This morning I saw a clip of this new workout on a Facebook video and, to me, it was jaw-dropping fabulous. I pressed the “love” button on their page, but I also kept thinking about it all day. Why had I never seen or heard of Aqua Fitness before? I was so intrigued, I decided to do some research.
I have no affiliation to the trademarked company of this novel, strength-building, water-workout. Nor can I attest whether it’s effective, or if it will gain popularity at some point in the U.S.
My only familiarity with this exercise is from what I’m reading about it and how it looks in the videos. And from those, I can surmise that it appears to be a kick-ass, high-intensity, core-managed workout, that if guided by an instructor with pizzazz (and the water is a warm-temperature), this may be the next hottest craze for those who want a radical fitness challenge, and a naturally, lean sculpted body.
What in the Water is This?
We’ve enjoyed water aerobics for its kind effects on our joints and muscles. Aqua Zumba is awfully fun if you don’t mind feeling a bit silly doing a salsa dance in three-feet of water. But Aqua Physical is the closest I’ve seen to doing Pilates on a paddleboard.
The company has invented an inflatable board made of a military-grade PVC fabric. It weighs about 22 pounds, inflates and deflates in one minute, and rolls up and stores like a yoga mat. According to their website, the board is used for a low-impact, cross-training workout on water.
The yoga-based moves on the board aid in gaining strength, stability, and flexibility. The company has also trademarked a class called the Floatfit, which is basically a 30-minute HIIT workout complete with mountain-climbers, lunges, squats, and planks.
It wasn’t easy finding out where I could try this class—probably because there aren’t any in the U.S.—yet. In fact, the only places that classes are happening currently are in England and the Netherlands.
A British journalist took a class last autumn and wrote about her Aqua Physical experience. That adventure took place in Serpentine Lake in London’s Hyde Park, and unfortunately for her, the water temperature was super chilly.
She described it as balancing precariously on a floating mat, but a fun 45-minute experience that when done properly, could burn up to 800 calories. Floatfit is marketed to anyone of any age or fitness level, as long as he/she can swim.
Although this particular class was in a lake, they can be held in any large body of fairly still water indoors or out. One-on-one training can be done in a small pool.
The company claims that the boards are in such high demand that orders cannot be delivered before July. They are also in the process of training new Floatfit instructors in order to expand class availability. I, for one, will be keeping my eyes and ears open. I can’t wait to try walking on water!
