Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Working one’s core – abdominal muscles, back muscles and the muscles around the pelvis – is critical to swimming fast in the pool or maintaining proper body position in a long channel swim. Even beyond swimming, strong core muscles enable many physical activities to become easier and more fluid.
While basic core-strength exercises including planks, crunches, sit-ups, bridges, abdominal presses (and sitting up straight without slouching) can be done on dryland, swimmers can also do a variety of core-strength exercises in the pool.
“Our team likes doing core exercises in the pool with a Bosu Ball and KAATSU Aqua Bands,” says Steven Munatones. “They are fun and enjoyable to do with friends.”
KAATSU Aqua Bands are made of neoprene and can be inflated and monitored with the KAATSU Master, KAATSU Nano, or KAATSU Master 2.0 products.
After tightening to the appropriate Base SKU and inflating to the Optimal SKU, and doing a few KAATSU Cycles in order to warm-up, you are ready to go in the pool. There are various exercises that you can do:
1. KAATSU Kicking
Use a Bosu Ball of any size and place KAATSU Aqua Bands on either your upper arms or upper legs (but not both!). Jump on top of the ball and starting kicking forward. It may take a few times to get the hang of it, but once you get the hang on it, KAATSU Kicking can be fun.
If you want, repeat three times with your arm bands on with at least 20 seconds of rest between each set. Then try three times with your leg bands on. Repeat three times with at least 20 seconds of rest between each try. You can kick freestyle – or even breaststroke or butterfly (dolphin) kick for even more difficult sets.
2. KAATSU Balancing
Use a Bosu Ball of any size and place KAATSU Aqua Bands on either your upper arms or upper legs (but not both!). Jump on top of the ball and starting balancing without trying to move. It may take a few times to get the hang of it, but once you get the hang on it, KAATSU Aqua Balancing can be fun.
Repeat three times with your arm bands on with at least 20 seconds of rest between each set. Then try three times with your leg bands on. Balance as you can. Then try extending your arms forward – and then placing your legs over the surface of the water for even more difficult sets.
You can start in the shallow water by jumping off the bottom of the pool – or try climbing up on the Bosu Ball in deep water for a greater challenge.
3. KAATSU Backstroke
Put on your KAATSU Aqua Bands on your upper legs. Kick on your back holding the Bosu Ball up over the surface of the water. Your hips and legs will sink deep in the water, but try to tighten your core and kick backstroke with your hips and legs as close to the water surface as possible. Kick 3 x 25 meters with at least 20 seconds of rest between each set.
4. KAATSU Aqua Walking
Put on your KAATSU Aqua Bands on your upper legs. Walk in shallow water of at least 1 meter in depth. The resistance of the water will make you quickly feel the KAATSU effects on your quadriceps and hamstrings. Walk slowly and steadily.
5. KAATSU Leg Lifts
Put on your KAATSU Aqua Bands on your upper legs. Put your back against the wall of the pool and extend your arms along the pool’s edge. Lift your legs in a variety of movements (see video above). Move slowly and steadily.
For more KAATSU Aqua ideas in the pool, see below:
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