BLOG
Rick McAvoy Aquatics selected by Eleiko to Develop Aquatic Strength & Conditioning Training Programs for the US Navy NOFFS Program.
Rick McAvoy Aquatics has been selected by Eleiko, one of the top Strength & Conditioning companies in the world to develop evidenced based Aquatic Strength & Conditioning Programs for the United States Navy’s NOFFS program (Navy Operational Fitness & Fueling System),
The NOFFS program was developed a decade ago to deliver training and nutrition information to Sailors and Navy health and fitness professionals. This training ensures optimal operational performance and tactical readiness for Sailors.
“I am extremely honored for this opportunity. It is so nice to be associated with a company such as Eleiko who values evidenced based practice and incorporating the use of water into their Strength & Conditioning Programs”.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, Owner of Rick McAvoy Aquatics
Find Your Golf Strength in the Water
Golfers need to have muscle strength combined with flexibility for an efficient, reliable golf swing. Any weakness at any joint through any section of the motion will create a breakdown in the golf swing.
Strength training for golf is very important to help with overall performance however, certain traditional strength training techniques such as lifting weights in one plane or using traditional machines greatly limits the functional strength that is needed for an efficient, reliable golf swing. This approach eliminates the need for your body to create and maintain stabilization through a full range of motion while performing an exercise. This ability to stabilize is exactly what is needed in golf and therefore must be heavily incorporated into a golfers exercise routine.
The core muscles primary role is to provide stabilization for your spine and around the hips. Your arms and legs can only generate as much force as your core is able to stabilize. Research has shown that athletes with higher core stability have a lower risk of injury.
Using the water to improve strength and increase stabilization is very helpful.
The waters surrounding properties provide three-dimensional resistance inherently, so the muscular and neurological systems receive a more comprehensive training effect than land based training.
Water provides an accommodating resistance meaning the harder you push the water, the harder the water pushes you back. So no matter how strong or weak you are, you control the amount of resistance which is a very safe and effective way to train.
The water can help to enhance both dynamic flexibility and strength simultaneously. Having resistance in multiple directions builds balanced muscle strength and also helps reduce the risk of injury when working out.
Many golfers are not very familiar with strength training and using the water is a great option to assist with training fundamental movement patterns. Once these patterns are established then land based training and loading can occur.
Most injuries typically occur in the rotary plane.Training rotational movements in the water is much safer because there is minimal gravitational influence compared with land based training.
Training in the water can be a great cross training tool and can help you break through a training plateau.
Try getting in the water at chest level with feet shoulder width apart. Perform a basic cross country arm motion keeping a good upright posture with your core and buttocks muscle engaged and your elbows straight. Move slowly at first and then really increase your speed. Now perform for 1 minute........ Feel the difference?
By Incorporating the water into your golf training program you will be able to play longer and stronger and reduce your likelihood for injury.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 30 years. Rick is the Owner Fluid Golf Training, a streaming program to help golfers reduce injury, move better and swing better.
For more information about Fluid Golf Training please visit.
Improve Golf Mobility with a Dynamic Water Warm Up
In order to complete the proper golf swing, a certain amount of muscular flexibility and joint mobility is required. If a golfer is lacking joint mobility or muscular flexibility, this will lead to increased compensation. Increased compensation leads to decreased power as well as increased risk for injury.
According to a study done by TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) of over 32,000 golfers, 50% of amateur golfers will develop a chronic issue in their lifetime. As we get older our incidence for a golf injury increases.
Warming up before golfing has been shown to decrease the incidence of golf injuries. However, most amateur golfers do not warm up properly or at all before playing.
Incorporating the water into your pre round dynamic warm up has many additional benefits that are not always possible on land.
When we are submerged in water, we move much easier. The water’s buoyancy supports your weight. When you’re submersed up to your chest the water reduces about 70 percent of your body weight, decreasing stress on your joints. Since the effects of gravity are diminished in water, you can perform mobility exercises much easier than you can on land.
Water being a surrounding medium provides the body 360 degrees of support. This helps improve your body awareness and posture which assists in improving movement and preventing injury.
The waters hydrostatic pressure helps to improve circulation and muscle relaxation preparing the tissues to move easier.
The water provides drag and viscosity forces causing an increased resistance to movement. This means the harder the harder you work, the harder the workout.
Water training will challenge your brain in a very unique way. We tend to be very patterned individuals and perform very similar movements throughout our day. When in the water both gravity and momentum are significantly reduced and your body becomes very uncoordinated. This nervous system “reset” can really help to improve your pattern on land no matter what skill level you are at.
Try getting in the water up to your chest and attempt to walk forward and backward maintaining a proper upright posture and performing an opposite arm and leg swing as in normal walking. It is going to be much tougher than you think.
Next take an old golf club in the water and try to slowly perform a few swings. How do you feel? Uncoordinated? Now go faster. Feel the difference?
By Incorporating the water into your golf training program you will be able to play longer and stronger and reduce your likelihood for injury.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 30 years. Rick is the Owner Fluid Golf Training, a streaming program to help golfers reduce injury, move better and swing better.
For more information about Fluid Golf Training please visit.
