GlideFit: Safety and Setup Basics

Lesson 2: Aquatic Based Stability Training (ABST)

Benefits of ABST

1. Body Awareness. Body awareness is the sense of how your own limbs are oriented in space, also referred to as proprioception. Balance training promotes body awareness, which makes movement more seamless, with less likelihood of injury.
2. Coordination. Balance training requires all of your body to work together otherwise you might fall or stumble. By improving your coordination during balancing training, there should be an improvement to your coordination in everyday life.
3. Joint Stability. Balance training promotes stable knees, ankles, hips, and shoulders. This can prevent a whole array of injuries including sprained ankles and serious knee problems. These injuries can be common in people who train and participate in sports, but do not include balance training in their workout regiment.
4. Reaction Time. If you slip or stumble when carrying out challenging balance exercises your body needs to re-balance immediately or you will fall. This can improve your reaction time as you learn to quickly realign your body while creating new and correct muscle memory.
5. Strength. Balance training is challenging for your nervous system (brain and nerves). The nervous system recruits your muscles when lifting weights, so as your nervous system becomes more efficient it can recruit a higher percentage of your muscle for each lift. This means you are stronger and can lift more weight.
6. Power. Power is the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movement. The two components of power are strength and speed. With quicker reaction times and stronger muscles, your power ability will naturally increase.
7. Agility. Agility is the ability to change the direction of the body in an efficient and effective manner and to achieve this you require a combination of balance, speed, strength, and coordination. Therefore, the better your balance is, the more likely you are to have good agility.
8. Fun & Challenging. Adding some balance exercises into your fitness routine adds another dimension to your workout. Taking tried and true exercises and learning to negotiate your balance engages the body/mind connection in a fun new way. It is motivating when you notice the improvement to the rest of your fitness regiment by adding in balance training.
9. Long term health. Incorporating balance training into your routine helps to maintain or improve your balance, which is needed to prevent falls and fractures. As the body ages without balance training, commonplace activities can become more challenging, something we want to avoid.

  Body Awareness Body Awareness or the medical term Proprioception. Proprioception, simply put, means sense of self or body awareness. The proprioceptors are sensors that provide information about joint angle, muscle length and muscle tension, which gives the brain information about the position of the limb in space at any given time. How is it that a professional basketball player can launch in the air, catch the ball, and then do a reverse dunk seemingly effortless? Proprioception. We also use Proprioception everyday with out thinking twice about it. It’s how we walk down a flight of stairs at night when the lights are off, or insert your car key in the ignition without looking. Most of us are able to execute body movements that require proprioception without much worry. CardioWave will help develop high-level proprioceptive abilities that will not only improve your athletic performance,  but simply make you more coordinated and agile no matter what you do. Coordination Whatever your athletic interest, your  coordination training plays a key role in your overall fitness. CardioWave will work on your balance and coordination, while enhancing your performance and reducing your risk of injury. Basically, you can do more complex movements faster, with less risk. If you are coordinated, you can make your muscles work together at just the right time to produce the exact amount of force you need to accomplish a skill with the least amount of effort. Increasing your coordination will increase your bodies ability to work in a more efficient way.  The increase in efficiency will allow you to prolong exertion with less effort. As we age, our risk of falling rises—as does the chance that those falls will prove debilitating. You want to be able to catch yourself before you fall, but you also want to be able to manage your fear of falling, which can in itself begin to restrict your range of motion. You need to be able to move confidently through the world, rather than tentatively—and for that you need to be able to trust in your own powers of balance and coordination. Joint Stability There are many benefits to either creating or maintaining stability in your joints. They include a better range of motion (ROM), decreased chance of injury, greater maximal force, and stronger muscles. Each type of joint in our body allows for different degrees of movement. Maintaining strength through those movements is important in giving us the ability to move better. Joint Stability is referred to as the resistance of musculoskeletal tissues around a joint. What this means is that the stronger the muscles are around a given joint the more stable that joint will be.  This is very important to remember no matter what level of training you are at. In the majority of lifts and exercises done in the gym and out on the sports field, the muscles that are used are known as “prime movers”. Prime movers push and pull us around in almost every movement. When prime movers gain strength, they put more force into those movements.  In order for the prime movers to have a stable base to push and pull from, the stabilizer and fixator muscles need to be strong. Reaction Time The space between a stimulus and the beginning of the muscle response to that stimulus is known as reaction time. Reaction time, along with agility, coordination, balance, speed and power, are key components of skill-related fitness. Good reaction time translates to success in sports and in life activities that require strong motor skills. It’s also one of the critical factors for safeguarding health and independence as you age. CardioWave engages fast twitch and slow twitch muscles. Fast twitch muscle fibers are the ones that control reaction time and agility. They excel in the explosive, brief anaerobic moves of the participant, and it takes a powerful force to enlist them.  Aerobic activity utilizes slow twitch muscles first so, in order to get to the fast twitch response, you have to instill the habit with repetitive anaerobic exercise. CardioWave is designed to incorporate fast and slow twitch muscle fibers. Faster reaction time gives you a significant competitive edge in sports and helps to protect you from injury in daily life. Strength Not only does strength training aid in shedding pounds, it helps maintain weight loss, too. A recent study revealed that women who followed a weight-training routine 3 times a week increased the amount of calories burned in normal daily activity (in addition to those burned during exercise), helping them to maintain their current weight. Strength training protects bone health and muscle mass. After puberty, whether you are a man or a woman, you begin to lose about 1 percent of your bone and muscle strength every year. One of the best ways to stop, prevent, and even reverse bone and muscle loss is to add strength training to your workouts. Strength training has benefits that go well beyond the appearance of nicely toned muscles. Your balance and coordination will improve, as will your posture. More importantly, if you have poor flexibility and balance, strength training can reduce your risk of falling by as much as 40 percent, a crucial benefit, especially as you get older. Strength training will elevate your level of endorphins (natural opiates produced by the brain), which will make you feel great. As if that isn’t enough to convince you, strength training has also been shown to be a great antidepressant, to help you sleep better, and to improve your overall quality of life. You burn calories during the CardioWave strength training, and your body continues to burn calories after strength training. More calories are used to make and maintain muscle than fat, and in fact strength training can boost your metabolism by 15 percent — that can really jumpstart a weight loss plan. Here is a short list of benefits that our strength training portion of CardioWave can help with:

