Summer Inspiration #1 | Cross-training for Aquacyclers

We sat down with aquacycling instructor and personal trainer, Ed L Hall Jr., to talk simple, common-sense advice about why and how aquacyclers can introduce land-based exercises like planks, squats and lunges to their fitness routine. Read the feature and watch Ed and fellow AQUA team member, Meghan Godin, demonstrate the basic positions for reference so you can practice this summer with your form in check.

Why cross-train on land if you’re an aquacycler?

Land-based workouts and aquacycling are mutually beneficial. They are the Ying-Yang of fitness. While land-based workouts exercise your muscles under higher tension, aquacycling exercises muscles under higher intensity. Here’s how.

On land, you grow accustomed to holding your own body weight due to gravity, helping to stabilize major muscle groups as they build strength. Water creates an environment where you can work harder and for longer, increasing your workout threshold, or, your endurance. You can sustain effort for longer because the even pressure of the water improves your blood circulation and the added massage from the water while cycling helps flush lactic acid (a by-product of muscle exertion) from your muscles faster, preventing your muscles from inflating with fluid and fatiguing faster.

That said, the Plank, Squat and Lunge are a few basic exercises you can practice to help support core and leg work integral to cycling.

What are a few things to keep in mind before practicing our planks, squats and lunges?

• Remember to warm up. 5–10 minutes of brisk walking, jumping jacks, or, running in place.
• Stretch. Before working out, think about what muscle groups and relevant joints you’ll be moving and do mobility work that will help loosen those areas. For example, practice mimicking squats before you start your squat reps and sets.
• Consider location and surfaces. Depending on the exercise choose your exercise spot for comfort or challenge.

Comfort — when practicing any variation of plank, you’ll want to choose a softer yet firm surface to cushion your hands and arms.

Challenge — the softer the surface, the greater the instability and challenge for your muscles. Lunges are more demanding on sand than on pavement because the shifting sand engages more muscle fibers as you try to keep level while maintaining proper form.

• Achieve proper form. All workouts should be about progress. That said, if you’re struggling in any one position, start with a modified form that either works to decrease the angle of an exercise or decrease the load — for example, try a push-up or plank with bent knees. Doing so is never regressive — it’s with the intention of building the right amount of strength to excel forward.
• Introduce more challenge through dynamic movement. In similar spirit to choosing a softer, unstable workout surface like sand, add movements such as raised arms or legs and twists to introduce complexity and instability to a position, which in turn, will increase your body’s engagement.
• How many reps/sets and how much rest in between? To exercise your muscular endurance try, 12–20 reps and 3–4 sets of each exercise. Rest for 30–60 seconds in between sets.

Variations on the Plank: Building core strength.

Variations shown: Standard Plank | Standard Plank with Scissor Legs | Side Plank | Side Plank with Scissor Legs | Side Plank with Twist

Modifications: Standard Plank — bend and bend your knees; Side plank — lift from the hips but keep your knees bent on the ground.

Reminders: Breathe deeply. Often when we do plank poses, we tense up and hold our breath.

Squats &Lunges: Exercising stability and strength.

The squat: Drop your hips almost to the ground or three-quarters (below parallel) so that you exercise the full range of motion.

Modifications: Use a bar or railing to guide your squat so you can achieve the full range while decreasing the load on your joints and muscles.

The lunge: Lunges work each leg individually, introducing each leg to carrying your body weight.

Modifications: Introduce instability and dynamism with your choice of workout surface (for example, sand) or by adding movement. Remove your hands-from-hips and instead raise your arms up. This emphasizes your core engagement further. Also try lunging backwards or to the side. You can also transform your fixed lunge into a walking lunge (moving forward in space with lunge steps).

Questions? Find Ed on the AQUA schedule here.