Use the Water to Clean Up Your Golf Swing
Over the past 30 years practicing as a physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist, I have worked with hundreds of injured golfers in my practice.
Golf is a one-sided rotational sport that can create significant muscle imbalance and injury.
Older golfers usually have more time to play but they often experience greater muscle imbalance, injury and pain.
In my practice I integrate water training with all my golfers because of the significant benefits water can provide.
Why should all golfers integrate the water into training?
Mobility/Flexibility Work:
In order to complete the proper golf swing, a certain amount of muscular flexibility and joint mobility is required.
The ankles, hips, thoracic spine, shoulders and wrists need adequate mobility for a fluid golf swing to occur.
If a golfer is lacking joint mobility or muscular flexibility, this will lead to increased compensation. Increased compensation leads to decreased power as well as increased risk for injury.
The waters supportive properties allow the golfer a unique training opportunity. Exercises promoting freedom of movement can be performed much easier with less pain.
Strength/StabilityWork:
Strength and stability, together with flexibility and mobility, provides the foundation for a more efficient and reliable golf swing,
Golfers need to have consistent strength throughout their entire swing.
The waters surrounding properties provide three-dimensional resistance so there is a more comprehensive training effect. Water provides an accommodating resistance, meaning the harder someone pushes the water, the harder the water pushes back. This is a very safe and effective way to train.
In addition, having resistance in multiple directions helps build balanced muscle strength to help reduce the risk of injury.
Balance Work:
An important part to the golf swing is maintaining balance throughout the entire golf swing. A balanced swing will enable the golfer to create maximum club head speed and create a more solid contact at impact.
According to TPI figures, over 60% of amateur golfers can’t balance for more than 10 seconds on one leg. This lack of balance can cause various compensations in the swing itself.
Single-leg balance exercises are important because the brain has to have an increased awareness of where the body is in space. Single leg balance exercises when performed with golfers has been shown to improve balance and that brain/body awareness called proprioception.
Water is 3-dimensional. Water provides three-dimensional resistance inherently, so the muscular and neurological systems receive a more comprehensive training effect than land.Training balance and coordination in a three-dimensional environment is both safe and effective. Golfers are more likely to attempt challenging movement patterns in the supportive water compared to land-based training because if they fall in the water they are much less likely to cause injury.
Golf Specific Work
Taking the golf swing into the water provides a much different dynamic than on land. Water provides 360 degrees of support and feedback to movement.
Water reduces the speed of movement and allows increased motor patterning producing a more proficient golf swing.
Golf is a very power driven sport. Training power in the water has been shown to be just as effective as power training on land with less muscle soreness.
The unique training effects that the water provides can help a golfer to break through a performance plateau and improve their game.
Recovery Work:
Recovery sessions in the water are a great way to get the body moving following a tough round of golf. Active recovery in the pool helps to reduce muscle soreness and rid the body of toxins created by the demands of golf.
By Incorporating the water into your golf training program you will be able to play longer and stronger and reduce your likelihood for injury.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 30 years. Rick is the Owner Fluid Golf Training, a streaming training program to help golfers reduce injury, move better and swing better.
For more information about Fluid Golf training please visit.
Train in the Water to Improve Your Golf Game
Golf is a one-sided rotational sport which often creates significant muscle imbalances and injury. As golfers get older their muscles tend to get weaker and tighter which furthers this risk.
Did you know that 70% of all amateur golfers will suffer a golf related injury at least once in their lifetime?
Incorporating the water into your traditional golf training program can have significant benefits.
Over the past 30 years in practice I have worked with numerous golfers incorporating the water and have had tremendous results.
Here is why the water can be very beneficial in improving your golf game.
Water is 800x more supportive but up to 15x more resistive than air creating a very challenging yet forgiving training environment.
Water being a surrounding medium provides the body 360 degrees of support. This helps improve your body awareness which assists in improving movement and preventing injury.
Golf is a very coordinated multiple planar sport. Water provides this 3D/multi-planar resistance automatically.
Water improves both dynamic flexibility and strength simultaneously helping to build balanced muscle strength and reducing injury.
Waters hydrostatic pressure improves circulation, muscle relaxation, recovery and reduces muscle soreness.
Waters properties of viscosity and drag allow for an increased challenge to improve your overall balance and coordination necessary for golf.
Golf is a very power driven sport. Power training in the water has been shown to be just as effective if not more effective than land based training without the added muscle soreness.
Water offers a different training dynamic that can help your body break through a plateau.
Your core is your bodies foundation for all movements and a strong core is essential for your golf game. The waters properties allow your core to become engaged much easier during training.
Training in the water is just more fun than land based training. If an activity is fun then people usually will stick with it.
By incorporating the water into your golf training program you will be able to play longer and stronger and reduce your likelihood for injury.
Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner Fluid Golf Training, a program to help golfers reduce injury, move better and swing better.
For more information about Fluid Golf training please visit.
Shed Those Holiday Pounds in Your Pool or Swim Spa
We are approaching that time of year again—the holidays. Stores are already stocked with Halloween candy and some even with Christmas decorations! Soon it will be time to savor all those holiday meals followed by the incredible desserts. This will most likely increase our waistlines a little bit more than we would like.
