So I swam with some guys today who were using some homemade device that was essentially some surgical type tubing connected to a belt that you placed around your waist. By the time you get half way acrossed the pool it hits you that it's going to take a LOT of effort to make it to the other side! My first attempt I got to about 20 yards and quit...I was seeing no progress. After being riled by these two swimmers I decided to give it my all and see what happens. Well, I made it to the wall a couple of times after the first attempt. It takes a bunch of strong kicking and some very high elbow/rapid turnover stroking to reach the wall but it is attainable. The last 5 yards are slow going but swimming back with the help of the tubing is such a delight.
Anyhow, short of building these things myself, does anybody know where I could buy something already set up? I think it will make a great training tool for me. After a few of those resistance runs I swam a 50 and breezed in under 30 without putting forth a raceworthy effort. The resistance forces you to utilize proper high elbow technique and fast turnover.
Stephanie,
Having trained with stretch cords, I would say yes you can get in a decent workout on a short cord. However, there are a few things to note. First since you are swimming in place there is a different feel for the water; no sense of movement and increased resistance on your pull. This can cause some people to adjust their stroke to compensate. Second, it can bet a bit boring, since a number of us measure our workout in terms of yards. With a StrechCordz there are no yards, only strokes and minutes. Also because you are swimming in place there are no turns, which is good if you are training for open water swims, some pool swimmers need their walls.
I find that StrechCordz can’t replace a real workout, but they can be used as a training aid and are useful in pools that don’t have lap swimming. A number of USMS partners carry cords including Kiefer, Kast-A-Way and SwimOutlet. You can get cords through their websites, which can be found at www.usms.org/links
Stephanie,
Having trained with stretch cords, I would say yes you can get in a decent workout on a short cord. However, there are a few things to note. First since you are swimming in place there is a different feel for the water; no sense of movement and increased resistance on your pull. This can cause some people to adjust their stroke to compensate. Second, it can bet a bit boring, since a number of us measure our workout in terms of yards. With a StrechCordz there are no yards, only strokes and minutes. Also because you are swimming in place there are no turns, which is good if you are training for open water swims, some pool swimmers need their walls.
I find that StrechCordz can’t replace a real workout, but they can be used as a training aid and are useful in pools that don’t have lap swimming. A number of USMS partners carry cords including Kiefer, Kast-A-Way and SwimOutlet. You can get cords through their websites, which can be found at www.usms.org/links