Topics related to how swimming can improve fitness and wellness
Our students and parents always ask us where they can swim and practice outside of classes. While joining a health club is always an option, Chicago is a super cool city because the Chicago Park District has indoor and outdoor pools in nearly every neighborhood that have family, open, and…
I was working with a client this morning and we were talking about swimming on the back. New swimmers have some discomfort with swimming on the back because (a) they can’t see where they are going and don’t want to hit the wall, and (b) they can’t swim straight and…
One of my clients sent me a link to an article in Triathlon Competitor magazine called Do you know your Ape Index? The article talks about how arm length can affect your cadence — short arms yields a higher cadence and long arms yields a lower cadence. He asked me if…
I was reading through the Total Immersion Coaches Manual and came across a helpful chart. It provides a general stroke count range based on the height of the swimmer. A couple of caveats: 1) If your count is above the range, don’t think that you have to start swimming in…
To help you track your swimming yardage during the Holiday Fitness Challenge, we suggest using the US Masters Swimming Fitness Log, or FLOG. This program can track for multiple types of workouts and fitness memberships. And it’s FREE with your USMS membership. Here are the steps you can follow to…
I got this email from a client this week: “Hey John, thanks for quick tip. I purchased the Tempo Trainer from the CBD site. Should have it soon. I have been reading some of the documentation on the TT…but still not sure about what my ideal stroke rate is.” Here’s…
Finis Swimmer Snorkel We want to encourage all of our swimmers to purchase a Swimmer Snorkel this fall and bring it to practice on a regular basis. We’ve found in our teaching that the snorkel is an incredible tool for working on swimming mechanics without being encumbered by the…
One of the most common comments we get from our clients who know how to swim but just can’t turn it into a fitness activity is: “I get so out of breath! I can run a marathon, but I can’t do two lengths of the pool.” The swimming literature commonly…
I recently came across a section in Houston-based Masters Coach, Emmett Hines’, new version of “Fitness Swimming” that talked about why you get hungry directly after you swim. Emmett says: “It is true that most swimmers tend to hungry after workouts. The same is true in nearly every sport. But the timing of…