So in order to combat this unfortunate and predictable phenomenon, I think we should get a jump start on our weight loss and fitness routine before the holiday season and the new year’s resolutions start.
What better place to get in shape than in the water.
Here is some motivational information about exercising in the water.
Everyone Can Do It: Exercising in the water has been shown to be a great calorie burner and no matter what age, weight, or fitness level, anyone can perform and benefit from water exercise.
Water Training is Low Impact: Waters buoyancy allows for reduced impact on your joints. This reduced weight bearing is one of the many advantages of exercising in water, it allows people to perform activities that are not always possible on land such as higher intensity exercises like jogging.
Water is Resistive and Safe: I like to refer to the water as “The Great Equalizer” meaning the harder you push against the water, the harder the water pushes you back. So no matter what age or fitness level you are, you control the amount of resistance, which is a very safe and effective way to train.
Water also forces your muscles to work harder, helping you burn fat and tone muscles more quickly than land-based exercise programs.
Burn Calories: Because of the added resistance in the water, you’re actually working harder than you would on land to complete the same exact movements, even if it doesn’t feel like that.
Research studies have shown that exercises performed in water created a higher energy output than on land. Exercising in warm water also increases your body temperature and burns even more calories during your workout.
Vertical aquatic exercise depending on your intensity has been shown to burn up to 400-600 calories in an hour!
Less Soreness: Warm water will help to improve the flexibility of those tight muscles that you have developed over the years. With less gravity there is less risk of muscle soreness which will increase your exercise tolerance. In the water you are able to exercise everyday without increased muscle soreness.
It’s Fun: Exercising in the water does not really feel like you are exercising.If an activity is fun people usually tend to stick with it.
It’s Convenient: There are a significant number of people who are very intimidated to join a gym never mind the feeling of putting on a bathing suit in public! It has been shown that over half of people who join a gym do not attend consistently. Exercising in your pool or swim spa in the privacy of your own home will make things so much easier and your weight loss goals more attainable.
So, what are you waiting for? Get in the water and get a jump on losing those holiday pounds that you know are coming.
If you would like me to set up on a specialized program to help you on your fitness and weight loss journey please visit: swimspaexercise.com or contact me at rick@rickmcavoyaquatics.com
Happy Holidays!
Dr. Rick
Let Dad have a good soak this Fathers Day
On this Father’s Day weekend why not let dad destress by letting him get into some warm water.
As men, stress is one of those things we feel we can deal with and it will eventually fade or go away. After all, we have been taught as men to be strong, not talk about our feelings and just deal with stressful situations.
However, too much stress is not good and can be very harmful to our health. Stress negatively effects the 7 out of the 11 major bodily systems and nearly every process of the body is degenerated because of stress. Longer term stress issues can cause high blood pressure, anxiety, decreased sex drive, digestive problems, headaches, obesity, cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart attacks or heart disease.
Men also experience stress much differently than woman do. Studies have shown that men take stress harder than women but are less likely than women to report that stress has a very strong impact on their health.
How water can help mange stress
Now more than ever there is increasing scientific proof that warm water immersion can help with stress management.
In a research study, a colleague of mine Dr. Bruce Becker, from Washington State University, focused on the benefits to the autonomic nervous system when soaking in warm water. The autonomic nervous system helps people adapt to changes in the environment and influences the bodies functions such as heart rate, digestion and respiration.
It consists of 2 parts:
1. The Sympathetic Nervous System, which reacts to stress commonly known as the flight or flight system.
2. The Parasympathetic Nervous System, which helps to reduce stress and promote calmness.
Ideally the goal is to have these 2 systems be in balance.
When immersed in a warm water environment this balance is achieved.
Dr. Becker’s study compared warm water immersion to meditation. He was able to find that in addition to reducing stress, soaking in warm water improved subjects’ mental creativity and focus.
Recommendations for water temperature are between 94 degrees and 102 degrees. Typical time spent in the warm water should be between 20-25 minutes making sure to keep hydrated while in the water.
Further benefits of using warm water to help combat stress are the effects it has on your muscular system. When submerging up to your neck in the water approximately 90% of your body weight is reduced. This will help to promote improved joint mobility and increased muscle relaxation.
Incorporating massage jets and performing gentle neck stretching will help to reduce that increased muscle tension that typically occurs in the neck and shoulder muscles after a long hard day at work.
Studies have also shown that performing warm water immersion improves sleep patterns as well.
So what are you waiting for, doesn't dad deserve a swim spa or hot tub!
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
References:
http://www.futureofpersonalhealth.com/prevention-and-treatment/recognizing-the-signs-of-stress-and-anxiety
Stressed in America: January 2011, Vol 42, No. 1 Print version: page 60 American Physcological Association
http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/24/health/la-he-baths-20140125
https://www.stress.org/stress-effects/
http://aquamagazine.com/hot-tubs/research-shows-warm-water-immersion-beneficial-to-health.html
Motion is Lotion; Using Your Swim Spa for Pain Relief
Are you one of the 1.5 billion people in the world who suffer from chronic pain? If so, then maybe your swim spa can help to better manage your symptoms and improve your overall quality of life.
