Cupid's Picks: What to get the Amphibian in Your Life This V-day!

It's that time of year again, everyone's favorite Hallmark driven holiday is almost upon us and I, for one, cannot wait to celebrate with an over-priced box of donuts, too many french fries, and sweatpants (hint hint husband). Food related treats aside, there are a lot of people who prefer actual gifts on Valentine's Day (although a surprise donut is a prettyyyy great gift if you ask me…), so I wanted to throw some ideas at you guys that are specifically for swimmers, as well as the staples I've used to get to and from the pool pretty much my entire life. Get ready, there's a pink and red theme ahead...

I know I know, everyone who’s a swimmer has 675489302 water bottles lying around their room and stashed all over their house. But the problem with the water bottles we all get at meets and races and collect over the years? They’re cheap plastic, small, and were FREE. Which, if your’e anything like 12 year old me, means you don’t care about them and leave them behind pretty much everywhere you go. Which brings me to my next pick, this beautiful Camelback Chute Mag 32 oz. Water Bottle. It’s an entire liter, has a huge spout - great for getting a good amount of water when you have very little time on the wall between intervals at practice - and is pretty to boot! Best part? You’ve bought it (or received it as a gift), meaning you’ll be much less likely to just leave it behind when you’re heading into the lockerroom to shower after your workout.

As a younger swimmer, my sense of “getting ready after practice” consisted of throwing my dripping wet hair up into some semblance of a bun and having shoes on my feet, so I would never have thought twice about actually using something like this. But now that I’m a fully formed adult (or so I’m told) I finally see the point and great qualities of this product. SwimSpray is a Vitamin C based product that you use when you shower to eliminate chlorine odor and the dryness it can cause to your skin. Sure, this product adds an additional step to your shower routine, but not everyone likes to smell like chlorine all day when they’re sitting at work, or when they get even a little bit hot in their natural habitat - and what I mean by that is I used to sweat chlorine and everyone around me would think it was just bleach seeping out of my pores…think you don’t have this wonderful quality? Well color me jealous. Anywho, this one’s great for those of us with sensitive skin and hair susceptible to damage!

One thing I always coveted were the backpacks all of my older swimmer friends had when I was little. They have side pockets for caps, goggles, and shampoo, as well as a mesh compartment to put your wet suit in after getting out of the water. There's enough space in the main compartment for shoes and the clothes you want to wear afterwards as well as a towel and any hair dryer/straightener you might need. 

The one I use to this day is the Speedo Large Teamster Backpack. It's also great as a carry-on bag for short trips that fits easily in the overhead compartment of airplanes.

This one might seem a bit odd, but I promise you'll be finding uses for it for years to come. I've had mine since I was a freshman in high school and I've never had any issues with it. What I'm talking about is the Finis Tempo Trainer. This tiny little tool sits inside your cap and gives you something to pace yourself off of. Think of it as a cute little metronome (any orchestra buffs out there? Fun fact: I played the violin for 9 years and my metronome became one of my closest friends when I first started). If you don't know what a metronome is it's something that helps you keep a beat. You can set it to whatever interval you like and it will make an audible beep for you to follow along to. The Tempo Trainer is a great tool to help you work on your pace, rotation, kick, timing of your breath, etc. It's a bit pricey for what it does but it's a great product that lasts for years. And no, sadly, it doesn't come in pink.

Back to the pink theme! My next pick is something I actually stole from my diver friends when I was swimming for my summer team as a kid. The Speedo Sports Towel is 12.5 by 16.5 inches and is the most absorbent thing I've ever come across. It's incredibly light and dries quickly as well. This towel is perfect to have at meets, open water events, and triathlons that won't take up too much room in your bag but will get you drier than any beach towel ever could.

Now before you say it I already know what you're thinking, why in the world is a silicone oven mitt listed in a swimmers gift guide? The answer is that this thing saved my life growing up when it came to getting ready for school after swimming every morning. This one's pretty specific and I'm sure isn't for everyone, but a Silicone Oven Mitt was the one thing that kept my hair straightener from burning a hole straight through my bag. I know, like I said, this isn't for everyone. But it was my mom's idea when I was in high school and I still use it to this day. It's also perfect for hair driers!

