Pool Equipment: Drag Equipment

Drag equipment comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. Drag is the resistance you feel to movement in the water. There is friction between the water molecules (viscosity) causing them to adhere to each other. This friction causes resistance to motion. Sweep your hand through the water, and that resistance you feel is drag. You can increase the amount of drag by increasing your speed of movement or by increasing the surface area of your hand. Do this by spreading the fingers slightly and make your palms face the direction of motion. Drag equipment increases the surface area even more. If the surface of your drag equipment has bumps, edges, fins or other irregularities, these create eddies, or currents that move in directions different from the current you are creating by the direction of your movement. Turbulence is created when the eddies become chaotic. Drag, eddies and turbulence all increase resistance and can effectively provide overload to improve muscular strength and endurance.

The muscles of the human body are primarily organized in pairs. When one muscle of the pair (the prime mover) contracts or shortens, the opposite muscle lengthens or stretches. When you return to your starting position, the opposing muscle contracts and becomes the prime mover, while the opposite muscle stretches. When you use drag equipment you are providing resistance to the muscle that is contracting. You do not have to get into any special positions to work both muscles because, unlike buoyant equipment, drag equipment provides resistance in every direction. There is resistance moving the equipment down toward the pool floor, lifting it up toward the surface of the water, sweeping it from side to side, moving it in diagonal patterns, and rotating it in circles. You can target every muscle group with drag equipment. That is why I am a big fan of drag equipment.

Here are a few examples of drag equipment, where to buy them, and a short video demonstration of an exercise using the equipment:

Webbed gloves. Webbed gloves are the easiest piece of drag equipment to use. Just slip them on and start your workout. The resistance is light enough that you can use webbed gloves for an entire class without risking an injury. Webbed gloves can be used in both shallow and deep water. Many of my participants bring their own gloves to class. Hydro-Fit gloves cost $19.95 a pair. Click on rotator cuff sweep for a video demonstration of one exercise using webbed gloves.

Boqs. Boqs are a brand new piece of drag equipment. They are advertised as omnidirectional, resistive aquatic exercise equipment that is big enough to create more and more resistance the faster you use them – challenging every major muscle group in your body. You can use them in shallow or deep water, which I presume means that they float. I have not seen them nor had an opportunity to test them out, but they look interesting. A pair costs $44.99. They are so new that no video demonstrations are yet available.

Hydro-Tone hydro bells. Hydro-tone bells have been around for a long time. They are large with multiple surfaces, fins and openings which create a lot of turbulence. They offer a lot of resistance. By doubling your speed of movement you can quadruple the resistance. All that resistance makes them popular with athletes. They can be used in shallow water, but you cannot create enough stability to handle that much resistance in deep water. A pair costs $79.95 on the Hydro-Tone website. Click on push-pull for a video demonstration of one exercise using Hydro-Tone hydro bells.

Aqualogix Training Bells. Aqualogix bells have three surfaces, fins and openings to create turbulence. There is a handle on the inside, and if you hold it one way, the fin is on the bottom and a flat surface is on the top, creating a larger surface area and more resistance for forward and upward moves. Hold the handle the other way and the fin is on top with the flat surface on the bottom, creating more resistance for backward and downward moves. They come in three sizes, low, medium and high resistance. I love my low resistance Aqualogix bells, and have used them with my participants in circuit classes. They float and the equipment is suitable for deep water as well as shallow. They are sold for $74.95 a pair by Hydro Revolution. Click on cross-country ski for a video demonstration of one exercise using Aqualogix training bells.

Liquid Stars. Liquid stars are buoyant equipment that can be used like drag equipment. They are a fun piece of equipment with a smiley face in the middle. You can put your fingers through the smile or put a finger through each eye hole. The yellow small stars and blue medium stars are sold as pairs. The red large star is the size of a small kickboard and is sold as a single. You can use them in shallow or deep water. They are sold by Indigo Aquatics for $26 for a pair of small stars, $30 for a medium pair, and $25 for a large one. Click on suspended push for a video demonstration of one exercise using liquid stars.