There are numerous benefits that warm water has on reducing pain. Water is a very supportive medium and can reduce body weight up to 90% when submerged up to your neck. This unloading provides a gentle traction on painful joints and helps reduce any type of swelling or inflammation you may have.
Warm water can help to increase your flexibility. On land, it may be too painful to move. Warm water lessens stiffness, decreases pain and make it easier to move your joints and improve flexibility.
Water is a surrounding medium and provides the body 360-degrees of support. This support can help improve your body awareness which can assist in improving movement and preventing injury.
The resistance of water can be up to 15x greater than air. This provides a very safe and accommodating resistance which means that the harder you push against the water the more resistance you will get. This resistance can help to build muscle strength and improve overall function.
Stress reduction and relaxation are some of the most important aspects of controlling any type of pain. Your swim spas warm water helps to provide pain and stress relief by providing sensory stimulation throughout the entire body. Using the swim spas jets adds further benefit to promote increased muscle flexibility and relaxation. This can help improve sleep and fight depression which is important for everyone especially those suffering with chronic pain.
Motion is Lotion: I always tell my clients that too much sitting is the worse thing that they can do for their body. But when they have significant pain it can be too difficult for them to move. This causes them to lose flexibility and strength and become even more stiff and painful. This tends to be a viscous cycle. The water is sometimes the only place that they can move and exercise comfortably.
A swim spa is not necessarily the fountain of youth but for those suffering with chronic pain it is pretty close.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
Training for Power in Your Swim Spa
When you mention power training to the average person they primarily think about athletes performing insane movements such as jumping onto very high boxes.
But Power is simply defined as the ability to move or travel with great speed or force.
So power training for an athlete looks much different from that of the average person.
As I wrote about last week, people lose up to 30% of their muscle strength between the ages of 50 and 70.
But even more staggering is as people age they lose power almost twice as fast as they lose strength!
When talking to my clients about he difference between strength and power the easiest example that I give is:
Strength will let you be able to walk across the street.
Power will let you get you across street fast enough without getting hit by a car!
Power also contributes to moving your legs faster after losing your balance or slamming on your cars brakes to avoid an accident, climbing stairs, rising from chair to mention a few.
Both power and strength training are important and need to go hand in hand.
Using your swim spa for power training is very safe and effective. Here’s Why:
The supportive properties that the water provides will significantly decrease the weight bearing on your joints. Most anyone can perform at least small quick jumps in the water without injuring themselves which will improve power.
Water provides an accommodating resistance when working on power training and moving faster in the water you will receive a greater training effect.
Using your swim spa current or jets will allow you to grade the amount of resistance for more of a strength and power challenge.
If your swim spa has a treadmill, performing various speed training can be very helpful with improving power.
An easy tip to train for power in your swim spa is remember to perform exercises at different speeds. For example if you are performing a walking forward exercise. Work 2 laps at a slower pace then 2 laps at a medium pace and then 2 laps really fast.
This will cause your neurological system to receive different input and improve your overall power.
Incorporating power training into your aquatic training program can help delay the loss of power so common in the aging process. It will help reduce your likelihood of injury ,improve your overall activities of daily living and quality of life.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
Using Your Swim Spa to Improve Muscle Strength
Did you know that people can lose up to 30% of their muscle strength between the ages of 50 and 70? Research suggests that from the ages of 30 to 80 years, your back, leg, and arm strength can decrease up to 30 to 40%.
Generally, people lose about 1 percent of their lean muscle mass per year after the age of 40.
Using your swim spa to perform resistance exercises can help improve your overall muscle strength in a very safe and effective way. Here is why:
Water training is low impact. The decreased weight bearing that buoyancy provides decreases the impact on your joints. Whether you are just beginning a strength training program or cross training the water is very beneficial.
The waters surrounding properties provide three-dimensional resistance inherently, so the muscular and neurological systems receive a more comprehensive training effect than land based training.
Water provides an accommodating resistance meaning the harder you push the water, the harder the water pushes you back. So no matter how strong or weak you are, you control the amount of resistance which is a very safe and effective way to train.
The water can help to enhance both dynamic flexibility and strength simultaneously. Having resistance in multiple directions builds balanced muscle strength and also helps reduce the risk of injury when working out.
The water is a very safe place to begin a strength training program. Training on land requires that you have to constantly fight gravity, which can be very challenging for some people.
By incorporating the current or jets of your swim spa you can create a graded amount of resistance for more of a strength challenge.
Using your swim spa to help improve muscle strength can be very effective.Just as with any strength training program it should be well-structured, with correct the exercise intensity and overload controlled.
Because we are not fish or mermaids and reside on the land, eventually a progressive land based strengthening program should be integrated when appropriate.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
Using Your Swim Spa as a Cross Trainer Machine
Cross training in your swim spa not only allows you to train harder but smarter. The unique aquatic environment effects almost every system of your body positively.
Here are a few examples
The buoyancy of the water reduces impact and limits the wear and tear on your joints. This helps to decrease the risk of overuse injuries as well as muscle soreness.
