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AQUA SKILLS
VIPR WATER WORKS!
When you combine the unique properties of water with the scientific anchors of the ViPR training tool, you get
a workout that’s easily modified to every class participant, writes instructor and educator Ken Baldwin.
nyone who has worked in the
industry over the past 10 years
will recognise ViPR as one of
many ‘functional training’ tools available to
use in workouts. However, ViPR is somewhat
different to other tools as it was designed to
take the definition of functional training
literally and train the body in ways that mimic
or enhance movements of everyday life.
While many other tools also do this, they
become limited when applied through
different ranges of motion: dumbbells and
barbells, for example, can only be moved in
certain directions without being able to
follow the true lines and directions that
require push, pull, reach and rotation and
become truly whole body integrated (WBI).
A
A little history
ViPR was invented by Michol Dalcourt, who
at the time was a strength and conditioning
coach for ice hockey players in Canada. He
noticed that the ‘farm boys’ were beating all
the elite gym-trained athletes on the ice by
being stronger and faster. It became clear
that the farm boys never lifted in the gym,
but instead had stronger bodies through
natural movement achieved on the farm by
lifting, shifting, shovelling and dragging.
Created in order to replicate and enhance
these moves, ViPR’s role is to assist in
‘purposeful movement’.
Using the principles of physics combined
with movement, ViPR (which stands for
vitality, performance and reconditioning)
transitioned into different modalities of
exercise and has now become one of the
most versatile pieces of equipment for
loaded movement training.
Fast forward ten years and it’s common
to see ViPR in most facilities, being used for
everything from personal and small group
training, to group fitness, strength and
conditioning, elite sports and rehabilitation.
The fundamentals of physics and force
are integral to ViPR, and include:
Gravity into ground reaction forces –
harnessing force generated into the ground
with gravity and using the resistance motion
to generate upwards force against gravity to
ensure proper motion.
Stretch to shorten (loading to
unloading) – to jump, explode, throw or
push, we need to decelerate and shorten the
The 30-second article
• The ViPR training tool was designed to
take the definition of functional training
literally and train the body in ways that
mimic or enhance movements of
everyday life
• By applying all of the scientific anchors
of ViPR to the aquatic environment, you
can create a great workout that can be
easily tailored to different levels by
modifying one of the 6 steps of ViPR
programming
• In the water, certain ViPR exercises are
able to be performed with greater
range of motion and whole body
integration due to drag and buoyancy
• Other moves will be more intense and
metabolically demanding because of
the extra resistance and range of
motion working against the properties
of water.
NETWORK SPRING 2018 | 43