Cardio, strength, core and more, this 35-minute noodle workout is a fun fitness activity to keep you fit and cool in the pool. Ashley B. is back with new videos, including SplAsh Toning: Noodle Edition. In 2018, Ashley filmed SplAsh Toning with hand buoys. Get ready for more SplAshy fun.
Pool noodles are popular for recreation and child play, but they are also popular for water fitness activities because of their availability, affordability and versatility. Pool noodles can be used for resistance training, flotation, core work, deep-water fitness and more. The SplAsh Toning Noodles Edition workout features noodles used in a variety of ways, providing an ideal blend of aerobics, muscular endurance and core training.
Instructional styles to make water exercise fun
Similar to Ashley’s 2018 video, SplAsh Toning with foam dumbbells, this workout features a mixture of her favorite choreography styles, including add-on, pyramid and pure-patterned. Add-on choreography features a series of exercises added one by one and repeated to form predictable patterning. Pyramid choreography features blocks of exercises taught with repetition reduction, such as teaching a series of moves first with 16 repetitions, then with 8, then 4 and finally 2 and possible 1. Poolfit subscribers should be very familiar with both add-on and pyramid as that is how I teach many of my workouts. Pure patterned repetition involves introducing a combination in its final form and then repeating it several times. This style of exercise instruction is also often taught to the structure of music by using a different exercise for the bridge, verse and chorus and repeating these same exercises for the entire song. Why is all of this important? If a workout is boring, exercise adherence suffers. It is important to make fitness routines fun and engaging.
Noodle sizing for proper resistance
Choosing the correct noodle is hugely important for fitness results and safety considerations. Noodles can vary greatly in size, density and sturdiness. Older, waterlogged noodles often lack the rigidity required for resistance activities. Likewise, most store-bought noodles, such as those purchase at the Dollar Store, have a hole in the middle, which makes them less rigid. Solid core noodles do not have a hole in the middle and are better for water fitness activities. Solid core noodles can be purchased online – lower density and higher density. Thicker, denser noodles provide the most resistance, but you may have to work up to a larger sized noodle.
Understanding buoyant resistance
As mentioned above, noodles can be used in a variety of ways. Holding them and using them for buoyant resistance requires movement in a downward trajectory. When noodles are pushed and pulled horizontally, they primarily manifest drag resistance. Exercises performed in water with foam equipment like noodles are buoyancy resisted as they are moved DOWNWARDS. The downward movement is the concentric or shortening muscle action. The key is not to let the noodle “pop” back up to the surface. The upward phase is the eccentric or lengthening phase of the muscle action. Pushing a larger noodle downwards would be equivalent to lifting a larger weight upwards. Buoyancy is the opposite of gravity. Exercises performed on land are resisted by gravity as they are moved UPWARDS. Watch Ashley talk more about instructional styles, noodle sizing and more.
Give your hands a break
If you have ever taken a muscle conditioning class in a group exercise studio, you probably noticed that you don’t hold on to weights the entire time. Activities are frequently changed so that the weights can be set down, giving the hands a break from gripping. The same premise would apply in water exercise. Foam dumbbells or noodles should not be held the entire time. In this workout, Ashley provides breaks from grasping on the noodle. These hand breaks are essential. Please make sure to avoid grasping onto the pool noodle during these planned hand rest opportunities.
Poolfit extends a hearty welcome back to Ashley and a big thank you for sharing her passion and knowledge with subscribers. Watching this video, it will probably become apparent that Ashley is a trained ballet dancer and instructor. She is a also a Zumba Jammer with Zumba Fitness. The girl likes to dance! Stay tuned for two more videos from Ashley posting later this summer. If you recently subscribed and are enjoying Poolfit, please leave us a review on the App Store (IOS users) or the Play Store (android users). It really helps us. Below, watch a fun behind-the-scenes video of Ashley's 2022 filming adventure.