Recently we’ve been using our blog to showcase some of the wonderful fitness professionals that are not only using our products, but also giving back to their communities in an amazing way. One of those individuals is Anne Pringle Burnell. We recently had the privilege of sitting down with Anne to discuss her background as well as some of the incredible things that she’s doing with some of our resistance training products. Anne has recently published a book entitled StretchTension: Aquatic Suspension, which outlines how to utilize resistance training equipment to provide a high quality, low impact workout in the water.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

I’ve been teaching individual fitness and group classes for more than 25 years. I currently hold a variety of certifications including AEA, ACE, AFAA/NASM, ATRIC, Ai Chi, and CAFS. I’m also an educator for STOTT PILATES™, AquaStretch™ and for our own Stronger Seniors and Peyow™ Aqua Pilates programs.

I’m currently based in the Chicago, Illinois area and work for a variety of local hospitals, hotels, churches and have my own Pilates studio.

What prompted you to write the StretchTension book?

The idea for the book started when Ruth Sova, who is the President of ATRIC (Aquatic Therapy and Rehab Institute), came to a number of teachers to discuss some emerging trends that were taking place in the fitness world and wondered how those trends could possibly be translated into workouts in the water.

I looked at the list of available courses and decided on suspension training because I was interested in researching this type of exercise and how it could relate to the water. As I began to research information both online and by actually taking fitness classes in person, I realized that it would be important to not only document how these exercises could work in the water, but also to shoot video to actually show readers exactly how the exercises should be correctly completed. I combined pictures with written content and that is what resulted in the StretchTension book.

Who is the target market for individuals who would be interested in resistance training in water?

Originally, I would have said that it would be athletes who may have been injured and wanted to do some exercises in water, or possibly individuals who weren’t able to do suspension training on land, but this actually has not been the case. We’ve found that older adults who need balance training can really benefit from the spring resistance that can be found when using resistance cords. When you’re using a resistance cord in the water, that cord is typically anchored to a certain point so individuals have to constantly work to maintain their balance without being pulled back towards the anchor point. This process is made easier in the water, because the water essentially slows the motion down so there’s a little more time for the brain to correct the landing pattern.

In addition, we’ve also seen orthopedic patients see massive benefits from these types of aquatic training programs because they’re able to offload their joints to prevent further injuries.

Stability training is incredibly hot right now in the fitness world and resistance cords coupled with training in the water offers an incredible way to get an effective workout with nothing more than water and NZ Manufacturing’s own StretchCordz® products.

Why is exercising in water so much more beneficial than on land?

There are a whole host of reasons why exercising in the water makes sense, a few of those include:

  • It’s easier on the joints
  • Improved balance recovery
  • Offers agility training without joint load
  • Improved performance when you’re tethered to an anchor point, have to run away and then are pulled back.

What type of NZ Manufacturing equipment do you use for your exercises?

We currently use a variety of NZ Manufacturing equipment when teaching our classes. These include:

Are there particular qualities of the NZ Manufacturing equipment that make them superior to other resistance training equipment?

The reality is that there is no other suspension equipment on the market that will survive in the water. I developed an 8 hour course that’s accredited through ATRI and therapists would tell me they tried other equipment and it was falling apart in the water. They were thrilled to start using NZ’s equipment because it just works. I like how NZ’s equipment has elasticity, which creates some instability in the water to make the exercises more challenging for my clients.

Are you working on anything new as it relates to resistance training in the water?

Yes, I’m actually working on releasing an online course that’s built from the foundations outlined in the StretchTension: Aquatic Suspension manual. This online course will also be called StretchTension and has allowed us to add many of the multimedia videos that we shot when working on the book. We’ve found that the online environment provides a way for us to showcase the exercises and how we use resistance bands to provide a challenging, yet safe workout for a wide variety of fitness levels. Feel free to check out the online course at the link below if you’re interested in learning more:

http://aquapilates.net/learning/courses/stretchtension/

Reach Out to the NZ Manufacturing Team for More Information About Any of the Products Listed Here

We hope that you enjoyed our interview with Anne Pringle Burnell. For more information on her StretchTension manual or online course, or any of the NZ Manufacturing products she mentioned, feel free to reach out to our team today. We’ve had a long standing business relationship with Anne and are excited about what the future holds for both of our companies.