#408 Stir Fried Noodles Presented by Marietta Mehanni

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1 #408 Presented by Marietta Mehanni The Noodle Noodles have been a long-time popular item in the aqua class. Initially introduced as a rehabilitation tool, it now used for a variety of different modes in an aqua class shallow and deep, cardio and strength and as a floatation device. In some pools, noodles are used instead of dumbbells as the only form of aquatic tool and hence the importance to find ongoing creative ways to use the noodle. How to hold your noodle There are several positions that the noodle can be held: Thirds the hands are position at an even third from each end Uses: When the noodle is held in front of the body, it can be used to push through the water for a variety of cardiovascular exercises. It requires use of the upper body and torso muscles to create the movement through the water. When the noodle is held behind the body, it can be used for suspended and shallow water exercises, which will challenge the triceps, rear deltoid and upper back muscles to keep it in position. Noodle ends in front of the body or from behind the body Uses: When holding the ends of the noodle in the rainbow position, much of the noodle is out of the water. This reduces the resistance of movement in the water with the noodle as only a small part of it is in the water. Great for faster upper body movements and cardiovascular exercises. Holding the ends of the noodle when it is placed against the lower back increases the surface area of the arms and thus increases the resistance as the arms move through the water. This is most effective when performing rotational movements of the upper body. 1

2 Sitting on the noodle underneath buttocks, between legs or under one knee Uses: When sitting on the noodle (photo on far left), a range of suspended exercises can be performed. Kicking movements and horizontal jacks with upper body actions holding the noodle or without the noodle are a great opportunity to relieve the fingers and hands from constantly gripping of the noodle. Positioning the noodle between the thighs is a great option for those clients who feel insecure in the water. This position can also be more challenging it the client does not sit in the middle, but instead, further to the front or towards the back of the noodle. Placing the noodle under one knee, making sure to grip it with the knee, challenges the body s balance as the centre of buoyancy of the body is not in alignment with the buoyancy of the noodle. Different kicking actions can be performed with the leg that is not supported and the arms can move with either gripping or not gripping the noodle. Noodle under arms in front of the body or from behind the body Uses: These positions is great for all suspended exercises. A variety of lower body combined with upper body exercises can be performed as the noodle provides the required buoyancy to assist the movement. These positions are also ideal for clients who have upper body injuries and cannot use their arms or shoulders for resisted movements. Different methods on how to use your noodle Turbulence Bernoulli s Principle: A stationary body in water will always move towards any turbulence because of the negative pressure drag. The more turbulence created by the noodle, the greater the instability in the water. This means that participants will need to work against the turbulence created by their own noodle as well as the turbulence that is created by other participants. This is an effective way to challenge balance because when they move the noodle faster or stronger through the water, the participant will feel less stable. This principle can be used for both cardiovascular or strength conditioning. 2

3 To use incorporate the principle in cardiovascular training, a dynamic lower body movement is required with a powerful upper body action. An example of this is a single leg swing forward and back accompanied with holding the ends of the noodle (which is position behind the back) and swinging horizontally across the body. The forward and back action of the leg and the horizontal motion of the upper body creates what I have termed cross turbulence. This challenges the body to stay centred and on the same spot. It can be also applied to strength based movements whereby the lower body is stationary and the upper body is creating the turbulence and the goal is to stay still. An example is when the feet are wide apart and holding the noodle at thirds and circling in front of the body. The goal is to keep the feet firmly planted on the pool floor whilst challenging the upper body to move the noodle quickly thus creating more turbulence. Buoyancy: supported and resisted Archimedes Principle: When a body is wholly or partially immersed in a fluid it experiences a vertical upward force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced and acting through the initial centre of gravity of the fluid displaced. Because the noodle is a buoyant object, it can be used to help float the body as well as create resistance when forced under water. When the noodle is held lower in the water the exercise requires more strength and repetitions are slower. If the noodle is held closer to the surface, exercises can be performed faster and thus making the exercise more cardiovascular. Buoyancy resisted refers to any movements that move in the opposite direction of the buoyancy e.g. pushing / 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 stabilizers. An example of this would be when holding the noodle in thirds under the water whilst in a pron suspended position. Arm and leg actions as in 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 noodles 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 behind the back with fast straight leg kicks which is designed to work the posterior muscle groups. Using the noodle in a buoyancy supported hold also provides the opportunity to release the fingers. 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 will increase the workload of all of the upper body muscles when performing upper body actions. This is also a great way to encourage participants to work through a fuller range of motion, as they will feel the muscles in the upper back work as they pull the noodle up against the body. Swinging type motions from side to side will create more turbulence because of the increased length of the arm lever, thus making it more challenging to perform. Cardio Noodles can be a very effective tool for increasing heart rate depending on how it is used. To elevate heart rate, faster movements are necessary which means that the noodle is required to push through water at greater speeds. The depth at which the noodle is held will determine how quickly the noodle can move through the water. The deeper the noodle is held under the water, the slower the action, thus focusing more on strength. The shallower the noodle, the faster the exercise can be performed. To encourage participants to move at the desired speed, indicate that they need to keep at the same speed as what the exercise is being taught. Moving at a specific tempo with the music also assists with participants realising what depth that they individually need to hold the noodle to ensure that they can keep up and thus moving the noodle at a speed that will effectively induce a cardiovascular response. 3

