Mary Ann Renzelli and Cynthia Campbell are at it again. The local certified ACE and licensed fitness instructors are bringing their aqua specialties to Bridgeport Pool for two AquaZumba/AquaFit sessions.

 

Alternating weeks, Campbell will teach AquaZumba - a water-modified version of the popular cardio dance workout, complete with Latino music and sassy moves – and Renzelli will teach AquaFit, a more athletic workout which also includes strength training.

 

The Bridgeport Parks and Recreation sessions run 6:30-7:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays June 17-July 10 and July 22-Aug. 14. Each session is $55 per person or $100 for both classes. Drop-ins are also welcome for $10 per class.

 

Renzelli and Campbell both travel to conferences to stay up to date on the latest aqua fitness trends.

 

“We’ve both been at this for a long time and you have to leave the state to reap the benefits,” Renzelli said. “I’m going to a personal training conference the last weekend of June in Chicago. I go to get knowledge for myself, but also to bring it back for our clients so they get what they are paying for.”

 

Aqua fitness classes have come a long way from the water aerobics classes of years passed.

 

“I teach on deck, so everyone can see movements and it’s high visibility for participants. I try to organize my classes into all plains of movement,” Renzelli said. “From a personal trainer outlook, moving forward and backwards is sagittal plane, left and right is frontal plane and semicircular is called transverse plane.”

 

To put it into perspective, many common forms of fitness – walking, elliptical and stationery biking – all involve one plane of movement, the sagittal plane.

 

“Certain joints wear out and you don’t reap the benefits of getting stronger when you work all on one plane,” Renzelli said.

 

The aqua strength components of Renzelli’s class involve the use of body flex bars, which generate up to 20 pounds of resistance when bent, as well as aqua dumbbells and water tubing.

Campbell’s class also includes some strength training, but is primarily a cardio workout with repetitive choreography.

 

And the beauty of doing that choreography in water is that nobody knows if you are on your left or right foot, Renzelli said.

 

“We end with a motivational stretch,” said Renzelli who incorporates special events into her workouts too.

 

“For Fourth of July week, everyone has a flag and we play that wonderful patriotic music,” she said. “It’s pretty special.”

 

Women of all ages, as well as some men, are taking advantage of the aqua workouts. Kids can also take the class, but Renzelli recommends they be at least five feet tall to take part.

 

Because exercising in water makes one feel about 90 percent lighter, aqua fitness is a low impact, making it ideal for those with arthritis, back problems, foot or leg injuries and knee conditions. it is also ideal for pregnant women. Though it’s low impact, the calorie burn is high, as many as 400 to 500 calories burned in a one-hour class. Because of the resistance of the water, the strength training element of the workouts is magnified.

Aqua fitness promotes muscle strength and endurance, trains the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, promotes muscle flexibility and joint mobility.

 

Sign up for AquaZumba and AquaFit at the Benedum Civic Center or call 304-842-8240.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured top/cover are Campbell and Renzelli. also pictured is an AquaZumba/AquaFit class from last year and annual regulars Julie and Rachel Fulks.