Many injuries happen when the body falls out of alignment in motion—think of pulling the muscles in your lower back if you lift from an improper position, or tearing the ligaments in a knee if you misstep. CardioWave classes increase balance, control and flexibility, allowing the body to maintain proper posture and alignment during movement. Agility training helps the body learn correct body placement, meaning sensitive areas like the shoulders, lower back and knees are protected while moving quickly. Sometimes an intense workout can leave you with sore muscles and decreased energy levels the next day. But the bursts of movement in agility training, when practiced over a sustained period of time, help build strength in the musculoskeletal system, which in turn can shorten recovery time.

Lesson 3: Equipment and Materials

FIT CONSTRUCTION- Drop stitch construction is a technology developed for military applications that allowed inflatable craft to become much stronger, more durable and lighter. It also allows designers to make the shapes of inflatables more hydrodynamic. Originally created to make inflatable aircraft wings, the rafting industry adopted drop stitch and it proved to be excellent for inflatable water craft. Thousands of polyester threads allow craft to be made with two flat surfaces that are in tension with each other- without the threads, inflatables would bulge out like balloons and be much less rigid. The threads are sewn between two pieces of support fabric woven from polyester. Up to 400 needles are used, each sewing evenly spaced threads back and forth between the two pieces of fabric. This process essentially binds the two pieces together so that when inflated they are held in tension at the length of the threads- 6” threads make a 6” thick Fit. Inflatables without drop stitching can fold like tacos when inflated to max pressure. Drop stitch allows us to build the Fit to be perfectly flat and rock hard when inflated. The next step of Fit construction is Fusion. In the past, the outer layer of the inflatable (PVC, Neoprene, Hypalon) would be hand-glued to the drop stitch cloth, then in turn the seams would be glued together as well. This process was vulnerable to errors during the gluing, which would then lead to failure of the inflatable. Fusion is the mechanical process of layering hot liquid PVC onto the drop stitch which creates a fused single material and eliminates hand gluing. The seams of the FIT are then joined by plastic welding which also eliminates gluing. The Fusion process results in up to 20% less weight in the final product and a 50% gain in structural rigidity.   FIT FEATURES-

