Scanning my news feed this past week, I came across this article on TrainingPeaks.  It gave three indicators that you are ready for a full distance Ironman. To summarize: Lifestyle – In essence, asking whether your family, work, and social commitments can support 15-25 hours a week of training, early bedtimes and adjusting to the […]

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I have some news to you new swimmers: There are no shortcuts in swimming and training. You put in the work and the quality and volume of that work dictates your results. You put in junk you are going to get junk results.  But if you put in quality and consistent work you are going […]

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The sound of the gun fades into the early morning mist. The water is cold and murky as you swim, and the bottom of the lake disappears into the gloom. Clouds of muck swirl below you. Then a dark blur stirs bellow you. Was it a shark or just a fish or something else? Other […]

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Have you found that despite a winter of solid progress in the pool, when you get into the open water, you fall short? Are you looking for that secret workout or tip that will take your open water swims to the next level? We have three of them are guaranteed to take your open water […]

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If you ever did a team bonding activity back in school or some corporate environments, you might have played the corny game “two truths and a lie”. Participants would gather round and each would say two truths about themselves (e.g. I coach for Tri Swim coach and I like swimming on a Vasa more than […]

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It is hard to boil down swimming success to three points especially since everyone has unique weaknesses. Some people need to focus on balancing in the water, while others need to focus on a high elbow catch, and others need to focus more on intensity and speed. However, there are three things that all successful […]

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The coaching world has a HUGE PROBLEM. It happens in swimming, triathlon, running, cycling, weight training, fitness….. almost every sport. It ruins athletes, breaks down their motivation, and destroys seasons. The problem is that coaches design programs around them not you, the athlete. Even if you are self coached, you are not immune. Many coaches design […]

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I have been coaching with TSC for almost 8 years and the biggest issue that I see with swimmers has nothing to do with the water….. No it’s not sinking hips….. Not even high elbow catch Nor “efficiency”…… Can you guess it? It’s how swimmers talk to themselves. That is the biggest barrier swimmers face […]

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Now that you read part 1 and the prologue to TSC swimmers guide to bulletproofing your shoulders here is part two of the workout program. Why so many parts? The reason I broke this up into 3 installments (the last one is coming next week) is because as your season changes your strength routine should change […]

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Did you read last week’s blog? If you have not, pause, click here, and read my rant before reading any further; the rest of this article will be waiting when you get back. I promise. Now that you are better informed about the importance and of a good, structured strength regimen and how it is […]

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If you skim through any triathlon magazine, forum, or blog, you are bound to find some article or blog on strength training for triathletes or the best weight lifting movements for triathletes. With some variation, these movements are: Deadlift Squat Lat pull down Lunge Box jumps The above movements are all great exercises, but, I […]

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In my opinion, the hardest workout exercises of all is not the 4×1000 or the 500 for time or the 10×100 with the interval set at your race pace; no, the hardest workout is the after work workout. Some people thrive in the hours from 4-9pm thus making getting to the pool after a full […]

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Most swimmers put the pull buoy between their thighs close to their hips to keep their lower body from sinking and to isolate their arms more by minimizing their kick. However, there is a different and, in my opinion, better way to place and use the pull buoy by putting it between the ankles. This […]

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Have you ever been told that you swim flat in the water? Some programs and coaches think that swimming flat in the water is perfectly normal and should not be corrected but at TSC, we take a different approach because there is a right way to rotate and a very wrong way to rotate. While […]

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Triathletes are notorious for being inflexible and on the precipice of injury. Maybe it is the fact that we are doing three sports all of which have repetitive movements and where poor form can have season ending consequences after doing the same move for the billionth time. I myself visit my chiropractor once a week […]

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In this lesson, you will get efficient swimming tips and workout techniques that will improve your swimming speed. Let me tell you a little secret of the swim world: you do not have to swim 1000m repeats or 5k for time to get faster. In fact, if you are a beginner swimmer, shorter repeats like […]

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(by Coach Chris) This past Saturday, I had my swim stroke analyzed. I have had at least a biannual swim video analysis since I started swimming, and even though my swim has progressed to times that I could not imagine 10 years ago, I still make sure that I maintain this tradition although the frequency […]

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“Distance Per Stroke” or DPS pops up in a good deal of swim blogs, newsletters, workouts (TSC included), and forums, but is it something you should really focus on? At TSC, we think so but not because of what you might think. To us, DPS swimming drills is not just extending your arm a tad bit […]

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What can be measured can be improved, as the old adage goes, and that is certainly true for the swim. Testing allows you to track progress, look for limiters, and sharpen your mental game. Since not all tests are created equal nor complimentary to your goals as an athlete, I am giving you three different […]

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If you read my newsletter from last week, you know that I am not a fan of New Year’s nor resolutions. Instead, I prefer anti new year’s resolutions and creating lasting mini habits that are so small you immediately say to yourself “Wow! I can do those easily.” While small, only tackle one at a time–TRUST […]

