Complementary Excercice

Hi everyone, 

I am working as a lifeguard and there is good amount of time where there is nobody at the pool or only one swimmer. I am looking for some excercise I could do during my work shift to increase my strenght or my flexibility. I was thinking about holding squat in the bottom position and working on Ido squat drill. Is there other exercices I could do to use those lose time?

Hi Dominic,

Depending on which courses you have, you can work on your stretch series flexibility or on some elements that don't need any tools.

"Holding" squat? You have to be quite tight to think that squatting down is an exercise

Its resting!

5 hours ago, Michael Vetter said:

"Holding" squat? You have to be quite tight to think that squatting down is an exercise

Its resting!

It could surprise you with some people!

For me, @Michael Vetter it still isn't a rest position. I have work to do on my hips mobility. 

@Étienne Lajeunesse 

I have the 3 stretch class and H1/H2.

On 10/1/2017 at 6:28 AM, Michael Vetter said:

"Holding" squat? You have to be quite tight to think that squatting down is an exercise

Its resting!

It's not if you try to actively straighten your entire back in the deepest squat you can get, with bare feet. Your shins will be sore in the first several seconds, then other sore muscles will follow, and your lower back is probably still not completely straight (just stating my own frustration here)... Of course, it'd be a rest for your if you already do this on a routine basis, like a pro oly weightlifter.

I think holding a deep squat position is great for killing time. Even if it becomes easy like a rest position for you, still try to actively engage something. Or it's just time wasted. I also think those body alignment exercises in the HS courses are excellent too. Stretch is also good, but I'd avoid doing too much deep stretch while you are on duty. Prolonged, deep stretch right before a situation where you have to dive into the water is not good at all (not that you'd do it right before something happens, it's just you don't know when something will happen). There are times my legs would shake for hours after doing the entire middle or front split session. 

Hey @Dominic Laporte,

Choose the hardest exercise in each stretch series.

For handstand, you still have your wrists you can work on.  Don't know for handstand, depends on many things (tools, floor, space...)

If you add F7, you'll have many more exercises to work on too.

Etienne nailed it. Pick a few of the most troublesome exercises for you from your courses and work on them. For the stretches, hold them for half the length you do in the series.