
tools
Lever length Hi knee jog
Heel to buttocks
Jumping jacks
Rocking horse
Side squats
Flick kicks
Leap frogs
Longer arm lever
to pull water
Knees higher
Extend the knee.
R.O.M
Rebound
Neutral
Suspend
1 Slow – rebound
2 quick – neutral
Vary travel to
diagonal corners
Travel backwards
with arm push.
Square
Circle
Diagonal
2 side squats. 4
jogs with ½ turn to
face back. Repeat
travelling in same
direction. Move
back in other
direction
Travel diagonal
back
Travel
Forwards or back Travel forward or
back
Full knee
extension at front
and rear.
Rebound
Neutral
Suspend
Forward rock 2
counts and back
rock 2 counts
4 single rocks
forwards and
backwards
Travel forward
length of pool
Direction
Circle
Travel diagonal Fwd
Diagonal
Square
4 forward, ¼ turn 8 jacks ¼ 0r ½ turn
and repeat in
and repeat.
square
Circle
Diagnonal
Square
Travel forward 8 ½
turn to face other
direction
Rhythm
Turn
Rebound
Neutral
Suspend
Slow, slow, quick,
quick, quick,
quick
Rebound / gazelles Rebound
Neutral
Neutral travel
Suspend
2 slow side squat Single kick right
4 quick gazelle
and left (slow)
double kick right
leaps
(quick)
Repeat left lead
Travel back 4 ¼
turn and repeat a
backward square.
References
 Lawrence, D (2008) The Complete Guide to Exercise in Water. 3rd edition
London. UK. A&C Black
 Lawrence, D & Barnett, L (2006) GP Referral Schemes. London. UK. A&C
Black
 Lawrence, D & Bolitho, S (2011) The Complete Guide to Physical Activity
for Mental Health. London. UK. A&C Black/Bloomsbury Publishing