Last on the list is simple but something every swimmer should have at least one of, if not 2-3. The Speedo Goggle Case is exactly what it says it is, a goggle case. I had a lot of different variations of this one over the years but this is the best one I've found. It's cheap and easy to use and won't take up too much space in your bag. I used to think these were just silly and unnecessary, but now that I'm an adult and buy my own goggles I use this every time I swim because it keeps them from getting all of those teensy, tiny, scratches all over the lenses, which means it keeps me from buying goggles every 3 weeks because I can't see out of them anymore. Think you don't need this because you're a triathlete and don't swim as much as you bike and run? Think again, because this case will save your goggles from getting damaged in your bag where they're hanging out with all of your other belongings and keep them pristine for race day.

Out of the Pool Gift Ideas for Your Swimmer & Triathlete Friends: 2019 Edition

It’s the holidays! And if you’re anything like me that means one thing: FOOD. So much food I can never decide what to eat and then end up eating everything. Oops? No, not oops, definitely always smart to eat everything and not miss out on something. Like those cookies your mom only makes once a year? Or the special edition oreos that come with pretty winter designs and cost $2 more? Yes, those things should not be missed. Yikes, here I go, not even coming close to my point. The holidays also mean gift giving! I love any opportunity I get to give my family, friends, and loved ones presents that I know they’re going to love and have a use for. But when it comes to swimmers, triathletes, open water swimmers, and basically anyone else who loves to spend 30-40% of their waking moments in the water, it can sometimes be hard to figure out what they need. So I’ve compiled a list of things we use with our SwimBox clients (as well as ourselves) that will give great benefit to anyone with a love of water sports.

Your first move should be to buy these Perform Better Exercise Bands. We use these with our clients CONSTANTLY and I feel like I’m telling people to buy them more often than I’m making bad food jokes. They’re great to use, whether you’re a beginner or more advanced swimmer, to help you fine tune many aspects of your kick. Most often we use them around our clients’ ankles to work on their upkick, but they can also be used just above the knee to help work on kicking from the hip as well as strengthening your legs. They come in a pack of four, so once your legs get used to one level of resistance you can move up to a higher level of resistance to keep your legs working that much harder. And, just like anything made out of a type of rubber that gets stretched over and over again, they’re going to wear out, which means? They’re great to give again and again!

Even though you might not think it, a snorkel is a great training tool for swimmers or all kinds - beginners, intermediate, advanced - to help them focus on the task at a hand. Being able to remove the thought of breathing correctly and timing it perfectly and focus on a specific drill is an insane help to making changes more quickly. When you can break down the stroke it helps you free up your mind to make changes faster and more concretely, and using a snorkel takes the breath out of the equation and allows you to do just that. The Finis Swimmer’s Snorkel is great for swimmers of all abilities.

Next up is the Finis Tempo Trainer. I used to think these were a bit pointless, but boy has my husband proved me wrong. This is basically a tiny metronome that you set to a specific rate and tuck inside your cap right around your ear so you can hear it underwater. You can use the metronome feature to help you work on cadence and tempo of your arms, legs, rotation, pretty much any part of your stroke. It’s also a great tool to help you set a timer for yourself during a workout. For instance I used one of these little guys every time I got in the pool to train for my Aquathlon so I didn’t have to pay attention to a clock and could focus 100% of my attention on my stroke. Yes, you have to reset the timer each round, but it’s incredibly easy and you don’t even notice yourself doing it after the first 2-3 rounds of your set.

Say you want to give something that’s more of a theme gift, or a set of things that goes along with one overarching idea. Okay, I hear you. Let’s throw in some of our favorite Keifer Ankle Weights to go along with the kicking theme we started with the exercise bands. We use 2.5 lb and 5 lb weights depending on your level of skill and strength, and they can be used so many different ways. Firstly, placed around the ankles to work on upkick and hamstring strength. This way of using the weights is also just a great way to burn out your legs during a swim practice. Try swimming with these guys for 2,000-4,000 yards and see how your legs feel after that, yikes. Do that and you’re more than earned your holiday goodies. These weights can also be utilized around the biceps to strengthen your back during your catch and pull.