Aqua Ohm. The Aqua Ohm was created by a licensed physical therapist who wanted a piece of drag equipment that could be used for both upper body and lower body. It is made of a flexible flat surface with three handles. Two handles are fixed on the ends. The third handle is movable and can be used to adjust the length of the equipment. The website has a lot of information about how to use it. My shallow water class enjoys using the Aqua Ohm. Since it does not float, it is not appropriate for deep water. It costs $36.95 on the Aqua Ohm website. Click on biceps curl for a video demonstration of one exercise using an Aqua Ohm.

AquaFlex Paddle Water Fans. Paddles have a handle with a round fan on each end. The fans have adjustable blades that you can fully open for the least resistance or fully close for the most resistance. You can also adjust them to be partially open. I have been using them successfully with my shallow water class for years. Since they do not float, they cannot be used in deep water. You can get them from Theraquatics for $32.99 for a pair. Click on chest fly for a video demonstration of one exercise using AquaFlex paddle water fans.

This list of drag equipment is not exhaustive, but it gives you an idea of the variety that is available. Like any piece of equipment used in the pool, consider the safety of your participants. Choose a size that offers overload for strength training but is not so large that good form is compromised. Use the equipment for a section of your class, or alternate drag equipment sets with sets using no equipment to avoid overtaxing your shoulder stabilizers. Water Fitness Progressions has strength training lesson plans for webbed gloves, paddles, and drag bells, as well as circuit classes using them.

Let me know what your favorite kind of drag equipment is in the comment section below. See you in the pool!

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Chris Alexander

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Pool Equipment: Dumbbells

Foam dumbbells (or hand buoys) are another popular piece of pool equipment, along with noodles. Before companies began making equipment designed for use in water exercise, instructors used empty milk jugs! I’m glad those days are gone. Nowadays, there are many companies producing foam dumbbells. Here are a few examples of what is available:

Hydro-Fit. Craig Stuart told me that he made his original Hydro-Fit Hand Buoys on his dining room table. His goal was to create some kind of resistance equipment that took advantage of the properties of water. Today’s Hydro-Fit dumbbells are made of premium quality Ethafoam® and feature cushioned hand grips and sturdy construction for lasting durability. I like that the bar part of the dumbbells are made of a soft material that does not deteriorate in chlorinated water.

Swim Outlet. A variety of other brands of foam dumbbells is available on Swim Outlet, including Sporti, Speedo, AquaJogger and also Hydro-Fit. Of course you can find lots of other brands on Amazon.

Class participants love dumbbells! If you Google “pictures of water exercise” you will find lots of photos of smiling participants waving their dumbbells in the air, or hanging from dumbbells extended to their sides. In facilities that store their equipment in bins on the deck, it is not unusual to see a participant grab a pair and spend the entire class pushing and plunging (as Mark Grevelding says). But let’s get serious for a moment. Dumbbells made of foam weigh very little, and waving them in the air is not an effective exercise. Buoyancy pushes the dumbbells toward the surface of the water, therefore the resistance comes from pushing them toward the pool floor. Pushing dumbbells underwater requires the shoulder stabilizers (mainly the rotator cuff muscles) to engage. Performing the exercises incorrectly by hunching the shoulders or hanging from dumbbells extended to the sides causes shoulder impingement, which may lead to a rotator cuff tear. Pushing and plunging for an entire class overuses the shoulder stabilizers and may also lead to a rotator cuff tear. So many senior adults already have rotator cuff tears that it makes sense to be intelligent about using the equipment safely. For more information on shoulder safety see my post on Shoulders.

Using Foam Dumbbells. Select dumbbells the right size. If your participant has trouble pushing them underwater without shrugging the shoulders, go to a smaller size. After every strength training set relax the shoulders. People often grip the handles hard while using dumbbells, so ask them to stretch their fingers as well. Exercises that push the dumbbells toward the pool floor include lat pull-down (should adduction, click the link for a short video demonstration), double arm press-down (shoulder extension), and triceps extension. If you lean forward in a lunge position, you can also do a chest fly (horizontal adduction) and push-ups. Exercises that sweep the dumbbells just below the surface of the water, such as a row or a rotator cuff sweep, require the shoulders to contract isometrically, which is okay if the reps are limited. For the legs, you can hold the dumbbells down by your sides, and do squats, lunges, and calf raises. The muscles used for all these exercises are the opposite of those same exercises with weights on land. That’s a pretty short list. Fortunately, there are ways to vary your use of foam dumbbells.

