Monday, January 4, 2010

2 Work-Outs that will Test Your New Year's Resolution:

Jeff Olson, AQx Master Trainer

Being a former collegiate athlete, I know the value of making a commitment and working hard to achieve the goals I set for myself and my team. The New Year is often the time for new commitments and “resolutions” and the desire is to maintain those goals throughout the year. AQx Aquatic Training Shoes (ATS), the Zero Gravity Suit (ZGS) and these two unique workouts can boost your winter workouts and add variety to your New Year’s resolution workout plan.


Workout #1: Deep Water Intervals

This unique deep water training routine developed by AQx helps improve speed and conditioning just like land-based intervals. The advantage of using the pool to complete these intervals is to reduce the impact forces your body encounters during land-based intervals and with the AQx aquatic training shoes delivering a 9% increase in caloric expenditure (compared to barefoot in water); your workout becomes a fat burning routine that will satisfy your New Year’s resolutions.

1. Warm-up: Deep water running for 10 minutes (May include some light shallow water drills)

2. Deep Water Routine: Sprint Intervals
3x 45 sec "hard"/ 30sec "easy"
2 min recovery
3x 1 min "hard"/ 1min "easy”
2 min recovery
3x 30 sec "hard"/ 30sec "easy"

3. Cool-down: Deep water running for 10-15 minutes


Workout #2: Shallow Water

This unique shallow water training routine developed by AQx helps to improve speed, strength and agility. AQx’s aquatic training shoes are designed to grip the bottom of the pool providing a slip free environment that will allow you to add variety in your training plan and provides a cross training experience that can benefit anyone’s New Year’s resolution. This workout gives you the option to increase the intensity by simply increasing the number of reps of each exercise. *This workout usually takes 40 minutes

1. Warm-up: Deep water running for 5 minutes

2. Shallow Water Routine

* High knee skip
* Backwards skip (extend)
* Side shuffle with arm swings
* Carioca (also known as grapevine)
* Carioca with high knee across
* One legged ski jumps - Forward motion with side-to-side hops
* Tuck jumps
* Sprints* (make sure proper sprinting mechanics are used)
* *Alternate: Partner sprints - Partner sprints are great for added resistance and can be used for over-speed training - Partner places hands on the upper chest as the other partner sprints against the resistance
* 45 degree angle sprints - Start at shallow end of the pool and turn and sprint towards the deep end at a 45 degree angle
* Alternate leg split squats


3. Deep Water Routine

* Cross Country Ski
* Alternate leg toe touches

4. Cool-down: Deep water running for 5 minutes