Aquatic Exercise, 2d ed. (Reviews).

Aquatic Exercise, ed 2 Sova R. Port Washington, WI 53074, DSL Ltd, 2000, paperback, 150 pp, illus, ISBN: 1-889959-08-1, $19.95.

Aquatic Exercise is an excellent resource for instructors of aquatic exercise, and it may also be of interest to people who are beginning or continuing with an aquatic program. The text is inclusive in coverage. Exercise terms are defined and explained so that the general public will easily understand concepts and instructions, and exercise programs are clearly presented.

The book contains 9 chapters. Chapter 1 defines fitness and its components and delineates exercise principles that improve fitness. Chapter 2 defines and applies target heart rate guidelines to determine exercise intensities. Alternative methods for evaluating exercise intensity, such as the rate of perceived exertion, are included. Chapter 3 briefly discusses the principles of water resistance, buoyancy, and pressure as they are applied to assisted or resistive exercise, muscle balance, energy expenditure, and heart rates. Ideal pool conditions are described, along with safety issues for sun exposure and lighting.

Chapter 4 addresses types of aquatic exercise. The format for cardiorespiratory conditioning classes and training guidelines for muscle endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility are provided. Sova's recommendations for the mode, intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise for these workouts are based on a solid foundation--the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines. Specific exercise programs offered in this chapter are water walking, water jogging, water aerobics, water toning, strength training, flexibility training, sport-specific and sports-conditioning workouts, interval training, deep water exercise, circuit training, and plyometric training. Relaxation techniques to "augment or add variety to ... classes" are briefly reviewed. The definition, format, necessary equipment, water depth, and common errors for each of the exercise programs are discussed. Chapter 5 focuses primarily on body alignment and muscle balance. Exercises are listed for 10 primary muscle pairs (eg, the iliopsoas/gluteal, abdominal/erector spinae, and hip abductor/ adductor groups).

Chapter 6 focuses on safety concerns for areas of the body that are at high risk for injury. The author discusses how specific exercises must be performed or how they may be modified to decrease risk of injury. The primary emphasis of the chapter is the section titled "A Catalog of Movements." Each exercise movement is named, the muscles that are being exercised are identified, and the sequence of arm, leg, and trunk movements is described. Photographs help the reader follow the more than 140 movement sequences.

Chapter 7 lists exercises that can be included in 8 of the aquatic exercise programs presented in chapter 4. Chapter 8 is devoted to concerns of health history, overexertion, and special populations. The final chapter, chapter 9, is a listing of resources for catalogs, equipment, educational materials, and aquatic organizations.

This text is written for aquatic instructors and aquatic exercise enthusiasts. As such, it is easy to understand, and the anatomic and exercise physiology terms are defined and well explained. An abundance of exercise moves are described and then clarified with photographs. Sova's use of ACSM guidelines for the mode, intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise for the workouts is a definite strength of the text. Safety concerns, from issues of the pool environment to modifications of exercises for the older adult, are addressed.

Physical therapists are probably very familiar with the anatomic, exercise physiology, and safety principles presented in this text. The choreography chapter, however, may provide new motions that a therapist could include in a fitness or rehabilitation program. This text would be useful for physical therapists who work with aquatic fitness or aquatic rehabilitation programming, because it may help them better understand the role of other professionals working in this specialized environment.

Renee Mabey, PT, PhD
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND

Dr Mabey is Associate Professor and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of examination and evaluation, physical therapy interventions, and research. Her research interests include academic and clinical outcome assessments.