Use One Dumbbell. If you use just one dumbbell, you can perform an exercise with one hand, then pass the dumbbell to the other hand. That way one shoulder gets a break while the other shoulder works. With the dumbbell horizontal you can put one hand on each foam end, pushing or plunging with reduced resistance on each shoulder. Or do a rotator cuff sweep side to side. Hold the dumbbell vertical with both hands on the handle and sweep it in circles or figure eights.

Perform Eccentric Contractions. To focus on eccentric contractions, push the dumbbells quickly toward the pool floor, then slowly control the movement toward the surface of the water. Eccentric contractions have the reputation of being better at building strength than concentric contractions, which occur when pushing the equipment toward the floor, but this is a misconception. Nevertheless, focusing on eccentric contractions adds variety to your strength training session.

Use Dumbbells of Two Different Sizes. Most of us have muscle imbalances, that is, we are stronger on one side than the other. Right handed people are more likely to have a right arm that is stronger than their left arm, and the opposite is true for left handed people. Try using a larger size dumbbell with your weaker arm and a size smaller with your stronger arm to help correct a muscle imbalance.

Use Dumbbells as Stabilizers. In shallow water, you can use the dumbbells as stabilizers to practice fall recovery. Hold the dumbbells together in front of you and fall forward, then tuck your feet under you and stand. Or hold the dumbbells out to the sides and fall sideways, then tuck your feet under you and stand. This practice teaches a participant what to do if they lose their footing in the pool, and they will automatically recover from a fall, even if they do not have dumbbells in their hands. Foam dumbbells can also be used as stabilizers in both shallow water and deep water for the plank and side plank. In deep water, use the dumbbells as stabilizers for side to side (side shoot) and for abdominal pike and spine extension. Click on the links for short video demonstrations of both exercises. Do not do these exercises with dumbbells in shallow water, because then you would be hanging from the dumbbells by your shoulders. In deep water, you are wearing a buoyancy belt for support.

You can find lesson plans using foam dumbbells in both shallow water and deep water in my book Water Fitness Progressions. For the safety of your participants, don’t do an entire class with dumbbells. Alternate upper body strength training with exercises for the lower body, or do a circuit alternating strength training with cardio. Relax the shoulders between sets. Stretch the fingers, or do finger exercises such as finger extensions, thumb circles or cat claw. Or shake out the hands to relieve the tension in them.

See you in the pool!

Author/Instructor Photo

Chris Alexander

One response to “Pool Equipment: Dumbbells”

  1. Kay Barnett Avatar
    Kay Barnett

    Great as always!! I needed this as I am teaching both shallow water as well as deep water classes
    every other day!! So in order to keep my mind concentrating, I use the same play list 2 days in a row, but reshedule moves for each “record” according to shallow or deep exercises!! It has helped
    because some moves just do NOT transfer between deep and shallow!! I am so glad that you mentioned the shoulder because many of my participants have shoulder issues!!
    As always so good to get information from you and such great reminders of the great twice a year
    trainings we used to have ….all H20 members who joined!!

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Pool Equipment: Noodles

Nearly every pool has noodles. They are inexpensive and available every summer in many different kinds of stores. They come thick or thin, with or without holes in the middle, and in many different colors.

You can also spend more for denser noodles from Hydro-Fit or square Sqoodles from AquaJogger. These provide more buoyancy, resistance and support than the regular pool noodles.

The uses for pool noodles are almost endless. Hold them in the hands for upper body strength training. Sit on it like a swing, wrap one around your lower back, or ride it like a bicycle for suspended exercises. Recline on the noodle lengthwise for crunches. Stand on a noodle for lower body strength training and balance work. Noodles are also great for partner work. If you have more than one type of noodle to choose from, the noodle you use for a specific exercise will depend on your goals.