The waters hydrostatic pressure is very powerful, it helps to eliminate your bodies waste products produced from stressful land based training. At the same time, it causes your heart to function more efficiently and provides increased resistance on your chest to help strengthen breathing muscles for an improved workout. These benefits cannot be easily duplicated with a typical land-based training program.
The waters assistive and resistive properties will help to improve your muscle balance and flexibility. This will help to improve performance and reduce the likelihood of injuries.
Water provides 3-dimensional resistance so your muscles are trained much differently than on land. I like to call the water “the great equalizer” meaning the harder you push the water, the harder the water pushes you back. This is a very holistic, safe and effective way to train.
Using your swim spas current or jets creates increased turbulence, this additional challenge helps to improve your core stability, balance and coordination.
The waters resistance also allows for a great cardiovascular workout ,whether swimming or water running the benefits can be greater than land based training.
The temperature and pressure of the water as well as the introduction of the swim spa jets allows for improved circulation to help with muscle relaxation, faster recovery rates and diminished delayed onset muscle soreness
Cross training in your swim spa also provides:
Variation in your normal training program so you don’t get bored
Training your body differently can help you break through a plateau
By reducing gravity and momentum in the water it can help assist with your overall movement patterning meaning simply you move better.
Attention must be paid to correct exercise form, technique, intensity, program frequency and duration, but when used correctly your swim spa is an excellent cross training machine!
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
Seniors: Improve Your Balance Using Your Swim Spa
Did you know:
Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality among older adults.
The financial toll for older adult falls is expected to increase as the population ages and may reach $67.7 billion by 2020.
Hip fractures are far more common than breast cancer in women, and that one out of four hip fracture patients will never return to a normal life?
After age 50, you will lose muscle strength at a rate of 12%-14% per decade if you are not physically active. Flexibility exercises tends to be the most overlooked and neglected activity among seniors.
So seniors, you are getting both tighter and weaker at a much faster rate.
Seniors tend to sit for greater amounts of time causing the muscles of the neck, torso, hips, knees and ankles to become tighter and weaker. This muscle imbalance causes changes in posture exhibited by a forward head, rounded shoulders posture that contributes to the crouched and shuffled walking pattern that puts people at a much greater risk for falling.
Now for the good news:
Exercises to improve walking, balance, flexibility and strength have been shown to reduce fall risk by 14%–37%.
Using your swim spa to perform a fall prevention exercise program is very safe and beneficial.
Here is Why:
Water is 500-800x more supportive that air but can be up to 15x more resistant. This allows you to get a safe and effective workout without the harmful effects of gravity.
Water is 3-dimensional meaning it is a surrounding medium. That means you get resistance in every direction that you move. This is a much more comprehensive/holistic way to exercise compared to the one-dimensional training environment of land.
The waters resistant forces helps to improve your coordination and confidence so normal walking patterns can help be strengthened in a safe and efficient environment.
Single leg balance activities can be extremely important to your overall balance and can be very effective when performed in water.
Your swim spas resistance jets can be introduced to increase the amount of turbulence to build your balance even greater.
One of the most important benefits that I find when working with people in the water with balance issues is the confidence factor. People tend to challenge themselves greater in the water because their fear of falling is minimized. When integrated with a basic land based exercise program I have seen tremendous progress in balance, function and overall quality of life.
Swim Spa Exercise is Medicine!
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
Arthritis Pain Relief in Your Swim Spa
Not Just Your Grandma’s Arthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. There's a 50-50 chance that at some point in your life, you are going to develop osteoarthritis. I would not buy a lottery ticket with those odds!
In OA the strong, flexible substance that cushions your joints called cartilage begins to break down, leading to symptoms such as pain, stiffness, swelling particularly in the joints of the knee, hip, spine, hands and feet. Even though the cause of OA is unknown, age, gender, excess body weight, previous joint injury, occupation and genetics are all contributing factors.
Over the past decade knee replacement surgeries have tripled in the 45-to-64 age group because of OA.
One of the most effective ways to treat OA is to exercise. Your swim spa is one of the most comfortable and effective places a person with arthritis can exercise. Here’s why:
Water significantly reduces the impact on your joints making it much easier to move.
Water allows improved joint flexibility, which will improve range of motion and general mobility.
Water provides up to 12-15 times the resistance of air, allowing you to really strengthen your muscles and bones.
Your swim spas warm water and jets will aide in reducing any pain associated with OA.
Your spas current or jetted system can assist to improve cardiovascular fitness, calorie burning and weight loss.
The water 3 dimensional surrounding properties can help improve your balance, coordination and walking mechanics which then can transfer to land.
Your swim spa obviously provides significant benefits from a low impact standpoint. However, it is also a great place to get a high intensity workout.
A recent study with patients who suffered from OA and participated in a 6 week high intensity aquatic workout reduced joint pain and improved balance, function, and their overall mobility
Your swim spa can help to significantly alleviate and improve the symptoms associated with Osteoarthritis.
It is not necessarily the Fountain of Youth, but it’s pretty close.
