One feature of the Vasa SwimErg that I have been playing around with is power balance. For those of you not familiar with the SwimErg, it is a swim bench similar to a rowing ergometer. Instead of sitting and rowing, you lie down on a bench and swim with two paddles. Since the paddles and […]
Find your perfect drills
Posted TrainingDrills are tools and should be used with precision and purpose. Coaches should prescribe and athletes should select and perform drills depending on their individual and evolving needs as a swimmer. Done correctly, the drills that are suited to you now should not be as useful in 6 weeks because the drill fixed what was […]
What you need to know about the recovery phase
Posted Articles, TrainingWe received a question on our Facebook group the other day asking about what is the best arm position for the recovery phase of your swim stroke. Should you do a straight arm like these 50 m swimmers: https://youtu.be/bf4tc04ZhAA?t=4m37s Or a bent arm high elbow recovery like this: https://youtu.be/nIlHQWPdBec?t=3m45s As seen in these videos, both […]
Relaxed Rigidity
Posted Articles, TrainingTo have an effective, smooth swim stroke, your whole body–from your extended fingertips down to your (hopefully) pointed toes–needs to move as one unit. If you look at videos of many beginner swimmers, their bodies are all over the place with their upper body moving one way and their lower body moving the other. They […]
3 Myths About Triathlon Swimming
Posted Articles, TrainingLike any sport, there are many training myths on how to best train and improve. Just to name a few that I have seen this past week on some popular online blogs and forums… To make it to Kona, you need to train 18-25 hours a week. You should eat one gel every 15 min […]
Focus on Drills for Progress
Posted Articles, UncategorizedLissa Henderson here. During my swim practices growing up, there was nothing that I dreaded more than a giant set full of freestyle drills. Well, except maybe an entire workout made up of butterfly sets. Those were the worst. 4000-6000 yards made up of 80% butterfly? No thank you. Those dreaded drill sets just bored me […]
#SwimReboot Step 2: Turning on the lights
Posted Articles, Training, Vasa SwimWhatever your endeavor, your first 5k, a marathon PR, racing an Ironman, or in my case, rebooting my swim, it is critical to know where you are currently. You cannot move forward unless you accept the reality of where you are and where you need to focus. Especially in a form specific sport like swimming, […]
Swimming up stream in a pool
Posted Articles, TrainingOver the weekend, the world’s best competed in Chattanooga at the 70.3 world championships. From all reports, the course was definitely championship quality with a partially against current swim, plenty of climbing, and an undulating run. Athletes had their training cut out for them. The up river swim in particular got me thinking about how […]
The Benefits of Hypoxic Training
Posted ArticlesHypoxic training, or specific sets where you control how much or little you breathe, has received a bad reputation over the past years especially in the triathlon community. But it potentially has the power to unleash massive swim gains and transform your form. Breathing is one of the most common form issues that we at […]
Training with a tempo trainer is ruining your stroke
Posted Articles, TrainingMany websites, swim coaches and programs recommend that beginner swimmers train with a tempo trainer (i.e. a “wetranome”) to help them find the ideal stroke rate. This little device goes underneath your swim cap and beeps every time you “should” take a stroke. In theory, this is supposed to help swimmers get their stroke rate/cadence […]
Swim Drills For Freestyle – Issue #11
Posted NewslettersDear Tri Swim Coach Subscriber, Happy New Year! Many of you are probably just starting to get back in the water after a little layoff. The best plan of action is to start small and start with drills! I have 3 drills today that can help kick off your training season right. If you haven’t […]