and repetitions are slower. If the noodle is
held closer to the surface, moves can be
performed faster, thus making the exercise
more cardiovascular.
3
4
Buoyancy resisted
This refers to any movements that move in
the opposite direction of the buoyancy, e.g.
pushing or holding the noodle down in the
water. This is effective for strength-based
exercises and also an excellent way to
encourage the use of core stabilisers.
An example of this is holding the noodle
in ‘thirds’ under the water while in a prone
suspended position. Arm and leg actions,
such as a baby crawl with a push-pull
upper body action, can challenge the
abdominals and upper body muscles due
to the noodle being forced under the water
to suspend the body.
Buoyancy supported
The noodle’s highly buoyant properties
effectively support the body in any position
with minimal effort. The advantage of this
is that the focus can be shifted away from
trying to stay afloat to concentrating on
the execution of the exercise, e.g. noodle
underneath the knee and swinging the
opposite leg in and out while holding onto
the noodle and pulling across the body in the
opposite direction (photos 3 & 4).
Increased lever length
When the noodle is held in front of the body
at thirds, the noodle effectively increases
the lever length of the arm. This increases
the workload of all the upper body muscles
when performing upper body actions. It is
also a great way to encourage participants
to work through a greater range of
motion, as they wil