The New Wave of Water Fitness
Toni Shaw, Town North YMCA
Volume 5, Issue 2 (2002)

The participants in our water fitness program are the new wave of water fitness, and we need to provide programs and knowledgeable instructors to ride this wave.

The popularity of water fitness is growing with the aging of the baby boomers and with the trend towards mind-and-body, functional, and core-strength exercise. The water fitness program at my facility, Town North Family YMCA in Dallas, Texas, has grown from 224 regular participants to 260 participants in just the last year. The people I who attend the vertical water exercise want to stay active. They want to be able to complete daily tasks. They want to manage their body weight. They are athletes, young adults, older adults, and children. They are well-educated, fit or deconditioned, and looking for a fun and effective place to workout. They want to be strong. They also want to reduce stress.

Athletes utilizing the water for recovery from injuries are also getting hooked to water fitness. They realize that the water is a great place for cross training. People who like yoga, Tai Chi, and Pilates are finding the mind and body connection in the water. The hydrostatic pressure of the water enhances the breathing techniques. The practice of Ai Chi is specific to water. People who participate in Ai Chi are usually people with diverse needs. These needs can be met in a water fitness class.

Research has shown that vertical water exercise effectively meets the requirements for physical fitness per the guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine. Studies indicate that water training can improve cardiorespiratory endurance. The resistance of the water enhances muscular strength and endurance. Studies also suggest that body weight and composition can be managed by participation in rhythmic water exercise, and these studies also show an increase in hamstring flexibility and lower back flexibility. Stress reduction can be achieved just by being in the water.

I have not yet found a research study that proves this; however, participants in my classes tell me how great the water feels. Their facial expressions change when they enter the water. I have seen how adults become more playful when they are in the water. The multidirectional resistance of the water makes it a wonderful place to work muscles in an integrated, functional way. It is very hard to isolate one muscle group while working in the water because you need your core muscles along with your muscles in your limbs to move effectively and stabilize in the changing currents and turbulence of the water. This upright functional movement in water crosses over to land.

How can all of this information be put to use to benefit your participants and your program? The water fitness instructor is the key. You can successfully ride the new wave of water fitness by utilizing certified and trained instructors. It takes more knowledge to teach a water fitness class than a land class because one is teaching in a potentially hazardous medium that has different properties than air. Lifeguards or swim instructors with no training in water fitness are not effective instructors. The participants in your program expect and deserve the same level of professionalism found in other fitness classes. Supervisors of land fitness programs do not just throw participants or non-certified people into a class and say “Teach this.” I have seen this done in water fitness. The water fitness instructor has to know how to practically apply the research on water fitness and properties of water for an effective water exercise program.

Certification, continuing education, and regular training are necessary to increase the professional level of your instructors. This increases the quality of your program and retention of its participants. The YMCA’s certification program, YMCA Water Fitness for Health, provides a sound, research-based training for instructors. This program, edited by renowned fitness professional Mary E. Sanders, is a solid framework to build great classes and great programs. The certification also requires a safety training (YMCA Lifeguard or YMCA Aquatic Safety Assistant) as a prerequisite. This should be a component of every instructor’s training.

In partnership with the Arthritis Foundation, the YMCA provides training and certification in AFYAP (Arthritis Foundation YMCA Aquatics Program). With the growing needs and activity level of older adults, the YMCA has a certification program for this special population, YMCA Older Adult Water Fitness for Health. There are many opportunities from fitness organizations to obtain training, certifications and continuing education. The responsibility for training and supporting water fitness instructors rests on the pool managers and program directors. It is time to increase the quality level of our water fitness programs and meet the needs of the new wave of participants.

Sources used: YMCA of the USA, edited by Mary E. Sanders, YMCA Water Fitness for Health, Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc., 2000.