• Extra large brush finished pad for comfort and grip
• 15 psi and 6” drop stitch core for ultra stability
• Designed to fit between standard swimming pool lanes
• Extremely lightweight and easy to store

  FIT DIMENSIONS- 7’8”L X 35.5.”W X 6”T   FIT ANATOMY- CARE & KEEPING- Although the Fit is strong enough to be inflated to 25 PSI, we find that 15 PSI is adequate for most students. After use, rinse the floats with fresh water to prevent bleaching of the deck pads. When not in use, the boards can be stacked to store or deflated, rolled up, and put away. Always dry the Fits completely before storing them to avoid mildew. If using Fits outdoors, once they dry, they should be stored indoors or in the shade to avoid fading. Prolonged exposure to UV rays makes inflatables brittle over time.   HOW TO STORE EQUIPMENT- Stack the Fits on end, side by side like books, while maintaining some space between them. This will allow them to dry off between sessions. Stacking them on top of each other doesn’t allow the boards to dry completely. You might notice an odd odor on the deck pad if they are stored this way. Some facilities are limited in terms of storage space and have to deflate and roll them back up. If this is the case, always rinse them with clean water and allow them to dry completely before storing.   OTHER EQUIPMENT-

• Waterproof stopwatch
• Fitness/yoga mat (non slip)
• Towels (Mat towel & hand or gym towel)
• Resistance band (Stretch & Tone)
• Medicine ball (HIIT)

  WHAT TO WEAR HEAD TO TOE- If participating in an indoor setting wearing a hat is not necessary or recommended. However if taking a CardioWave class in an outdoor pool/setting, wearing a hat is sometimes suggested for sunblock protection. It is suggested the participant wear comfortable clothing that isn’t too loose and know that it may get wet. Loose clothing, denim, sweats etc., once wet, will bog the participant down. Just be aware that not everyone feels comfortable exercising in a swimsuit. Footwear is not necessary as the deck pad is not slick even when wet. If a participant has extenuating circumstances and needs to wear something for support or comfort, water shoes are acceptable.

Lesson 5: Safety and Personal Conduct

As a CardioWave instructor, your primary goal is the safety and wellness of your class participants. As the instructor it is important that you conduct class in a safe manner and maintain a professional attitude in your decisions and relationships with your clients.   1.Always be guided by the best interests of the class, while acknowledging individuals.

1. Keep in mind your primary obligation is to the class as a whole, taking class level and class description into account.
2. Strive to provide options and realistic goals for the entire group
3. Offer modifications for all levels of fitness and experience (i.e., demonstrate easy and more challenging options)

2.Provide a safe exercise environment.

1. Prioritize all movement choices by (1) safety, (2) effectiveness and (3) creativity. Do not allow creativity to compromise safety.
2. Use good judgment in class selection. Assess all class moves according to risk versus reward, making sure rewards and benefits always outweigh risks. If you are teaching a Level 3 CardioWave class but your students are struggling with Level 1 moves, do not progress the class beyond the abilities of the students.
3. Implement and follow all safety guidelines for applicable venue.
4. All students should sign waiver and have swimming ability.
5. Keep current on your CPR certification.
6. All instructors should know lifesaving rescue techniques for pool environment.
7. Nearby access to throwable floatation device (Type 4 PFD).

3. Fit Setup Guidelines.

1.  Keep floats in center lanes, do not use side lanes closest to pool edge.
2. Instructor should teach from pool edge, not on float or in water.
3. Floats should be attached no closer than 7 feet from any edge of the pool.
4. Floats should be 2-4 feet away from each other.
5. Use closed carabiner bungees to avoid release during practice.

4. CardioWave Guidelines.

1.  To avoid injury, classes should begin with dynamic warm up and close with static stretching.
2. Avoid baggy or cotton clothing, jewelry or accessories which may hinder practice.
3. All equipment should be water safe and in good repair.

5. Stay current on the education and training necessary to lead CardioWave classes.

1. Use the CardioWave portal to stay current on the latest research and exercise techniques essential to providing effective and safe classes.
2. Maintain CardioWave certification and utilize continuing education opportunities.
3. Work within the scope of your knowledge and skill. When necessary, refer participants to professionals with appropriate training and expertise beyond your realm of knowledge.