Ready…set…let’s play ball! Aqua Taba-Ball with Mushi Harush is a 45-minute pool workout that features a high intensity Tabata format using a small plastic ball. This fun shallow water workout is jampacked with creative and challenging exercises with a small ball.
A longtime colleague, Mushi and I have been presenting at aquatic fitness conferences together for nearly 25 years. Originally from Argentina, she now resides in Israel. Mushi is the founder of the Israeli Aquatic Exercise Center and an international training specialist for the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA). New to Poolfit subscribers, Mushi is familiar to Fitmotivation subscribers (the instructor platform) because three of her videos produced in Israel were posted on the Fitmotivation site. These videos include her 2016 summer blockbuster video, Aqua Frisbee, as well as another ball video, Let’s Have a Ball, and a partner video, Partner Work.
Aqua Taba-Ball – Video Summary
As per the title, this pool workout features Tabata, a style of high intensity interval training (HIIT). There are 8 rounds of exercise in a Tabata workout. Each 4-minute round includes 8 exercises performed at high intensity for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Technically, that means you can do 64 exercises in a Tabata workout. However, many of the exercises in Aqua Taba-Ball are performed unilaterally and repeated on the other side. Without doubt, this video is jampacked with creative and challenging ball exercises. Having 8 rounds allows the ball to be used in a variety of ways. As Mushi explains in the video below, this helps to avoid too much time spent holding the ball in the hands and gripping. Watch below as Mushi talks about the Aqua Taba-Ball Workout and then read on for details on the type of ball used in this workout.
What kind of a Ball?
Pretty much any small plastic ball that is 7 to 9 inches in diameter will do. There are lots of inexpensive balls that can be ordered online. You can even make a trip to the Dollar Store for a ball.
This 9-inch Thera Ball is available on Amazon and is like the one Mushi used, because it has a more pebbled surface, which makes it easier to grip (without the ball slipping).
This 8-inch fitness ball is also a good choice.
Poolfit extends a big thank you to Mushi for traveling to Florida from Israel for filming. Stay tuned for three other videos with Mushi posting this fall and winter. Below is Mushi’s short video bio