This one I would 100% suggest if you’re an open water swimmer or triathlete. The MP K180 is the PERFECT goggle to use if you spend any time in the open water. But what makes this goggle great is that it’s also wonderful for pool use as well. I personally have worn this exact goggle (and it’s tinted brother pair) for years and won’t be stopping any time soon. The eye piece is small, but not too small that did into your eye socket and create huge marks. My favorite part about this is that they eye piece is also very deep, meaning it sits far away from your eye and you don’t get the feeling that they’re so tight they’re going to become one with your eyeball. Bonus? Those pretty eyelashes of yours won’t come anywhere near the lens.

I have to warn you with this one, it’s going to seem weird. But as soon as that package arrives and you go to wrap this gift, you’re going to be so jealous that you didn’t grab one for yourself as well. What is the one thing that swimmers hate the most (besides being told they’re about to do 10 x 100s butterfly for time, that is)? That excruciatingly painful feeling you get from being wet and cold at the same time. I hated it as a kid, I hated it when I was competing, and I hate it every time I shower in the winter. Solution? The Dry Robe Towel Poncho. What is that, you might be thinking. It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a towel that’s been fashioned into an oversized poncho that you put on after you get out of the water. The towel material itself is thicker than your standard towel, AND, it has a hood to help keep your wet head warm and pockets for all of your snacks. It’s definitely a winner.

Different Strokes For The Same Result

Do you think just because the only stroke you race in is freestyle, that that means it’s the only stroke you should practice? Better think again. Well, actually, if you reallyyyy want to only swim freestyle, from now until time has long since ended, you can do so. But if you’re anything like me and get bored at practice after 800 yards of constant freestyle, then this is for you. Just because you swim freestyle for all of your races, and that’s what your main training focus is, doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself during your workouts, nor should you. All four strokes have similar attributes to one another. Freestyle pull and butterfly pull? They’re the same. Shoulder blade movement during freestyle recovery and backstroke recovery? Super alike.

Not only does practicing different strokes help prevent your brain from melting from sheer lack of variety, it allows you to find proper technique that you might be having trouble with otherwise. It took me 3 years to get my lats to fire properly during the power phase of my freestyle, and I actually figured out the feeling I was looking for by working on my butterfly pull. This might seem counterintuitive when you first think about it, but it’s a great way to progress more quickly than you might if you just keep trying to work on the same thing over and over again, eventually leading to frustration and anger.

At SwimBox we have a lot of our lessons take place on land in order to have our clients understand the feeling they’re looking for during certain movements in the water. This same principle is applied to the idea of practicing different strokes. When I was struggling to understand the proper movement I needed to make and the feeling that came with it for my freestyle power phase, it was incredibly frustrating. Like I said, it took me 3 YEARS, some moments weren’t my best (especially when it’s my husband coaching me, we’re the meanest to the ones we love the most…right?). So when I tried getting the movement and the feeling during butterfly that’s when the lightbulb went off. 

I’m not saying this is a quick fix, or that it will work for everyone, but there’s a huge benefit to working on all four strokes instead of just one. And not only does it help with your body awareness and technique, it’s great to work on these strokes for better all around muscle development and training, as well as comfortability in the water. You’ll be a better all around athlete and become more attuned to how certain movements feel. Think of it almost like cross training, except it’s within the same sport. 

And if you’re sitting there reading this and thinking, “I don’t know how to swim any of the other strokes…” then this is the perfect excuse to learn! You’ll be thanking me - or swearing at me, both are acceptable - in no time.

Finding that Forearm Resistance

If you’ve been around here long enough, you know that your propulsive phase - made up of your catch, power phase, and finish - is something I talk about until the cows have been home for well over a few hours. Heck, those cows have been home for days if we’re being honest about it. BUT I do this because your propulsive phase provides you with about 70-80% of your forward propulsion. And that’s not too shabby if you ask me. So maybe one day I won’t have to give background about why this is so important (although I doubt it), but for now I think that’s a pretty good foundation to start from. Which brings me to the real meat of today’s blog burger, how Two Finger Press Drill helps you better understand this forward propulsion.

The propulsion we’re looking for comes from the paddle you create with your forearm, from your fingertips all the way to your elbow. This paddle is created when you set your catch as soon as your hand has entered the water. It might seem easy to understand on paper, but when put into practice this can be pretty difficult to achieve, especially if you don’t know the feeling you’re looking for. Enter Two Finger Press Drill.