Upper Body Strength Training.

if your focus is muscular endurance, use the smaller noodles and perform more reps. If your focus is muscular strength, use the more buoyant noodles and perform fewer reps. Hold the noodle with your hands shoulder distance apart. If the hands are too narrow, the shoulders are rounded. If the hands are too wide, the shoulder blades are out of neutral. Some exercises you can do are row, push forward, push down, triceps extension, push-ups leaning forward with the toes on the floor or suspended, and burpees. For a video demonstration of how to do burpees in deep water, click burpees. In shallow water, jump up instead of flutter kicking to elevate the shoulders. Use one hand to press a noodle down, or perform jumping jacks or cross-country ski. Hold the ends of the noodle like a rainbow and touch the ends in a chest fly, or hold the ends together and perform shoulder flexion. Wrap the noodle around your waist, hold it in that position with your elbows and perform a rotator cuff sweep.

Suspended Exercises.

For suspended exercises, a smaller noodle will work, but the denser noodles provide more support. Sitting on a noodle like a swing challenges balance. In this position you can perform seated kicks, unison kicks (mermaid), seated jacks with legs straight, bent knee jacks, seated leg press, bicycle, flutter kick, point and flex the feet, and hip hike. You can do most of the same exercises with the noodle wrapped around your lower back (also called positioned in a posterior sling) which provides more stability. Do not position the noodle in the arm pits because that causes impingement in the shoulder joints which may lead to a rotator cuff tear. With the noodle wrapped around the lower back do a waist twist instead of a hip hike. Try a Pilates move, such as single leg stretch (see the center photo). Stretch the arms side to side and you can do side-lying moves such as bicycle, jog, flutter kick and cross-country ski. If you want to do suspended travel, sitting on a noodle like bicycle is the way to go. You can bicycle, or reverse pedal to go backward, and travel with seated jacks, seated kick and cross-country ski. Cross the ankles and row using only the arms for canoe races.

Recline on the Noodle.

If I’m going to do crunches, this is the noodle position that I prefer. Reclining on the noodle puts you in the correct position to perform crunches. Focus on bringing your chest toward your knees which contracts the abdominals rather than bringing your knees to your chest which works the hip flexors. Participants with osteoporosis should not do crunches because forward flexion compresses the discs of the spine and may cause microfractures. This is why I seldom do crunches with my classes. More often we focus on core stabilization. Put the noodle between the knees, then raise and lower the knees until you find neutral.

Stand on the Noodle.

With lower body strength training, the smaller noodles are best for focusing on muscular endurance, and the more buoyant noodles are best for improving muscular strength. The Sqoodle is easier to manage under the feet because of its flat surfaces. Put one foot on the noodle and perform a leg press in front to work the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Perform a leg press to the side to work the inner thigh. Keep the leg straight and perform a small hip extension for the glutes; the noodle flies out from under the foot with a larger hip extension. Perform squats standing on the noodle with both feet. Do a reverse squat by lifting the feet (and the noodle) off the floor. Lift one foot at a time and use the noodle like a stair climber. Stand on the noodle and drop the toes to the floor for the calves and the heels to the floor for the tibialis anterior. Balance with one foot on the noodle and the other leg lifted in front or extended to the back.

Partner Work.

Noodles are great for partner moves. For a partner bicycle ride, have one participant sit on the noodle like a bicycle while her partner wraps the noodle around her chest, becoming the handle bars. The partner in front runs while the one in back bicycles. Make a train by having four or more participants wrap their noodles around their chest; the ones in back hold the ends of the noodle of their partners in front. The partner in front is the train engine. Everybody runs to one end of the pool, Then the train engine goes to the back of the line to become the caboose, and a new engine leads the train back to the starting point. If you have several trains, turn it into a race, and keep going until everyone has had a turn being the engine. A variation is to have four or more people straddle their noodles and put the ends of the noodle of their partner in front between their knees. Now you can have crew boat races with everyone rowing. Let the last person in the boat call out the strokes. Create a centipede by having everyone straddle their noodles and get in a line one behind the other. Each person uses their hands to hold the end of the noodle of the person in front. Everyone bicycles while the person at the head of the line performs a breaststroke and leads the centipede in circles, or spirals or zig zags.

This list of noodle exercises is not exhaustive. You can find lesson plans with noodle exercises in both of my books, Water Fitness Lesson Plans and Choreography and Water Fitness Progressions. The first book is out of print, but you can find copies on Amazon, or get it as an e-book. If you have a favorite noodle exercise, put it in the “Leave a Reply” box below.