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In between Christmas and New Years might be the oddest fitness week of the year. Many people are coming out of a stressful holiday run up full of work parties, last minute shopping, travel, family gatherings, tantrums (from kids and adults alike), and an endless supply of sweets, alcohol, and rich, dense foods. However, the […]

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This is a modified reprint of a newsletter that I wrote last year. Enjoy: “How the Triathlete Stole Swim Practice” Every Swimmer Down in the pool Liked swimming a lot But the Triathlete Who watched on the pool deck DID NOT. This triathlete hated these triathlon training workouts and swim practice sessions! The whole swim […]

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A few weeks ago I posted an article on front end power and how that swimmers need to focus on the front end swimming (i.e. the catch and pull) rather than the finish of the swimming stroke. We received a couple questions on the best way to improve this, so I wanted to go into this […]

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If you were at the swim summit, then you might have heard Karlyn Pipes talk about how we have been swimming and being taught to swim incorrectly. If you did not catch the summit or her talk there is a great review on this website. In essence she said that many swimmers focus too much […]

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Many beginner triathletes have the great goal of improving their swim over the winter, but when spring comes they are usually disappointed with their improvements especially in the open water. Why? I have picked apart several training plans and traditional, typical programs to find the most common mistakes that are slowing your swim gains during […]

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There is a glut of goggles on the market all claiming to be different and special. From the wide scuba like masks that claim 140 degree vision to the minimalist, old school socket rockets, whatever your preference/goal is there is a goggle for it. Since everyone has different facial structures it is hard to rate […]

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Muscular Endurance focused workouts are in my opinion some of the best workouts you can do at all levels of swimming training with the exception of a green beginner. Essentially, what these exercises are those that fatigue your arms first through a variety of evil, maniacal and crafty ways and then tells you to swim […]

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Drills are actually a pretty controversial topic among swimming and triathlon coaches. Some, like Brett Sutton and Matt Dixon, both of whom have coached numerous Olympiads and Ironman Champions between see drills as unimportant for becoming a better swimmer in fact it is better to spend your time with intensity. Matt Dixon goes as far […]

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In the Northern Hemisphere, the tri season is coming to a strong close, while in the Southern Hemisphere is just heating up. However, regardless of whether you are ready to hunker down in your hibernation training cave or whether you are emerging ready for longer hours outside, you are most likely laying down your goals […]

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For many of you (at least our Northern hemisphere readers and non Kona qualifiers), your last race is coming up more quickly than you want and after that a well deserved break as you enter the offseason. In my opinion, “off season” is a big misnomer. For many, It might conjure up images of pizza, […]

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I have a confession to make: from January through June, I only got in the water five times for a total of about 6000 yards. I started the year with full intentions to get faster in the water, increase my yardage, become more consistent, come out in the lead back instead of being overtaken by […]

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Usually, around this time of year we get a lot of inquires from athletes about what to do the day before a triathlon race and whether they should start our program because they have a race coming up. “Is it even worth trying to change my bad habit?” He might say. “I know I am […]

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One of the biggest sources of frustration for beginner swimmers and coincidentally the most common form error next to crossing over is sinking legs. It has been a while since we have addressed this and since we have received so many questions like “why do i sink when i swim”, “why my legs sink when […]

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It is hard to keep track off all the different parts of the proper stroke: Make sure you keep your head straight… Don’t cross over…. Keep your elbow up… Watch out for doing an S curve…. Are your legs dragging… Are you hips sinking…. At times it seems so overwhelming, you forget to breathe—which is […]

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I have been following the Olympic pre trials fairly religiously not only because I love seeing the split second finishes but also because I love analyzing the near perfect strokes and different types of swimming strokes. Recently one of my athletes asked me why the sprinters don’t use a high elbow catch? “Their arms are […]

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Like in all fitness routines, plateaus are quite common in swimming if not more so. You swim for weeks and weeks and think you are improving, but after you do a TT, you find that you have only shaved off a few seconds. Or after every sprint, you feel like you have given your all […]

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The most common problem that we see at Tri Swim Coach is breathing. Unfortunately, it is also the (or at least one of them) most critical part of swimming. Obviously, it is important because you need oxygen to survive and to go faster, but it is also critical in developing an efficient stroke. If you […]

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If you look at many age group athletes’ stroke, you might notice that it is slightly imbalanced as if they were limping through the water. One arm might extend a little further, pull a little quicker, or recover across the water faster. Moreover, many of these same athletes get out of the water complaining that […]

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Many triathletes focus every week on mastering their bike to run transition by doing bricks, but they rarely focus on transitioning from swim to bike, a switch that is equally as important. By practicing your swim to bike, you train your legs to engage quickly after minimum use during the swim as well as train […]