.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
Weight Loss Using Your Swim Spa
As you are probably aware, obesity is a major issue in the world today. A significant number of people struggle with weight management. Trying to improve physical activity and diet is a constant battle for many.
An increase in body weight coupled with a sedentary lifestyle will often lead to greater health risks as well.
Regular exercise with a balanced diet can help you control your weight, reduce your risk of heart disease and certain cancers, and strengthen your bones and muscles. Not to mention improve your overall mood and sense of well being.
Taking your workout into your swim spa can easily help start you on your weight loss journey. Exercising in the water has been shown to be a great calorie burner and no matter what age, weight, or fitness level, anyone can perform and benefit from water exercise.
Here’s a few more reasons why your swim spa should be the place to begin your weight loss journey.
Water Training is Low Impact: The waters buoyancy allows for reduced impact on your joints. In fact, when standing in waist-deep water, you only weigh approximately 50% of your body weight.
This reduced weight bearing is one of the many advantages of exercising in water, it allows people to perform activities that are not always possible on land such as jogging.
A study in the Journal of Obesity looked at the effects of aqua jogging in obese adults and concluded that subjects who performed jogging in the water had reduced their body fat and waist size, and improved their overall aerobic fitness and quality of life.
More Flexibility/Less Soreness: Warm water will help to improve the flexibility of those tight muscles that you have developed over the years. With less gravity there is less risk of muscle soreness which will increase your exercise tolerance. In the water you are able to exercise everyday without increased muscle soreness.
Water Provides Accommodating Resistance: I like to refer to the water as “The Great Equalizer” meaning the harder you push against the water, the harder the water pushes you back. So no matter what fitness level you are, you control the amount of resistance which is a very safe and effective way to train. This forces your muscles to work harder, helping you burn fat and tone muscles more quickly than land-based exercise programs.
Burn Calories: Because of the added resistance in the water, you’re actually working harder than you would on land to complete the same exact movements, even if it doesn’t feel like that.
Research studies that compared upper and lower body workouts performed on land versus in the water, showed that exercises performed in water created a higher energy output than on land. These studies also explained the benefits of water exercise where both the upper and lower body movements were combined in the water, utilizing full body movements thereby expending more energy and burning more calories.
Exercising in warm water also increases your body temperature and burns even more calories during your workout.
Vertical aquatic exercise depending on your intensity has been shown to burn up to 400-600 calories in an hour!
It’s Fun: Exercising in the water does not really feel like you are exercising. You can’t feel yourself sweating and mentally you leave the water in a much better mood than when you got in. If an activity is fun people usually tend to stick with it
It’s Convenient: There are a significant number of people who are very intimidated to join a gym never mind the feeling of putting on a bathing suit in public! It has been shown that over half of people who join a gym do not attend consistently. Exercising in your swim spa in the privacy of your own home will make things so much easier and your weight loss goals more attainable.
Exercise is Medicine
In 2007, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association (AMA) co-launched Exercise is Medicine
The goal of this organization is to create a broad awareness that exercise can be as powerful as any pharmaceuticals in preventing and treating a range of chronic diseases and medical conditions.
As a health care professional for over 30 years specializing in aquatics I couldn’t agree more that Swim Spa Exercise is Medicine!
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
10 REASONS TO EXERCISE IN YOUR SWIM SPA
A Swim Spa is a significant financial investment but should also be an investment in your health. Here are some of the benefits that the water can provide that will give you a significant return on that investment.
Water Training is Low Impact: The decreased weight bearing that buoyancy provides decreases the impact on your joints. Whether you are suffering from arthritis, recovering from and injury or just beginning an exercise program the water is a great place to train.
Water Provides Accommodating Resistance: The harder you push the water, the harder the water pushes you back. So no matter what fitness level you are ,you control the amount of resistance which is a very safe and effective way to train. By incorporating the current or jets of your swim spa you can create more of a strength challenge.
Improved Flexibility: The waters unique properties of buoyancy, viscosity and drag allows your muscles and joints to move much more freely than on land. This freedom of movement can help you gain improved flexibility.
Lose Weight: Because of the added resistance in the water, you’re actually working harder than you would on land to complete the same movement, even if it doesn’t feel like that. Water exercise can effectively burn more calories than land exercise when doing the same movements.Vertical aquatic exercise depending on your intensity you can burn up to 400-500 calories in an hour!
Builds Cardio Endurance: Waters unique properties provides increased resistance to movement and challenges you even further when exercising. When you pair this with your spas current or jets with activities such as running or jogging in the water, you get improved cardiovascular endurance.
Improves Balance: Exercising in the water can help to minimize the fear and risk of falling. Use the water to challenge your balance and coordination in a very safe and supportive environment. Integrate the swim current or jets in your swim spa for more of a challenge.
Cross Training: Water workouts are a great addition to your current training program. In the water it is much easier to balance your muscle groups. This will help to improved your land based training. It has been shown that individuals who do multiple forms of exercise may decrease their risk of overuse injuries.
Improve Recovery: If you are recovering from an injury or surgery, water training can allow you to get moving sooner and more comfortably. When combined with land based training results usually occur faster.
