Swim jet vs. lap lane?

Jeff, I bought an Endless Pool in early 2008 and got it up and running in mid May 2008 to help me get back in shape and competitive again for masters swimming. I have a neighbor that has a Fastlane (a motor which attaches to an existing pool) for her outdoor pool which is what you would want for an outdoor swimming pool. Endless Pools has a new 7.5 HP motor that goes fast enough to similate a pretty good sprint speed for most swimmers. I would guess by feel that the top speed of my pool is between 52-54 sec pace per 100 yards. They also have a 6 HP motor which has a top speed that is a sub-minute per 100 yards. I think the standard 5-5.5 HP is too slow for good swimmers. Although swimming against the current feels slightly different than pool swimming (the current seems to make your arms work harder and your kick has it a little easier), I have been alternating between pool and endless pool workouts pretty seemlessly and have been improving my conditioning and weight using the pool. I think there is a lot of potential for good swim training with an Endless Pool if I stop swimming continuously (20-30 minutes straight) and start doing more interval work that would vary time of swimming and current speeds. All four strokes work well in the pool, although I am not sure if the current is changing my timing for breastroke since I have been swimming mostly freestyle this Summer. If you get a current pool, I would definitely get an underwater MP3 player because swimming in place gets Boring. I personally would not like a 50-60 ft pool as all that flipping would make me dizzy. Hope the above information helps.

Jeff, I think there is a lot of potential for good swim training with an Endless Pool if I stop swimming continuously (20-30 minutes straight) and start doing more interval work that would vary time of swimming and current speeds. All four strokes work well in the pool, although I am not sure if the current is changing my timing for breastroke since I have been swimming mostly freestyle this Summer. Two questions: -Do you have to breathe any differently? -Why is it bad to swim continuously?

Yes, I have a 7.5HP motor for my pool. I am not sure why it is not advertised on the endless pools site better. In response to the two questions: 1. I think my breathing is the same swimming against the current of the endless pool as it is swimming in a regular pool. 2. When I was only swimming continuously all the time instead of varying speeds, I was getting stuck at a comfortable pace and not pushing myself hard enough. Then when I would swim a pool practice or go to a meet, I had trouble shifting gears to go fast when I wanted to. For competitive swimmers, I think it is important to use different speed in practice to force your body to simulate race pace, adapt, and improve.

You can do all sorts of training in a current pool. Max Vo2, Aenerobic, and Aerobic swimming. Even Lactic threshold swimming.

I agree with GeoChuck about the different types of training in a current pool. I was just stating in my initial post that I discovered that when I swam after work, I was often lazy and would set the current speed at a moderate warm-up speed and wouldn't bother to change it. I recently started incorporating some kicking and sculling into my workouts, and need to think how I want to train. I have become too used to a coach telling me what to do at practice over the years.

After looking at the swim jets, they seem pretty cool. It'd take a bit to get used to them but it'd sure be easier to clean, cheaper to heat, etc. The problem with a pool 'll only get about 10yds of actual swimming in. The rest is just pushoff/kick. You'd end up wanting to join a club :(.

My one daughter has a swim jet pool. 17' long and 8' wide. They do have a big problem with swimming in streamline. Her pool has four jets and even I have trouble staying in proper position when the flow is on a higher level.

I swam in a jet pool several years ago and there were so many bubbles you couldn't see anything. Hopefully the newer technology for a jet is better. As far as having a pool long enough, 60 feet wouldn't be bad. I grew up in 20 yard pools, and even had one through High School. You are at a disadvantage when you do swim in a 25 yard pool though since you are used to doing so many turns. I think the way to go (and what I'm going to do) is to get one that use a propeller to generate the current and save some money by not building a big pool. I swam in an Endless pool a few weeks ago as a test since I'm in the market too. It was a 5hp model that is touted as 1:06 100 yard pace. I cranked it up full blast and did not have a problem keeping up for 3 or 4 minutes, then stopped to switch strokes and turn down the speed. I was winded but could have kept going for awhile. If I do intervals in a 25 yard pool, a 1:06 for me is a really hard swim, and I could probably only do 2 or 3 of them with a minute rest in between. No way is that current a 1:06. More like 1:12 - 1:15. Make sure you get the stronger motor if you want to go faster than this. I'm going to swim in a RiverPool soon, and will post here what I think of the 2 in comparison. I was also unaware that Endless Pools had a 7.5 hp motor, must be really new. 99% of their customers probably don't need it though, so maybe they aren't worried about advertising it. I'm also looking at the RiverPool and they advertise a 7.5 hp motor. Both can drop into an existing pool, or can be built into a new one. I'm in the same boat as you are, getting ready to build but scaling back on the size due to cost. The money you save by not putting in a "long" pool can be put into the swim current device you choose.

I just checked the Endless info and they only mention 6HP. Is this something they have advertised somwhere other then their website???

Carl, One thing that occurred when I was installing my endless pool is that the pressure guage was set too low. I found that I was able to overswim my 7.5HP unit pretty easily, which shouldn't happen with its top speed. After a call with endless pools, I was able to adjust the gauge which increased the top speed of the pool dramatically. Perhaps the pool you tested was not set properly. I will be interested to hear how you like the River Pool and its current. Patrick