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I know and have met many successful age group triathletes since I started triathlon just under 10 years ago. However, there is not one formula, one path, one secret, one plan that makes you great. While there are multiple paths all of which lead to the podium and PRs, I have noticed some common trends […]

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For years, we have been preaching the importance of the high elbow catch (HEC) and pull. Why? Because it is the most efficient way to propel you forward for longer distances without damaging your shoulders. Sprinters might go for a deep pull because it generates more power, lift, and reduction in drag, which is why […]

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Chances are that you or one of your friends has made a resolution for the new year, and chances are that that resolutions either involves health (nutrition, weight loss, six pack abs) and/or swimming. Honestly, it is great that you have made that resolution. It shows that you recognize something is missing or lacking in […]

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We posted a glossary of terms a while back but it needs an update, so we dug up our old post and have modified it to include some more terms to help you decipher swim workouts: Zone 2: I stole this term from cycling and running, both of which define it as about 65-70% of […]

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The holiday shopping season is upon us and you might be creating a list (and checking it twice) of gear to get that special swimmer in your life (including yourself). Since triathletes and swimmers are so hard to shop for, Tri Swim Coach put together their list of the 9 best gifts on the market. […]

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In the winter, when my races are many months away, and the colder weather and darker mornings are changing up my circadian rhythms, I like to experiment with my training to keep things fresh and interesting. One of my latest crazes is doing swim-bike bricks. In these workouts, I will swim a main set then […]

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John Snow was right: winter is coming. And with it, shorter days, colder temps, and less weekly training volume. Usually, this would mean a loss of fitness. This winter though, I challenge you to actually emerge from the off season lighter, stronger and potentially faster without having to the do summer, in-season volume. The key […]

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Once, when I tried to do butterfly, the lifeguard came up to me when I was resting on the wall and asked it I was alright. Many swimmers especially those of us who did not grow up swimming stay far away from the butterfly stroke; people feel like it is super cool for those who […]

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Many athletes get into triathlon after watching the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. For many triathletes, after watching this epic race, they want to bump up their race distance and do a full triathlon. Both these reactions are completely justified; Kona is one of the most amazing spectacles of human perseverance, determination, and fitness. […]

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One very effective way for you to reinvigorate your swim is to get new gear and there is no better time to do so than in the offseason. For swimmers, this might mean getting a new swim suit. I have found that swim suits usually last one season before they begin to look thread bear, […]

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One very common ailment that many open water swimmers and triathletes face is chaffing. In fact, I would argue that it is at pandemic proportions. No matter the wetsuit, no matter how much glide you lather on, it seems that by the end of the swim your neck is red and irritated if not raw […]

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September and October mark the end of the northern hemisphere’s racing season. By this time, many triathletes are both physically and mentally ready to throw in the towel and begin their offseason especially those who have been racing since the end of March and April. These final races can still be personal bests though with […]

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I cringe whenever I see DPS on workouts and hate it when coaches write it up on the master’s swim whiteboard and expect everyone to know exactly how to do it. DPS is such a good drill and focus that it is a shame to see it become so corrupted. When swimmers see DPS, they […]

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Last year, I had the pleasure of testing out Xterra’s new Lava pants–a capri wetsuit that went from the hips to about two inches below the knee. These were designed to help your body position and give you a “wetsuit” feel and edge in the pool or in open water swims where the water temps […]

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It is hard to stay motivated year round. There will be days, usually around this time of year, when you do not want to train and no matter how much coffee, Red Bull, or Surge you consume, you cannot get going nor do you want to. You hop in the pool and before you take […]

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You hear it from almost every single coach: workouts need to have a purpose. At TSC, we agree. Getting into the pool without a set purpose or intention is wasting time. Each workout should have some focus that addresses a need or skill with which you can structure your sets and type of sets around. […]

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One of the cool attachments you can get with the Vasa Swim Erg is the “forearm cuffs.” Instead of using the power paddles, you attach these forearm sleeves to the cables, forcing you to pull not with your hands but with your whole forearms, like you are supposed to in the water. When pulling in […]

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A rarely used but very effective drill is the water polo sprint drill. In this drill, which is also known as the Tarzan drill, the swimmer swims like she/he normally would but with her/his head completely out of the water. Check out the video here: https://vimeo.com/61633658 to get a visual. The benefits of doing the […]

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Getting old does not have to suck. In fact, quite the opposite. Many athletes fear the passing of time and see it as a negative: My joints will begin to hurt… My metabolism will slow down… My times will get slower… My sex drive will be even lower… I will not be able to train […]

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If you have been keeping a pulse on the tri industry, you will know that WTC (a.k.a Ironman) has broken into the coaching certification field and is now offering “Ironman University,” a 4-week, 100% digital, long course specific coaching certification program. Since coaching is what TSC does, I wanted to throw my two watts into […]