This drill is very simple, all you need to do is allow your first two fingers to stay extended and curl the other two fingers and your thumb into the palm of your hand. This movement takes the majority of your hand out of the equation so you can get a better feeling of the water your pushing back against with your paddle. For this drill specifically, you want to focus on the feeling of the water on your fingers and forearm.

Make sure you keep this hand position held firmly to really feel the difference. You want to focus on the feeling of the water on your fingers and forearm from your catch, to your power phase, and all the way through to your finish. If you let your elbow drop, you’ll lose your paddle and won’t feel any pressure from the water at all. You want to keep maintain keeping your elbow forward and up to create and hold your paddle, which will put you into the right position to feel the propulsion you’re creating.

This might sound weird at first, because how can taking three fingers, excuse me, two fingers and a thumb, out of the equation really make all that much difference? Trust me, it’s going to feel weird. You’re going to feel like you can’t catch at all, and you may lose balance initially, but you’ll get used to it. One thing to keep in mind is that it’s very easy to feel the pressure of the water on your fingers/hand, but a bit more difficult to feel on your forearm.

Take this drill slow at first, at least until you’re certain you can feel the water pressure on your fingers and forearm. If you don’t feel the pressure, make sure your elbow is staying forward and up in order to properly set and keep your paddle. This drill is great to do during your warmup, and even in the middle of practice if you feel you’re getting tired and losing technique. Take a look at our YouTube Video to see the drill in action!

The Power of Your Brain Could Be Holding You Back

Between the ages of 6 and 11 I absolutely loathed the word "sick." Don't even get me started on the words "throw up" and "vomit." Somewhere along the lines I convinced myself if I heard those words I would then become those words. So maybe loathe is the wrong descriptor. 

I was petrified of those words.

Somehow I had convinced myself that if I heard those words, said those words, or thought about those words too much, that they would come true. And for some reason during those particular childhood years being physically ill was terrifying to me. I can’t put my finger on why, but it was my biggest fear at the time, and I was thinking about NOT thinking or saying those words constantly.

And now to answer your question - yes, I did, on more than one occasion, make myself ill just by thinking about it, stressing about it, and worrying about it. Oops? How does this relate to swimming you might ask? Or have I taken up a new blog series on the childhood woes of accidental regurgitation? No, in all seriousness, I’m bringing up this example to talk about the power of your brain, and the thoughts inside it. Because throughout the time I was training and racing in elementary school, middle school, high school, and college, I would constantly psych myself out before big races. 

No matter how much time or effort I put into my practices, I would show up to meets and let my fears take over my brain, and in turn, my body. In other words, I had more than enough deposits in the bank, but my brain was preventing me from making a withdrawal. 

Even though it might not seem like it, your brain has a huge affect on what your body can do physically. You might be feeling great one morning, but if you’re in a negative headspace or you’re down on yourself for one reason or another, you’re not going to be able to perform at your best physically. I struggled with this constantly in my teenage years, and still have trouble with it sometimes to this day. 

I don’t have an answer for you as how to overcome this, I wish I did. But what worked for me was a mix of deciding not to care about the end result and just wanting to have fun, at the same time as acknowledging the fact that I had put in more than enough time and effort to see progress. It’s not that I don’t care how I do in races now, but the practices and time put into training are just as important, and thinking that way has helped me take a great deal of pressure off of myself in terms of just one single performance.

You’re going to have good days and bad days, that’s inevitable. But if you can keep your thinking positive, take into account that you’ve been putting the time in the pool to get those time drops and make your stroke more efficient, you’re going to be in a better mood, and your body will be better apt to respond positively. Even if racing isn’t your favorite, you can trick yourself into falling in love with it by associating the word “racing” with an image of something positive, like a sunny day at the beach, a donut, or maybe eating a donut while on the beach...the image can be anything that makes you happy. Once you start working on this I guarantee you’ll have a better mental attitude, and your races will reflect that.

Not a crazy post today about the exact angle you need your thumb to be at when it enters the water in reference to the water temperature while taking altitude and wind gusts into account - cross your fingers I never get that technical, but never say never - just a simple thought to keep in mind when you’re going through the motions of training and racing. And everyday life for that matter as well.

