Supplemental Equipment

For the person who doesn’t feel complete until he is surrounded by equipment and gadgets, there are plenty of additional products available to complement the basics. The drill progressions and workouts in this book call for the use of several more pieces of equipment than just the essentials. Some offer fitness benefits, others help you master skills more quickly, and others will help keep you motivated, organized, and on track. The following equipment will add variety, utility, and a bit of fun to your training.

 

Training Fins If you follow the workouts in this book, you will want at least one pair of training fins. Fins extend your feet and legs, making your kick faster and more efficient. They help increase ankle flexibility and leg strength, and they also activate more muscle mass, all of which will shorten the learning curve for many of the skills you’ll be working on. Plus, you’ll find that the extra speed they provide when you swim is simply lots of fun.

Most fins are made of natural rubber and give good service for several years if properly cared for. Some are made of silicone, which lasts longer than rubber. Others are made of a nearly indestructible high-density, heat-treated polyurethane that will last forever. You might want two pairs of fins: a pair of short training fins (with a blade length of 1 or 2 inches, or 2.5 or 5 cm) and a pair of normal-size training fins (with a blade that is roughly the same length as your foot). Avoid rigid fins, blades that are more than one-and-a-half times wider than your foot, and blades that are longer than your foot, because any of these will be detrimental to your technique. Also avoid fins that float quickly to the top of the pool or that sink quickly. Ideally, your fins should be almost neutrally buoyant. Unless you have very flexible ankles (a very small percentage of adults do, and runners almost never do), opt for the most flexible fins you can find.

 

Training Snorkel If you follow the workouts in this book, you will want a training snorkel. This type of snorkel is designed specifically for swim training. It mounts in the center of your forehead and curves over the top of your head to allow for a proper head position. For several of the drills, many of the skills, and much of the swimming described herein, a proper snorkel will remove the distraction of turning to breathe so that you can concentrate on other aspects of your technique. If you are not used to snorkels, understand that it takes a while to get comfortable with one, but it is well worth the effort. Two models are offered by Finis (www.finisinc.com). One is called the Swimmer’s Snorkel (figure 2.3), which is the best choice for most swimmers, and one is called the Freestyle Snorkel, which is a bit harder to use but promotes further skill refinement in more skilled swimmers.

 

 

Figure 2.3 The Swimmer’s Snorkel.

© Finis, Inc.;

 

Heart-Rate Monitor Electronic heart-rate monitors for swimming are becoming more popular. A monitor with a watch-style display and a sensor that straps around the chest is the only accurate way to get heart-rate readings for swimming. Heart-rate monitors work very well for women because they are worn under the suit and they stay in place well. Some men, however, find a heart-rate monitor uncomfortable for extended use because it must be tight enough to not slip down the body when pushing off from the wall. If you follow the workouts in this book, a heart-rate monitor is strongly recommended. See chapter 6 for details on using a monitor in your training.

 

Pace Clock or Training Watch Most workouts are organized in an interval-training format that requires a visible timing device. If the pool you frequent does not have a pace clock, you will want to provide a timing device. The ideal device is a portable 15-inch (38 cm) analog pace clock with a sweeping second hand and minute hand. The face is numbered from 5 to 60 in 5-second jumps, with small tick marks for each second in between. A more portable solution is a personal pace clock or timer that is designed to sit at the end of your lane, either on the deck or in the gutter. This can be a workable option for people who have a hard time seeing a pace clock at a distance. Yet another alternative is a sports watch with a timer. Look for one with multiple stopwatch functions, including lap-split memory with countdown and count-up interval timers. Some heart-rate monitors include sports-timer functions in the watch portion of their system. Two drawbacks to using a watch-type timer are that you can’t see it without stopping your swim, and that recording lap splits requires reaching over with your other hand to press a button, which is awkward at best. It is difficult, however, to beat the portability of a watch.

 

Tempo Beeper These small electronic-pacing devices slide under your cap or attach to your goggle strap. You set a specific beep tempo to match your stroke to, and then bone conduction transmits the tones to your inner ear. Tempo Trainer and Wetronome are common tempo beepers for swimming.

 

Waterproof Notebook A poolside notebook allows you to keep track of times, jot down training notes, and record those “Aha!” moments (and maybe even capture a phone number or two) without getting out of the water. Look for Wet Notes and Wet Log waterproof notebooks. In a pinch, you can cut Tyvek envelopes into sheets and then use a pencil to write on them poolside.

 

Equipment Bags So you took this book to the local swim shop and said, “I’ll have one of each, two of some.” You now have a pile of stuff to schlep back and forth. Invest your last couple of sawbucks in two good swim bags. First, get a nylon-mesh drawstring bag for wet pool toys (fins, snorkel, and the like). Then get a conventional workout bag for the usual locker-room stuff. It should have one or two external mesh pockets for damp suits and goggles and a waterproof compartment for wet towels. A waterproof bottom also comes in handy around constantly wet pool decks.

 

Though you’ll see swimmers use other items at the pool, they aren’t necessary for improving your swimming. In fact, some of them could indeed be detrimental. Until you have mastered the skills and workouts in this book, stay away from pull buoys, kickboards, hand paddles, wrist weights, swimming gloves, and the like. My bet is that once you have mastered theFitness Swimming program, you’ll find that you have no need or desire to use them.