4 Finger breaks There are several positions when the noodle is held in the hands and often participants will over grip the noodle resulting in muscular fatigue in the fingers, hands, wrist and forearm muscles. Providing an opportunity to release the fingers during an exercise encourages participants to rest the overworked muscle. Some methods to use to provide a break from gripping are: Use a buoyancy assisted method, allowing the noodle to float while performing a lower limb or stabilization activity Provide exercises where the noodle is supporting the body and arms are allowed to move freely. Educate participants to not hold the noodle firmly and continuously. Encourage them to use their palms or body weight to assist with controlling the noodle. Music Video Killed The Radio Star Noodle held in front 3rds.(shallow) Rain Noodle held in front, holding the ends (shallow) Town Called Malice Noodle held in front under arms (suspended) Steppin Out Noodle held in front under arms (suspended) Alright, Okay You Win Sitting on the noodle under buttocks (suspended) I Love Being Here With You Noodle held at 3rds below the buttocks (suspended) Sitting on the noodle Choreography 1. Feet wide apart, swing the noodle from side to side 2. Alternate arm pushing noodle down in water feet wide and with a jog 3. Hopping action pushing the noodle in and out from torso 4. Flick kick forward pushing the noodle in and out from torso 5. Wide V kick pushing the noodle towards each foot as it comes up 1. Wide jog with alternate arm circling into waist 2. Lift right knee and tap to side and bring feet together with left arm extending out and in. Press right hand against body releasing fingers. Repeat on left side and also alternate sides 3. Wide V kick with opposite arm reaching towards opposite foot 4. Double V kick with a double push across with the opposite arm 1. Straight legs kicking fast in front of body (very stiff legs) 2. Same straight leg action kicking around the body in a circle to the right and left 3. Frog kick in the horizontal plane in front of the body with reverse breast stroke arms 1. Sitting position with 90 degrees at the hips and at the knees, alternating kick with sculling arms 2. Both legs kicking together 3. Bring the right knee in and out from chest in a side kick with both arms sweeping across the body and over the hips. Repeat on the left leg 4. Lying on one side, bring both knees in and out from chest, sweeping both arms over the hips. Lift torso up out of the water as the arms go over the hips 5. Side to side rock n roll 1) Both legs kicking to the front and out (45 degrees) a) Both arms holding onto the ends of the noodle pushing the arms forward and to the side b) Not holding onto the noodle, push arms forward and side c) Breast stroke and reverse stroke action d) Breast stroke and reverse stroke action with alternate arm 2) Wide jog holding onto the ends of the noodle and move from side to side 1. Fast horizontal jacks and hold the noodle below the buttocks 2. Slow and fast horizontal jacks and move the noodle back and under the buttocks. Repeat with 1x slow and 2x fast jack 3. Sitting on the noodle, wide jog with both hands holding the ends of the noodle circling in towards the body with alternate arm action. Repeat using the right arm with more force so that the body turns to the right and then repeat on the left 4

5 Zorba Noodle held at 3rds in front of the body (shallow) Noodle held at the ends Get Down On It Noodle held at 3rds in front of the body (suspended) Noodle held under the arms in front of the body You Should Be Dancing Noodle behind back holding the ends (shallow and suspended) Disco Inferno Noodle under shins (suspended) Gimme Some Lovin Noodle held at 3rds in front and noodle under the knee (shallow and suspended) Slave To The Rhythm Noodle behind body holding ends (shallow) The Twist Noodle between legs and under knee(suspended) Dancing Queen Noodle between legs (suspended) 1. Rebounding jog with knees twisting across the body with the noodle swinging across in the opposite direction 2. Sitting low in the water, criss cross jacks holding the ends of the noodle bring the ends together in front and behind the body 3. Right leg kicking across the body and out to the side. Holding the end with the left hand sweep across the body in the opposite direction. Hold the right hand at the waist. Repeat on opposite side 1. In a sitting position with the noodle under the arms, knees and feet together tucking up to chest and both arms reaching in and out to touch shins 2. Prone knee tuck holding the noodle at 3rds bring the noodle in and out from the knees 3. Suspend the left leg and bring the right knee in and out fast with the noodle in and out to the knee. Repeat on the left leg 4. Prone knee tuck and circle the noodle over and under 1. Cross country ski, holding the noodle ends and sweep across the body 2. Single leg straight leg swing forward and back, holding the noodle ends and sweep across the body 3. Lying on one side, cross country ski slow and fast and combination, 2x slow and 4x fast 4. High knee jog moving from one side to the other 1. Noodle under the shins, knees extend and flex so that the body bops up and down with sculling arms 2. Breast stroke travel forwards, reverse stroke travel backwards 3. Twist knees across body 1. Hold noodle at 3rds in front, feet wide stable stance, circle over and under 2. Put noodle under right knee. Suspend and with left leg perform a scissor action. Hold the noodle ends and swing both arms across the body. Repeat on opposite side 3. Pendulum and sweep the noodle from side to side 4. Circle over and under with knee tuck 1. Feet in wide stable stance, single arm and double arm figure of 8 2. Right leg lifted parallel to the pool floor, horizontally abduct and adduct whilst sweeping the ends of the noodle across the body. Repeat on left leg 3. Figure of 8 with right leg and perform figure of 8 with both arms. Repeat on left leg 4. Feet off the bottom, knees tucking in and out with a twist 1. Noodle between legs, twist knees across the body and holding onto the end in front of the body with both hands, move in a semi circle from shoulder to shoulder 2. Noodle under right knee, kick left leg forward and down with sculling arms. Repeat on left leg 3. Noodle between legs, straight leg kicks in front with arms opening out to side and closing passing the noodle end from hand to hand 4. Noodle between legs, straight leg kicks in front with the right hand holding onto the end and both arms sweeping across the body. Repeat with holding the end with the left hand. 1. Horizontal jacks holding onto the noodle end with both hands and push down between legs as legs open 2. Baby crawl with alternating reverse stroke arms moving forward and with double arm reverse stroke arms moving backwards 3. Wide jog holding onto the noodle end and circle anti clockwise and travel to the right. Repeat in the opposite direction 5