Use Your Noodle (2)

Alignment is VERY important in these moves. Head, shoulders, hips and feet must stay aligned thoughout these movements. Any misalignment will leave the participants struggling to stay on or send the noodle flying out from under them. Use these moves only with participants that have experience in aquatic exercise or if they are comfortable with the water. Non-swimmers can and have done these, it will take a while for them to build the confidence.

Reverse Squats

• (non-swimmers can hold onto the wall or rope as long as they maintain the vertical alignment)
• Standing on the noodle, feet about shoulder-width apart, slowly lift both knees in a squatting motion. Arms are sculling for balance. On the push down, emphasize the contraction in the gluts.
• Repeat this motion slowly pointing out the emphasis on using the trunk stabilizers to assist in the balancing. First timers may have more difficulty maintaining their balance and you, the instructor, may see some noodles shooting out of the pool. Start slow and keep them in the shallow end until they get more comfortable with these.
• After a few times, move them into the deeper end so they can push the noodle all the way down without the pool bottom stopping their motion. This, I think, adds to the exercise because their "safety net" is gone and they can really get the full range of motion for the squats.
• As your class progresses, you can add on to your squats:
  • (4) Squats, then add a 1/2 turn or a full turn, then repeat
  • Squat, feet wide apart (4), then travel forward with breaststroke arms, repeat and travel back.
  • Squat, feet wide apart (4), then travel to the side (surfing), repeat and travel to other side.

Abdominals, laying on the noodle

• (non-swimmers can use bells to help maintain balance)
• Lay on the noodle, the length of your body. Pinch the noodle between your knees or ankles and don't let go. Arms are stretched out to each side, maintaining a wide base of balance. This exercise is great to help participants build an awareness of how the trunk stablizers are used to keep you steady in the water.
• In counts of 2 (up, up, down, down), participants crunch the abdominals. I tell them to bring the top half of their bikini to the bottom half (that usually gets a few chuckles) bending at the belly button instead of the hips. Another image I use is that of the abdominals like a sponge. On the contraction up, they squeeze the water out and on the release down, slowly let the water in. Tell particpants to keep the arms wide until they feel comfortable that the noodle won't slide out from under them.
• Once the basic crunch is established, tell them to bring the arms more to the front. The goal is to have them reaching toward their feet. Arms should be ready to go back out to the side to maintain balance if necessary.
• To progress even further, participants can rest their hands on their thighs, using only the torso to stablize and maintain balance.
• The highest level of all is the "I Dream of Jeannie" arms. This one is difficult to maintain with the crunch. Keep the crunches slow and controlled.

These are alot of fun and my classes veiw our noodle time as our "play time" at the end of a challenging class. I think it's important to continuously challenge the participants without trying to see how tired I can make them or how much I can wear them out. If they don't enjoy it or feel like it's punishment, they're not coming back. I make my classes fun and motivating. I dislike the idea of "send them home crying" as I've seen from other instructors.

I'd love to hear from anyone with comments or suggestions.

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