5
Please go over weight/resistive
device safety, and update heart rate check

I'm not sure what you mean by weight/resistive device safety? I'm not aware of any water products that are considered unsafe. What you need to pay attention to is the application of equipment for increased resistance. This means adding an extra overload on certain areas of the body, and you need to know when that load is appropriate and when it is not. To figure this out, you need to know your human anatomy, movement analysis, and especially joint ranges of motion. The most likely ways to hurt somebody are when joints are loaded with the range of motion too great to manage the stress at that angle. An example would be shoulder abduction with external rotation. With the arm reaching behind you, the head of the humerus is popping out of the socket, and the rotator cuff muscles are strained. If you then sweep the arm through the water with a resistive device in the hand, you could easily hurt the rotator cuff. If you know how the body works, you should be able to make good decisions about the application of equipment. The second reminder I want to give, is to make sure that the instructor first works with the equipment in the water before you give it to a client.

I am a major believer in use of heart rate checks for monitoring exercise intensity. Heart rate has a linear relationship with oxygen consumption, so we need to use it to check aerobic capacity. The latest update on heart rates is to use a heart rate monitor. Wearing a heart rate monitor gives you a window on your heart. You receive instantaneous and unbiased feedback on what is really happening inside the body. There is no guessing, no arithmetic - the reading is real and actual. A heart rate monitor measures your heart rate, not your pulse. Pulse rate is a measurement of your heart's mechanical rate. It measures how frequently your heart pumps blood through your arteries, causing them to expand. A heart rate monitor uses electrodes and measure's the heart's electrical changes - the number of beats per minute at which the heart is operating. It is a small differentiation, but worth it in terms of accuracy, especially for athletes. The heart rate monitor is a fabulous training tool.

Wearing a heart rate monitor means no more interrupting the workout to put the fingers on the wrist or the neck. There is a waterproof heart rate monitor available - perfect for water exercise!