Functional: Functional exercise takes into consideration how our bodies move in day to day activities. Because water is a surrounding medium the resistance created while moving in the water works your whole body including your arms, back and core which is very functional.Unlike exercise machines, water provides resistance to movement in any direction which is very beneficial.
It’s Fun: Exercising in the water does not really feel like you are exercising. You can’t feel yourself sweating and mentally you leave the water in a much better mood than when you got in. If an activity is fun people usually tend to stick with it.
By maximizing the use of your swim spa it will provide significant health benefits for years to come.
Dr. Rick McAvoy, PT, DPT, CSCS has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy, Fitness and Sports Performance for over 25 years. Rick is the Owner of Swim Spa Exercise, a virtual training company to help people maximize the use of their swim spas. He wants everyone to Move Better and Live Better.
For more information of how to maximize the use of your Swim Spa and how to Move Better and Live Better visit.
Dynamic Training in a Swim Spa
Water is a buoyant, three-dimensional, holistic, non-momentum prone environment which is the opposite of what is found on land. For aquatic training to be effective a very different philosophy needs to be used. Training in the water is just not land based exercises put into the water.This is what many people and trainers do not completely understand.
Because of the waters unique properties we are able to target functional movement type exercises much easier than when training on land. This functional type training helps people of all levels move better in their day to day lives.
Using a swims spas current with functional exercise can create even more of a challenge. Whether it be a propulsion system or a jetted system if used properly significant gains can be achieved.
All core all the time: Your core is the foundation for all movements in your body. Because of the waters properties your core muscles will become engaged easier during exercise to maintain proper posture. With the added resistance from the current or jets it gives you even more feedback and challenge during exercise.
Let’s take a basic walking forward motion. If I walk towards the current or jets I am getting more resistance in the front of my body. I have to use my core was well as my arm and leg muscles especially my buttocks muscles to push off and fight against the current or jets.
Now lets take the same exercise but with the current/jets pushing behind me. I have to still use my arms/legs and core muscles but now my back and leg muscles function much differently because I have to resist the current from not pushing me over.
This type of training will also help with challenge your brain in a much different way. We tend to be very patterned individuals and perform very similar activities throughout our day. When in the water both gravity and momentum are significantly reduced and your body becomes very uncoordinated. This nervous system “reset” can really help to improve your ability on land no matter what fitness level you are.
I am often asked, if we live on the land then why train in the water? I feel that by using water training we can create a more holistic approach and have much faster results. Water training alone does not work well unless it is combined with some sort of land based activity or training. I always like to compare water and land to Peanut Butter and Jelly. Separate they are good but when they are combined they are great!
And who doesn't love Peanut Butter and Jelly.
For more information about swim spa exercise visit: swimspaexercise.com
Swim Spa Exercise Blog
Swim Spas-More Than Just Swimming
When you mention swim spas, the first activity that obviously comes to mind is swimming.
However, there is so much more that you can do in your swim spa.
A Few Quick Points:
The Water is the Great Equalizer
The harder you push in the water, the harder the water pushes back. Water provides an accommodating resistance. So no matter what fitness level you are, as long you are working your hardest, the water will give you a great workout.
The Water Does Not Discriminate
No matter what age or fitness level you are, the water will provide maximum benefit to help your overall health and/or performance.
The Water is More Holistic
Training in the water allows you to work multiple areas simultaneously. Even the most basic exercise such as walking forward in the water-improves your balance, coordination, trains the core muscles, increases your flexibility, strength and boosts cardiovascular fitness.
Swim Spas Propulsion System
Incorporating the swim spas propulsion system creates a much more challenging training effect and brings a very different dynamic compared to that a traditional pool.
Given my 25 plus years specializing in aquatics I feel that if more people realized the full potential of water there would be much less injury and illness and we would have a health revolution.
If you would like to learn about how to maximize the use of you swim spa to move better and feel better visit:
5 Common Compensations when Incorporating Upper Body Drag Equipment
When integrating drag equipment into your clients routine there are common compensations that become evident and can be corrected with proper cueing.
Grip: Most clients will tend to grip the handles of the gear too tight. This will cause increase wrist and forearm discomfort when exercising. You may also note that their wrist position is not neutral but will flex and extend as they move. A cue would be “Try to keep your wrists straight but your grip loose as you move”
Posture: Most people myself included don’t have the best posture. Because we are very patterned individuals and tend to sit too much we develop that typical forward head and rounded shoulder posture. When using resistive gear in the water this can become further accentuated because the waters buoyancy and resistance act on the body simultaneously. Cueing for a proper chin tuck with a chest lift will cause facilitation of the lower trapezius musculature which will help with proper postural alignment
Core Stability: Incorporating upper body resistive equipment significantly challenges core stability. If the proximal stability of the core lacks control then the distal mobility of the extremities will cause increased compensation. One common compensation is that the body will rock back and forth with upper body movements. To correct this there are a few options. Remove the equipment so that proper alignment can be maintained during the exercise then gradually reintroduce. You can also slow the movement down enough so that proper core stability can be maintained and controlled.
