Finding new and unique fitness products is one of my favorite things to do. As a soccer coach and athlete myself, I understand the importance of training for balance and stability. As I've discovered, one of the more unique ways to improve my clients' athletic abilities is using the Tidal Tank.
The Tidal Tank is a water-filled container that you can fill to whatever amount of weight you want. I chose a lighter weight as it's less about strength and more about balance and stability. It comes with multiple handle grips for different exercises, and it comes with different color dyes so you can make the look of the water more vibrant and fun. It also includes a pump, and it's built with a special valve that lets you fill or empty with ease!
There are other options out there like sand bags, but I prefer the water because of its fluid nature and consequently requires more control than sand. The amount of exercises you can do with the Tidal Tank are endless. You can work your legs, arms, back, chest, and core, making it a useful tool for full body workouts!
Here are some of my favorite exercises:
Half Crunch: Holding the Tidal Tank above your head, crunch up with your core, lifting your shoulders off the ground while keeping your feet flat on the floor. The water will shift side to side as well as front to back, so it engages a lot of stabilizing muscles in your shoulders in addition to your core.
Jump Squat: Putting the Tidal Tank on your shoulders, squat down and jump up. As you land and your knees bend, go straight into the next squat jump. The shifting water on your back will encourage you to control your landing, putting extra work on the muscles and tendons surrounding the ankles, knees and hips.
Bent Over Row: Bending over from the hips, pull up the Tidal Tank towards your chest, keeping your elbows in at your sides. If you want more of a challenge, use the inside handles as that provides less stability so it takes more control!
Hang Clean: Starting in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart, squat down, and then explosively come back up. Use your shoulders to shrug, flipping the tank over as you jump so you are landing with knees bent, hips back and the tank against your chest with your elbows bent underneath. Stand up straight, lower the tidal tank, and repeat.
Bicep Curls: Holding the outside handles, curl the tank up using your biceps until you reach your chest, then slowly lower back down. Keeping the water evenly distributed throughout the whole exercise is your goal. For a challenge, use the inner handles. This requires a lot of control and patience to keep the water balanced!
Single Leg Deadlift: Standing on one leg, lower the tank down, bending from the hips as low as you can go before you feel your hamstrings stretch. You should squeeze your abs and keep your back straight the whole time. Come back up to standing position without having to put your opposite foot down.
In the end, if you are looking for a way to work on your athletic ability, specifically your balance and stability training, the Tidal Tank is a very good option for you. There are all different weights and sizes available on Amazon so check them out and see if there is an option that works best for you!