See you in the pool!

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Chris Alexander

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Pool Equipment: Webbed Gloves

If I could use only one piece of equipment for my water workout, it would be webbed gloves. Webbed gloves increase the surface area of your hands, creating more resistance and increasing the intensity for your upper body. Since you are not holding the equipment in your hands, as with other pieces of resistance equipment, your fingers do not get cramped, and your elbows and shoulders are able to move more naturally. You can adjust the amount of resistance by changing the position of your hands – slicing through the water for the least resistance, making a fist for moderate resistance, and making the palms face the direction of motion with the hands open for the greatest resistance. Sculling with the palms flat helps you balance in shallow water, and helps you stabilize in deep water. The added surface area of your hands enables you to travel faster, especially in deep water. Sculling with webbed gloves or accelerating the hands toward the bottom of the pool in deep water provides lift when you want to increase the intensity of your cardio by elevating the shoulders out of the water. Click on the links below the photos to see video demonstrations using webbed gloves.

Webbed gloves provide drag resistance in all directions. You can lift the water up, push it down, sweep it to the side, or move it in a diagonal pattern. You can use webbed gloves to strength train any muscle of the upper body. If you want to focus on one muscle group, you can spread your fingers and contract that muscle against resistance, and then return to your starting point with a slicing motion. For example, if you wish to target the middle deltoids, spread your fingers and lift your arms to the sides (abduction), then slice back down. You can target both muscles of an opposing pair by keeping the fingers spread. In the previous example, you work the middle deltoids with your lift to the side, and then pause and press back down with fingers spread to work the latissimus dorsi. For more information on the benefits of using webbed gloves, see Laurie Denomme’s blog post Water Weights for Water Exercise: The Secret Tool.

There are two main types of webbed gloves for water fitness: fabric gloves and neoprene gloves.

Fabric Gloves. I prefer fabric gloves because they allow more freedom of movement in my hands and they are more comfortable. I get my webbed gloves from Hydro-Fit. They make Wave Web Pros and Wave Mitts with holes for the fingers to extend through. Their website has information on how to choose the right size, sample exercises using webbed gloves, and a video showing how to remove the gloves to extend their life. Laurie Denomme likes H20 Wear‘s Chloroguard Gloves. Other companies that make fabric webbed gloves are AquaJogger and Water Gear.

Neoprene Gloves. Neoprene is a family of synthetic rubber; it maintains flexibility over a wide range of temperatures. Neoprene is much thicker than the chlorine resistant fabric, and so it is not as easy to bend the fingers or make a fist. You can get neoprene gloves with closed fingers but most of the ones I have seen have openings for the fingers. Some companies that sell neoprene gloves are Speedo, Theraquatics, and Sprint. Put “webbed aqua gloves” in the search bar at Amazon and you will get pages of webbed gloves all colors and prices. Most of them are neoprene. A few are nylon, which will not last long. And there are some made out of silicone which would be way too stiff for a water fitness class.

Which do you prefer: fabric or neoprene? Let me know in the comment box below. Also let me know if you have a favorite brand. You will enhance your workout with webbed gloves no matter what type you prefer. My book Water Fitness Progressions has lesson plans designed specifically for use with webbed gloves, but you can use them for most of the lesson plans in the book, and for any water workout.

See you in the pool!

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Chris Alexander

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Everyday Alchemy: Turning Tiny Habits into Lasting Well-Being

Guest Blogger Kimberly N. Bryant, Depressed.biz

If you’re like most people, you don’t wake up thinking, Today, I’m going to overhaul my life. You just want to feel a little better — to move through your day with more energy, more joy, and maybe a little less mindless scrolling. The truth is, well-being isn’t a grand, impossible summit to climb. It’s the collection of small choices you make over and over. When you know where to lean in, you create a life that feels a lot better without blowing up the one you already have.

Start with Morning Rituals That Belong to You

Your day starts before your feet even hit the floor. How you wake up — not just when, but how — shapes your mental landscape. If you’re reaching for your phone while half-asleep, you’re borrowing someone else’s chaos before you’ve even made your own coffee. Instead, create a morning ritual that’s yours. A few deep breaths, a journal scribble, or even five minutes of stretching can act like a seal around your peace before the world barges in.