Keep Those Ribs Closed!

Everyone always seems to be asking what the ONE thing they should be focusing on above all else when it comes to improving their swimming. Just like with everything else in life, there’s no magic button that will make everything better and get you to the Olympics overnight. There’s no blue or red pill to choose from, no “easy” button, no miracle drink that will have you bouncing around saving your tree from evil doers (Gummy Bears anyone?) But in this instance, I actually can tell you one thing that will improve your streamline, straighten your spine, AND keep your hips/legs at the surface of the water. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still have to focus on training, drills, and other technical aspects of your stroke (sorry, I tried), but this one’s a triple whammy when it comes to effectiveness.

So what is this insanely help one thing? Keeping your ribs down and closed during your freestyle.

Sounds simple, right? But what exactly am I talking about, and how can you start implementing it into your swimming routine? Take a second and stop everything you’re doing (including reading this) and cough. Do it 2-3 times, not too forcefully, and really pay attention to what’s happening to your ribs/midsection when you exhale that air. When you cough, you should feel your ribs contract and move downwards in your abdomen. If you pay very close attention, you’ll even notice a slight tuck inwards that happens right above your belly button. This slight tuck can also feel like you’ve raised your lower back slightly (think minuscule hunchback - but at the bottom of your back - not at your shoulders).

This is the position you want to have in order to keep your ribs down and closed. This position, when in the water, will straighten your spine, allow you to achieve a better streamline, and as a result your hips'/legs will be brought closer to the surface of the water. 

Not sold? Let’s think of it from the opposite end of the spectrum for a second. I want you to stop what you’re doing again and arch your back. This is the movement your torso make when your ribs are open. Swimming in this position forces a curvature to your spine (I refer to this as swimming like a banana, not cute) that brings your hips downward, making it impossible to straighten your spine, as well as causing your hips and legs to sink. Aka not what we’re looking for. 

The best way to feel these differences in the water? After your warmup, try coughing in order to set your ribs in the down and closed position. Then, after you’ve coughed and without inhaling, start swimming to see your new body position. Just take 5-10 strokes, then stop to get a breath. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to cough before every swim set you do for the rest of your life (unless you want to, to each their own), but starting out this way ensures you’re in the position we’re looking for and helps you understand the impact it has on your stroke. Make sure you don’t stick your head out like a turtle when doing this! I say this because it’s my natural inclination to do so whenever I actively focus on keeping my ribs closed. 

Once you get the hang of this new feeling and swimming with this new movement, it’s going to become extremely easy to tell if you go back to swimming improperly. You’ll feel the curvature to your spine, and if you’ve really made a lot of progress but accidentally go back to swimming like a banana, your lower back will start to hurt. 

Not a magic button, but this position - with practice, practice, practice - will really help you to start swimming more efficiently, keep your hips/legs up, and straighten out your back, and help you maintain proper streamline.

A Fish In the Sea...Wait, What?

Crossing my fingers that at least three of you have seen the Christopher Robin movie that came out within the past 2 years and understand the title of this blog post. I’ll wait while everyone else thinks on it for a bit…got it? If not, try saying it in your head quickly. A fish in the sea, a fish in the sea - anything? Let’s pretend we all got it and say it together, EFFICIENCY! Woot woot you did it! Color me impressed. Now moving onto the actual topic: efficiency in swimming. Why is this concept so important? Why does it seem like it’s the only thing I spout off about on social media some times? And why do I like to write these posts with so many questions in them?

Efficiency, or being efficient, put quite simply and as an overall definition, is creating maximum productivity with the least amount of effort. Seems like the best concept ever, yes? At least in terms of swimming we like to think so, which is why I push “being efficient” as much as I possibly can.

People can confuse efficiency with low energy effort. For example, just because you have a lower stroke count across the pool doesn’t mean you’re swimming efficiently. This can be achieved by increasing your kick, or doing the dreaded overextension of your arms and gliding to prolong the moment when you have to take your next stroke. But in terms of these two options, that’s cheating. You’re not reallyyyy being more efficient in that way, especially when you glide - PLEASE DON’T GLIDE. A better measure of being efficient is finding out if you can achieve the same stroke count, with the same level of effort, over long periods of time/longer swimming distances. The point I’m trying to make here is that you don’t want to make wasted movements, you want to make smart and strong movements that maximize the level of energy you’re giving without maxing yourself out for no reason.

