Shallow Water Circuit Using Hydro-Tone Dept. of Physical Education, Health, Dance & Athletics

Each participating student has boots on their feet and carries a set of bells from one station to the next for use as indicated or as desired.

 Many of these exercises are illustrated on Hydro-Tone's Exercise Charts (http://hydrotone.com/exercises.html) or Hydro-Tone's Cookbook of Moves.

I try to mix the stations up so that one is upper body, one is lower body, and one might be both or more aerobic in nature.

Note: The links below will show you video segments of those exercises. You need RealPlayer software to view them. This software is available free in both Mac and IBM formats.

Stations designed to work the upper body

• Cross Punch - punch the bells across the body and slightly down towards the bottom. Keep abdominals tight and try to avoid bending and straightening the back. The focus is on using the shoulder and arm muscles with a stable trunk.
• Cross Country Arm Swing - legs can be stationary for a focus on just the upper body work, or they can move for a total conditioning exercise. Elbows remain slightly bent to protect the joints. Bells swing forward and back moving all the way to the surface and down towards the knees on each swing. Bells move in opposition to each other. Feet would also need to move in opposition to each other and to the bell on the same side.
• Shoulder shrugs - begin with bells at side and just shrug the shoulders in a backwards movement. Then add some bend at the elbow and a plunging motion with the bell. Lastly, increase intensity by swinging the bell up in front to the surface, pulling it towards the shoulders and then plunging it down.

Start with Bells at Sides

Swing Bells up to the Surface

Pull Bells back to Shoulders

• Bicep Curls - Remember to keep the abdominals tight and the bells in the water. Focus on bending and straightening the elbows rather than just moving the bells up and down.
• Rotator Cuff - Start with right foot back and left foot forward.  Place right elbow at hip and hold bell in vertical position.  Place left bell behind you.  Keeping right elbow touching hip, swing the bell to side and then pull back to the front.  Repeat several times on each side.

• Plunges - Start with feet together and bells at sides. Lift the elbows as you pull the bells upward towards the surface next to the body. Then plunge the bells back down to their starting positing. Repeat.
Optional move: This movement can be done with opposing knee raises such that the knees raise when the bells are pushed down and the feet return to the bottom when the bells are lifted. There is no "jump" to this movement and the body should remain suspending in the water when the feet leave the bottom.
 

Starting position with feet on floor and bells raised

Feet are brought up while bells are pushed down

• Flys - Keep the elbows slightly bent and do not pull the bells behind you. Use your legs and trunk muscles to stabilize the body.
• Lateral Raises - Start with bells at the sides and elbows slightly bent. Raise the bells outward to the surface and then pull them back down. Inhale as you pull the bells up and exhale as you push the bells down.

Lateral Raise Starting position

Lateral Raise Bells up

Lateral Raise Ending position

• Diagonal Punch - alternately punch right bell forward and outward and then left bell forward and outward. One bell goes forward while the other returns to the shoulder.
• Wrist Twisters - use the mini-bells for this exercise filled with water or use a similar paddle by AquaFlex or Speedo. Hold the bell in front of you and twist the wrist from palm up to palm down and back.

Begin with paddles/bells palm up

Finish with paddles/bells palm down

Stations designed to work the lower body

• Cowboy kick - Lift knee to the surface and kick foot diagonally forward and outward. Alternate legs and if you attempt to have one foot kicking while the other is stepping to the bottom, this is known as  double time.

• Heel Touches - Touch right hand to left foot and then left hand to right foot. Do 12 touches crossing behind the body followed by 12 crosses in front of the body. Repeat.
• Lunges - Step forward with right foot, then pull it back to left foot. Step forward with left foot, then pull it back to right foot. Use the arms to assist by doing a wide sweeping motion out to side and back to front. Repeat right, left, right, left.
• Karate Kicks - Lift one knee in front and then turn foot and kick to the side. Bring the foot back and then return to the bottom. This is a 4-count move and the foot should make a right angle motion and not a diagonal move. Once learned, one foot can be lifting and kicking while the other is returning to the bottom. High intensity exercise if done correctly.

Begin with lifting knee/foot to the side

Kick foot to side, keeping toes  facing forward

Bring foot back before standing and repeating move with other leg

• Knee swings - bend right knee 90 degrees and left to surface. Swing the knee forward and back with a hop on left foot for each swing. The right arm swings forward when the right knee swings backward. Do 10 times right knee followed by 10 times left knee and repeat the sequence.
• Heel Kickers - Hold onto the wall and kick your heels to your buttocks as quickly as possible, alternating right foot, left foot.
• Soldier March - lift the knee, straighten the leg, lean forward, and pull the foot to the floor in straightened position. Repeat other leg. Continue as you "walk" across the pool.

Stations designed to work both upper and lower body

• Jumping Jack punch - punch the bells forward while doing a jumping jack leg motion.
• Jumping Jacks - can be done with a bouncing motion or without bounce by bending the knees and lifting the feet up and down.
• Sit-ups - done using two milk jugs or other flotation devices held in hands.

• Punch and leap sideways - use the mini-bell for this exercise without water in it. Push the bell down as you leap to the side and allow the bell to surface. Continue leaping across the pool for 10 leaps and then 10 leaps back, leading with the other hand.
• Jump and Push back - jump backwards trying to bring boots and bells together in mid-water.

Date Last Modified: 21 March 2003

 Copyright(c) January 1997, Linda Delzeit-McIntyre (linda@youth.net)