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Triathlon Post Race Recovery Last week I talked about what you shouldn’t do after a race, so this week I wanted to focus on what you should do. Focusing and emphasizing these key points are essential to helping with recovery both mentally and physically and priming you for an even better race down the road. […]

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We talk a good deal about what to do and what not to do before a race, but the after is never really discussed, which is unfortunate because the post race window and phase is critical to setting up your next week of training and getting you back to your normal routine. Here are five […]

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Two weekends ago I raced the Lifetime Tempe Tri Marquee. You can read my full race report on my personal website here, but I wanted to focus on the swim for this post so that you do not make the same big mistake that I did. My swim was far from good. Having made so […]

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Many triathletes who do not come from a swimming background (which is most likely 90% of the triathlon population) dread hearing the race director announcing that the swim will not be wetsuit legal. Like a school kid praying for a snow day, triathletes pray for a wetsuit legal race resorting to mystical beliefs like wearing […]

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At TSC, we are not die hard believers in bilateral breathing (breathing to both sides). If you are able to breath to one side WHILE maintaining good form, then more power to you. However, very few of you can do this. The problem with only breathing to one side is that your form can become […]

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Last weekend, I had the pleasure of going to the LA Velodrome at the StubHub center to do aero testing. Over the course of two days, I learned how to ride on a velodrome (do not slow down on the curves! Keep pedaling) and more about aerodynamics than two years of physics. Unlike other camps, […]

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Do you sometimes you just feel “off” in your workouts? You might feel sloppy or as if your stroke has lost its snap. With this, of course, comes a decrease in speed and motivation and an increase in frustration and even anger! There are many possibilities for the cause of these feelings, including fatigue, stress, […]

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How Many Times A Week Should I Swim For a Triathlon? If you have followed the blog for the past 3 weeks, I have told how you can indeed achieve speed and cut down your times by just swimming three days a week. For some of us, this is a reality. With “open lane” time […]

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For the past two weeks, I have been writing about how you can improve your swim times with only three swims a week. While not ideal and more is often better, many folks do not have the time to swim more than that. To achieve gains on such a sparse training program you need to […]

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Self coached triathlete pitfalls Are you self-coached and designing your own training programs? There definitely is a certain enjoyment of being able to plan out a huge 16 or 24 week build-up to a big race. It also gives you the flexibility to do what you enjoy and make changes depending on how you feel […]

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Winter Triathlon Training With American Thanksgiving on Thursday and the build up to Christmas immediately after the last of the turkey has been eaten, the holiday season is upon us. This time of year is packed with office parties, traveling to see family and friends, shopping, and enough sugary treats and temptations to give an […]

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Swimming Training Plans Many of you are already planning your training and racing scheduling for next year. Laying out a schedule might seem simple enough but it is incredibly hard. Obviously hiring an experienced coach who can modify training from week to week in your lead up to your “A race” is the ideal but […]

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Sinking Legs in Swimming One of the biggest causes of drag and swimming inefficiency is sinking legs. This syndrome is pretty easy to spot. A swimmer’s lower body seems to bend at the waist so that their toes seem to scrape the bottom of the pool. If the ideal swim position is 180 degrees (a […]

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The moment you finish a workout you should be preparing for your next one. If you do not properly recover from your previous workout, then the quality of the next one will suffer and for time-strapped athletes every minute of your workout should count. So how can you recover to the fullest? Read on…. Obviously […]

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Garmin Swim Review Let’s be honest: no one wants to be that guy who shows up to a group ride on a tri bike, a track workout with a camel back, or a multi-sport watch to masters. Besides being really dorky looking, it can disrupt the flow of the lane when one person is going […]

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On Thursday, I did not want to run. I was exhausted from a long day at work, I had already done a hard spin that morning, and all I wanted to do was to have dinner maybe a glass of wine and read in bed. But it was an important workout and one that I […]

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A question we get several times a year and that I have seen appear on our Facebook page many times, is what are swimskins, do they make you faster, and are they worth spending money on? All three of these are good questions and worth addressing, because non wetsuit legal swims seem to be on […]

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The week leading up to a big race can be stressful even more stressful than the race itself. At this point in your training there is not much you can do physically to improve your times, but there is a lot you can do to hurt your times. Here are the top three things you […]

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The internet is a giant mess of raw information, complex scientific studies, outlandish claims, anecdotal evidence, personal blogs, and businesses that claim “to know” the answer–the one thing that your training and life is missing and can turn you from an out-of-shape athlete into the next up-and-coming age grouper. Through some very clever marketing and […]

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One of the most underrated part of triathlon and masters swimming is kicking. But, at the same time, mastering the kick has the potential to completely rework your swim and take you from below average to actually fighting for position in the water. Yes, I know, what you are going to say: “But I need […]

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