Limited Range of Motion: When clients are cued to perform exercises at an increased speed we usually notice a reduced ROM .This happens because the client is try to go at a faster rate so they limit the motion to increase the speed of the exercise. Only have the client move as fast as they can with full equal motion.
Pattern: Common substitution patterns that I notice frequently are increased upper trapezius activation, this is demonstrated by the client shoulders being significantly elevated during exercise.
Pattern dominance is exhibited when a client is performing an exercise such as a push/pull exercise. A client will very often push out much more forcefully with the dominant anterior musculature and pull back with less force with the weaker posterior chain musculature.
When incorporating upper body resistive equipment I recommend what I call the 3 P’s: Pattern, Posture, Power.
First, teach the Pattern, Second cue for the Posture and Third integrate Power into the Movement.
Train in 3D, No glasses required
3-dimensional functional training has always been a major focus of mine. As a physical therapist I have to develop functional training programs for clients who need to return to work, sport and overall quality of life.
My education in 3D functional training came early while I was attending the University of Connecticut. One of my professors there was David Tiberio who together with Gary Gray are pioneers in the field of functional training. Both Gary and David offer functional training education though the Gray Institute.
The Certification in Applied Functional Science is a great course through the Gray Institute that I highly recommend to anyone especially those specializing in aquatics. It will help to maximize the use of the water with your clients or athletes.
Why is 3D training important?
As Gary Gray explains human beings are three-dimensional: “We’re capable of moving in three planes of motion — forward and back, side to side, and rotationally. But it goes further than that: We’re also muscles, bones, and nerves. We can express strength, endurance, and power. And we’re mind, body, and spirit. If we leave any of those dimensions out, then we’re not training the whole person.”
We are very patterned individuals. We tend to sit too much during the day and most times if and when we exercise we incorporate straight plane type movements. This tends to lead to muscle imbalance, joint dysfunction and hence injury.
By incorporating the water, functional gains can be made faster incorporating 3D training because:
Water provides three-dimensional resistance inherently, so the muscular and neurological systems receive a more comprehensive training effect than land.
In the water, the focus can be on both flexibility and strength/stability at the same time. This will assist in reducing muscle imbalances and improving posture and function on land.
The ability to target movements not just muscles. Because of the waters surrounding properties clients and athletes are able to train functional movement patterns easier than on land
One of the most important things that I think the water provides is the benefits to train the nervous system.
Muscle imbalances can cause increased inhibition which leads to increased apprehension. By decreasing muscle inhibition it will lead to decreased apprehension and produce cleaner movements.
Because water is a surrounding proprioceptively enriched medium, it provides increased kinesthetic feedback. This feedback helps to clean up dysfunctional movement patterns.
So the next time you are training clients in the water, try to remember and incorporate a 3D philosophy. For example, can the client perform an exercise in which the arms are moving in one plane while the legs are moving in another? I think you will find it challenging as well as beneficial for your client or athletes.
Bridging the Gap Between Water and Land
Almost everyday I witness the power that water has influencing peoples lives. I see people in aquatic exercise classes smiling and feeling incredible with a freedom of movement not always experienced on land. However, when they exit the pool they are influenced by gravity and momentum which usually puts them in the same state that they were before getting into the water. These programs are obviously fun but will it help them functionally on land?
Over the past 25 years working in aquatics, I have worked with clients of all levels and abilities, from neurological disorders all the way up to professional and world-class athletes. I believe the pool should be fun but foremost functional. By performing functional aquatic training it will help to “bridge the gap” between water and land based training.
Functional training should focus on movements not just muscles. Functional training should be individual to a persons goals but it usually does encompass a few common components such as multi-planar and multi-joint actions that recruit the body’s stabilizers synergistically to facilitate correct movement. These programs should include core strength, flexibility, balance and coordinated movements to mention a few.
Integrating functional training into the water is much easier if we try to think more functionally.
A few thoughts:
Core Strength:
Core strength is the basis of most all exercise. It is not possible for the arms and legs to produce more force than the core is able to stabilize. Because of the waters unique properties it provides kinesthetic feedback to assist with core stability. Having clients perform movements such as push/pulls or rotation can be easily transitioned to land by incorporating body weight, bands, balls or even light weights.
Flexibility:
Flexibility should be established in all 3 planes of motion to have proper muscle balance and strength. In the water the focus can be on both flexibility and strength/stability at the same time. This will assist in reducing muscle imbalances and improving posture and function on land.
Balance/Coordination:
Coordinated upper and lower body movements can enhance both flexibility/mobility and hence function. Functional training should incorporate controlled amounts of instability such as in single leg exercises. The water’s properties helps to improve balanced coordinated movement patterns that may be more challenging to achieve on land.
Remember,the body moves in three planes of motion. Even though we move usually in one plane of motion at a time (forward/backward/sideways), we have to have stability in the other two planes. Because water is a surrounding 3-dimensional medium it provides this inherently so the muscular and neurological systems receive a more comprehensive training effect.
When developing aquatic fitness programs, try to think functionally. Water has its place but we function on land. You can still have fun in the water but if you integrate functional components into your program you will have clients that perform better on land as well. And honestly isn't that what it is all about?