Dunkin Donuts or Dunkin Dumbbells? Summer is coming and I think we all know the better choice. Poolfit extends a big welcome to UK Aquatic Training Specialist, Haylley Pittam. Her first video targets cardio, muscle conditioning and core training using a single foam dumbbell.
Highly qualified, Haylley is an experienced personal trainer, aquatic fitness instructor and swimming coach. She has presented workshops and conference sessions around the UK and internationally. Her main areas of focus include pre and postnatal, pelvic care, stroke therapy and diabetes. Haylley is the co-founder of Aquatic Rehabilitation Exercise Academy (AREA), which provides high quality, evidence based aquatic education to fitness professionals.
WORKOUT-AT-A-GLANCE
Dunkin Dumbbells is a 40-minute workout that uses a single hand buoy to target cardiorespiratory & muscular endurance and core stability. In addition to a warm-up and cool down, there are five working segments with the dumbbells, each around 7 minutes long. Each segment includes a different aquatic fitness base move combined with a mixture of upper and lower body movements that integrate the single buoy. Watch Haylley talk more about the Dunkin Dumbbells pool workout.
BUOY SIZE & SAFETY
Hand Breaks
The use of a single buoy provides a more creative approach to training with foam dumbbells in the pool. Unlike using a pair of buoys, a single buoy makes it possible to move in all directions with increased range of motion, allowing you to more effectively target the major muscle groups while training aerobically. Additionally, single buoy use adds extra safety and comfort to the workout by providing essential hand breaks as one hand is resting while the other is holding onto the buoy. Excessive gripping can cause discomfort and even pain for people with arthritic hands or wrists. Prolonged gripping can also elevate blood pressure.
Buoy Size
Choosing the correct buoy size is essential for a safe and effective fitness experience. Lightweight on land, hand buoys generate a significant amount of resistance once submerged into the upward forces of buoyancy. The larger the buoy, the greater the forces. Small to medium sized buoys would be best for any workout such as Dunkin Dumbbells where you are moving at a faster cardio clip. Looking for smaller sized buoys? Check out the Thera-Band Light Hand Bars in the Poolfit Gear Shop.
Buoy Safety
Important! Hand buoys cannot just be inserted into any pool workout at whim. A water workout must be specifically designed for their shape, size and for interacting with the upward forces of buoyancy. Over the years, I have had to “deprogram” many of my students from the excessive use of hand buoys. Frustrated, I even wrote the article, Equipment Addiction, which detailed my battles with students over foam dumbbells. WATCH an extended tutorial on the use of foam dumbbells, including safety tips on buoy size, gripping and modifications.
Workout Options
If you have any kind of shoulder pain or other upper body extremity issues, simply avoid the use of hand buoys. Using them could cause you pain or further injury. This workout can be performed without buoys. However, if you want to use equipment but you do not have foam dumbbells, consider cutting up a pool noodle into four quarters and use one of the noodle quarters. Dunkin Dumbbells is a 40-minute workout. If you want to make it a 60-minute workout, consider adding on the 20-minute 1-Buoy Express video or another Poolfit Express (15-20 minute) video. Good news! The web team is exploring a playlist feature that will allow you to combine videos in the app.
Poolfit extends a big thank you to Haylley for extending her time at the International Aquatic Fitness Conference (IAFC) in Daytona Beach and traveling to Sarasota to film 4 videos. More videos from Haylley will be posting this summer. Watch a fun behind-the-scenes video of Haylley’s filming adventure.
I hope you are enjoying the pool workouts? If you have any comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Summer is coming and lots of people will be looking for ways to stay cool while exercising. This is a big time of year for us. We are a new app and really, really need your help with reviews on the App Store (IOS users) or the Play Store (android users). I am not beneath begging for this because it is that important for us as a growing business. Please also consider visiting our Facebook page and leaving us a review, or following us on Twitter @poolfit or on Instagram.