A good example is to look at the catch of your stroke. Not catching properly, or simply letting your hand slip through the water each time it enters, forces you to take far more strokes than needed to get across the pool. Not catching properly causes you to spin your wheels without actually pushing yourself through the water. Whereas a proper catch allows you to create your anchor point to push back against and propel yourself forward with a stronger movement and less strokes. Making sense?

Another way to think about it is consistency. As long as you keep a consistent cadence, and find a moderate amount of resistance during your propulsive phase, you don’t have to try to generate powerful strokes. Doing this will improve your efficiency. Not grasping in the swimming terms? Let’s think about cycling for a second. If you compare swimming to cycling, just like in cycling, you want to be staying on a medium size ring - with a consistent cadence - in order to maintain your wattage. As opposed to trying to stay on a larger size ring and pushing as hard as you can. Why? Because cycling on the big ring for an extended period of time will DRAIN YOUR ENERGY, and ultimately not help you get to the end of the race any faster. In fact, it will hurt your race since you unnecessarily drained your energy stores, with no good payoff, and can’t use them later when you really need them.

Being efficient with the movements you make in the water all boils down to keeping your energy up for longer and allowing the movements you make to actually have purpose. This is why we work on proper catch, proper head position, rotation, kick, timing, and so on and so forth. But Lissa, what about technique? Well, think about what you just said. Technique is what, making proper movements in the water to avoid injury. And? These movements are deemed “proper” because they’re the smartest way to move yourself through the water to avoid injury AND be efficient. It all goes together like one, big, happy circle of swimming life.

Kayaking in...a Pool?

Let me start this off by saying no, we did NOT put a kayak in one of our SwimBox locations, so I hope no one is reading this just to see what I’m sure would be a hilarious video of a kayak swimming through the current of one of our pools. Sorry to disappoint, but I just can’t make that happen for you. I love humor and stupid videos, but I love not hurting my precious pools more. My apologies to comedy. So what is this post about then now that at least 4 people have exited their browser window? Anchor points in freestyle. And how do we work on finding those anchor points? Kayak Drill!

The goal of Kayak Drill is to focus on creating two anchor points in the water at the same time. In other words, having one paddle in the back and one paddle in the front. We started out with the creation of this drill to help swimmers get better and more efficient at sprint freestyle, then soon realized it was also a great way to fine tune the timing and path your arms travel during the propulsive phase of your stroke for distance and sprint freestyle as well. What paddle am I talking about? The one you create from your fingertips to your elbow that you use to push back against the water during your catch, power phase, and through to your finish. This paddle is crazy important, as it’s the main source of your propulsion driving you forward through the water.

Start by taking a stretch band or light resistance band and hold it in each of your thumbs. Do NOT hold it with your fists! If you hold the band with your fists you’ll be talking your hand out of the equation when it comes to your paddle. Once you’re holding the band in each thumb you’re ready to start swimming freestyle. The goal is to have the band stay taut at all time as you’re swimming. Make sure it doesn’t touch your body!

As you continue to swim with the band in each thumb you’ll need to make sure you’re keeping your movements continuous. If there’s ever a dead spot in your stroke - aka a portion where your arms aren’t moving - this drill will point it out. Turns out you have a dead spot? You’ll feel the band slacken as you hold that position and lose your momentum. Don’t worry if you feel this! All it means is that you need to make sure you feel where it’s happening and work towards turning it into a continuous movement. Most people pause an arm when they take a breathe. Do you?

Take a look at the image above to see what we mean when we refer to your anchor points. An anchor point is something you make with your hand - an important piece of your paddle - that helps propel you through the water. Making sure you maintain your paddle throughout your entire propulsive phase - catch, power phase, finish - is key to maintaining your efficiency, as well as keeping up your velocity.

Make sure you watch our video before trying out this drill for yourself! You’ll get to see it in motion and get a better understanding of what we’re looking for in terms of your anchor points and continuous motion.