Reinvent Your Path with Purpose

Sometimes well-being demands a bigger move — like stepping away from a career that leaves you feeling hollow. If you’re dreaming about making a change, the good news is that online degree programs make it easier than ever to earn your degree while still working full-time or caring for family. Choosing to pursue a path in healthcare can be especially meaningful, allowing you to make a lasting impact on the health of individuals and families. You can explore a range of online healthcare degree opportunities that fit your schedule and your desire to build a life that matters.

Build “Micro-Movements” into Your Routine

You don’t have to spend an hour at the gym to say you’ve moved today. Some of the healthiest, happiest people treat movement like seasoning: they sprinkle it all over their lives. A few squats while waiting for your coffee, a short walk during your lunch break, even a quick dance while brushing your teeth — these tiny bursts of movement tell your body it’s alive and celebrated. Momentum builds through micro-movements, not marathon sessions.

Understand the Power of Intentional Eating

Eating well isn’t about discipline; it’s about design. When you stock your kitchen with foods you love and that love you back, you’re choosing nourishment over negotiation. Start thinking about meals as tiny self-care packages rather than battles to be won. A handful of blueberries, a slice of good bread with real butter, a crisp apple — those small, joyful choices add up faster than you think, and they keep your energy clean and steady throughout the day.

Find Your Own Water

One of the most overlooked yet powerful ways to rejuvenate your mind and body is simple: get in the water. Water fitness isn’t just for competitive swimmers or senior center classes — it’s an energizing, full-body reset that anyone can embrace. If you’re curious but a little unsure where to start, check out the Plano Parks and Recreation online catalogue and put Water Aerobics in the search bar. Chris Alexander’s shallow water aerobics class is at 6:30 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Oak Point Recreation Center. Her deep water classes are at 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM at Oak Point. The next 4-week session begins May 5. You can register now or up to 2 weeks into the session. Late registrations are pro-rated. Registrations for the summer sessions begin May 3 for Plano residents and May 5 for non-residents. Summer classes begin June 2. Chris’s 8:00 deep water class moves to 7:45 AM in June and July. There are lots of other options offered by the Plano Parks and Recreation Department. Check out Aqua Spin, Aqua Yoga, Board Water Fitness or River Aerobics. You can also buy a membership and visit Oak Point Recreation Center or the Plano Aquatic Center during open swim hours. Floating, stretching, even just walking through water can turn a heavy day into something weightless.

Curate a “Feel-Good” Library

Your brain needs fuel just like your body does, but it doesn’t always get a say in what you shove into it. One way to quietly improve your mood and outlook is to curate a library of books, music, podcasts, or even Instagram accounts that genuinely lift you up. Instead of defaulting to whatever algorithm is shouting loudest, build your own private stash of inspiration. Five minutes with a poem you love can heal a part of you that no productivity hack ever could.

Create Spaces That Breathe with You

You don’t need to live inside an Architectural Digest spread to feel good at home. What matters most is that your space supports your energy rather than sapping it. Clear a small area that feels like a refuge — a corner for reading, a nook for yoga, even just a chair by a window. Give yourself somewhere you can land without judgment. When your physical spaces feel nurturing, it ripples into every other part of your well-being.

Commit to “Off” Moments Without Guilt

You’re not a machine, and you don’t need to justify resting. One of the most radical acts of well-being you can offer yourself is the ability to stop — on purpose, without apology. This isn’t laziness; it’s maintenance. Even two minutes of real, conscious stopping — no phone, no TV, just you breathing and being — can change your internal weather forecast from stormy to clear. Give yourself permission to live like someone who matters, because you do.


At the end of the day, well-being isn’t a product you can order or a lifestyle you have to post about. It’s the texture of your ordinary days. It’s your coffee in a favorite mug, your ten-minute walk that nobody sees, your decision to drink water because you love how it tastes, not because someone told you to. You don’t have to become a brand-new person overnight. You just have to love yourself enough to believe small moves matter. Because they do. Every time.

Thanks, Kimberly! Check out my article on her blog site, Depression and Water Exercise.

See you in the pool!

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Chris Alexander

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