"not so drag" suit..

Jeff, you must have really really really loved swimming to do all that drag training in high school. Wow. Fast swimming! A lotta work! :applaud:

I also think there is a "style" component to wearing these suits which speaks more to swimming culture than to well thought out training protocol. Rich Hellz yeah! The mesh training suit makes my hairy gut look a lot smaller! No more size 28 arena racers with 1" sides and a seam down the back. I wear a suit that screams, "I'm older than your Dad, and slow, but my best from back in the day would still kick your butt today!" I don't miss putting on the near frozen tank tops and gym shorts (and tennies, yes) we wore in the '70s, at 0445 in January. Still, the pocket drag suits could carry 8 cans of beer IIIRC.

Rick, I didn't say I thought adding resistance was a bad idea. I gave a couple of examples. Another one I like is vertical kicking with a dive brick or other weight. However, wearing a drag suit 100% of all workouts still doesn't make sense to me. Actually, I think that being shaved throughout a training season makes some sense (although way to big a pain to actually do). In college I always had my best/most productive workouts between conference championships and NCAA's when already shaved. I'm thankful I swam before someone thought of panty hose. If you want to add resistance swim harder/faster and learn to be more efficient at higher speeds when the resistance is proportionally greater and proper technique more critical. Bottom line, adding artificial resistance to what you would normally do in a race is a tool to be used appropriately. I like an earlier poster's suggestion to take off the drag suit for a faster challenge sets. That makes much more sense to me. I also think there is a "style" component to wearing these suits which speaks more to swimming culture than to well thought out training protocol. Rich Mr. Abrahams, Do you agree with using fins? One theory is that the fins, by forcing your body to go faster than it actually can, "trains" your nervous system to actually go faster without fins. Do you agree with this? Thanks!

Mr. Abrahams, Do you agree with using fins? One theory is that the fins, by forcing your body to go faster than it actually can, "trains" your nervous system to actually go faster without fins. Do you agree with this? Thanks! Mike, First of all "Rich" will suffice. I do use fins in workout, but for very specific purposes. The only times I would use fins while actually swimming a full stroke is is to work on technique at full race speed. That being the case, I wouldn't use longer more flexible fins during these swims, but short zoomer type fins. This is because quick kick tempo is critical for sprinting and you couldn't get the proper tempo with the longer fins. Personally, I have to limit these all out sprint efforts with fins because they wreck havoc with my lower back. Short bursts (10-15 seconds) of vertical kicking with your arms overhead in a streamline position is great for working on kick temp and is much easier on my back. I do have a softer pair of fins (the blue ones with the orange tips) that I like and use them to help with ankle flexibilty, smooth full length SDK and some lactate work like all out 100's dolfin kick. I have never used long fins with full stroke because I think it messes with your timing, but I would consider doing it if I was rehabing a shoulder. I'm not sure about getting any nervous system advantage sprinting with the fins vis a vis sprinting without them, but you can really work on proper stroke and body position technique at race pace at a lower physical cost if you use them correctly. Hope this helps, Rich

I like small paddles over a drag suit.

I am a drag-suit wearer and I swim fast in practice. I think some folks do it out of habit and don't really know why, but in my case, I think most everything I do (wearing a drag suit, growing my hair, doing threshold sets, challenge sets, descending distance free...) has some method to the madness. The way I like to look at it, I am trying to perfect my stroke in practice while beating myself up, wearing myself down and slowing myself down (with the drag suit), so that during the last few yards of a sprint or the last 50 of a 500/800/1000/1500/1650/OW swim, I can really turn it on and swim with the same efficiency with which I started the race. My logic is that at that point in the race, i'll be beaten and worn down, but will be so used to swimming in that state, i'll be ok. it seems to work for me. When's the last time you saw someone swimming butterfly - and passing people - at the finish of an exhausting 4.4 mile OW swim?

Here is a simple explanation of the effect of using "drag suits" and the misperceptions about their effectiveness. In an ordinary pool, the water volume relative to the size (and power) of an individual swimmer can be considered as being infinite and propulsion forces are the result of an "Impulse & Reaction" process much like the action of the propeller on a boat in lake. In a large pool, the water is free to flow around the swimmers hands, arms, and legs regardless of the person's net movement through the pool and the effort required (and energy expended) in going through the actual movements of swimming is the same regardless of whether you're moving or not. Simply stated, adding more drag just makes you swim slower, but you are actually expending the exact same amount of effort and energy as if you were allowed to swim faster. I suppose the effect of a drag suit is just psychological because the person is more aware of the difference in speed between swimming with -and without- the drag.

Mike, First of all "Rich" will suffice. I do use fins in workout, but for very specific purposes. The only times I would use fins while actually swimming a full stroke is is to work on technique at full race speed. That being the case, I wouldn't use longer more flexible fins during these swims, but short zoomer type fins. This is because quick kick tempo is critical for sprinting and you couldn't get the proper tempo with the longer fins. Personally, I have to limit these all out sprint efforts with fins because they wreck havoc with my lower back. Short bursts (10-15 seconds) of vertical kicking with your arms overhead in a streamline position is great for working on kick temp and is much easier on my back. I do have a softer pair of fins (the blue ones with the orange tips) that I like and use them to help with ankle flexibilty, smooth full length SDK and some lactate work like all out 100's dolfin kick. I have never used long fins with full stroke because I think it messes with your timing, but I would consider doing it if I was rehabing a shoulder. I'm not sure about getting any nervous system advantage sprinting with the fins vis a vis sprinting without them, but you can really work on proper stroke and body position technique at race pace at a lower physical cost if you use them correctly. Hope this helps, Rich Rich, Thank you very much! I will percolate on your answer and may get back. Have a great day.