I have a Fastlane which is the endless pool water flow system but in a regular pool rather than the endless pool itself.

We had looked at the Endless pool but did not feel it was right for us as we use the pool for entertaining.

The swim feels a little different compared to lap swimming. It is difficult to describe how but it does feel different. Swimming while staring at the bottom of the pool is beyond boring. I can usually manage 1/2 hour at a time three or four times a week. Changing speed requires stopping and changing the current with the remote. Not a real concern but with lap swimming you just speed up. The Fastlane you have to change the current velocity. If someone come up with an app that allows you to program a workout I would buy it (nudge, nudge, wink, wink to the app developers out there). I also bought that Fastlane clock. It can show time, pace, etc but only one thing. If you want to switch the display you have to disconnect the clock, open it and change the setting by hand, then put it back together.

Otherwise, it is nice to just walk out the backdoor and jump into the pool. No drive time.

Maintenance is minimal with topping up the oil when it gets low. The pump and current will surge when it get low. Change the oil every year or two (costs a couple hundred dollars for a 10? gallon bucket).


Our dog used to like to swim in the current.

---

Once, I was fast. But I got over it.

ive been using a vasa, tons cheaper

Love my endless pool. Yes it feels a bit odd at first, but it forces you to use good form, legs sink easily. Took my wife a while to get that part, a pull bouy helped her a lot in that aspect. Has only helped my swimming and the ease of going down to the basement and swimming year round is fantastic.
I highly recommend a waterproof ipod to combat the boardum. A good audio book and I can go for a long swim and quite enjoy it.

Only downside is the space it take up, I run a dehumidifier in that room and that and the heater adds enough to my electric bill, but I still think its worth it.

Have you really been using it? Or is it just collecting dust?

hey i used it this week

I'm trying to save this guy 20 grand and your not helping!

i use a vasa / swim laps at the gym and my swim coach uses an endless to train. they are night and day different as far as what they offer. vasa is essentially just for swim strength / conditioning. you can’t work on form or technique on it at all.

---

80/20 Endurance Ambassador

How do you clean the water you swim in? Chlorine like a regular pool?

Do you keep it at a certain temperature year-round?

I actually do work on form on my Vasa, but it's really just for stroke (arm) technical form and arm muscular endurance - it does nothing for body positioning (as you lie on a bench which keeps your body flat for you.)

I videod myself on the Vasa quite a few times to get the proper EVF - for me, it took a pretty wide arm entry and pull, much wider than I was used to. This did translate directly to my pool technique, and made my stroke cleaner and also felt to me that it made my vasa work translate really directly to the pool.

It's actually easier to refine this EVF on the Vasa than in the pool, since you're no longer worrying about breathing, buoyancy, etc., and you can either video yourself or use a long mirror to get real time feedback pretty easily.

But if you're a leg dragger and need body position improvement, vasa def ain't gonna save you there. In that case, get yourself into the pool, and put on that ankle band ASAP!

since you put it that way i can def understand and tell what you’re saying. ive attempted to work on form (i’m admittedly a relatively new swimmer) and i find it difficult as im trying to incorporate my body roll and it just doesn’t seem to work right.

---

80/20 Endurance Ambassador

One note for those considering, if you live in an area with a crazy high cost of electricity like San Francisco area, Endless offers a natural gas heating option. They sent me specs for it and it's actually not that crazy (100K BTU). To your question above, you would need to keep it heated to a consistent temp year round to avoid the water going bad / growing mold from temperature swings.

They use chemicals too but there's an option for a UV filter instead to cut down on that. I forget if you need chemicals w/ that - but I'm planning to do that + gas heat when going forward w/ mine.


The details I got also mentioned the need to replace the water yearly - no idea what that costs but it's something to keep in mind w/ the overall maintenance of the unit.

My wife has an endless pool in our basement. She keeps it at 90 degrees and we barely notice the electric bill difference due to the cover. Also, we have had it about 5-6 years and never changed the water, just add a bit every few days and keep the chemical balance correct. The biggest negative for me has been the 3 times I've had to trouble shoot and replace parts. The support is questionable at best. They send wrong parts, wrong instructions etc. If you aren't mechanically inclined or don't live near an authorized service person then this could be frustrating.

I actually use a similar type of pool at our local hospital since we often swim in the same early morning hours, plus I hate working on the pool so the less wear and tear the better for me. They are different but I have found the turbulence of the water flow to be helpful in preparing for uneven water in a triathlon.

I use my 3-4 times a week, depending on training cycles. Summer I swim open water a bit more as I'm close and enjoy it. Winter it can't be beat.
Had it for about 8 years now, never had to change the water. 1/2 cup of bleach every few days is all it needs.
81deg is where we keep ours. Feels a bit cold getting in, but if your swimming, you warm up quick. I think I'd overheat at 90, but were all different.

I've never had any major issues, but the few minor ones I've had endless pools have been very good to me. Sorry to hear others have had a different experience.

FishHog

Those of you with endless pools or fastlanes... do you always heat the water, or do you sometimes just swim in a wetsuit? We're getting ready to build a pool and will be including a Fastlane unit in the build. I'm wondering if I'll need to heat the pool all winter long, or just let the temp drop down to 60 deg. or so and swim in a wetsuit in the winter?

What you really need but haven't gotten is someone saying "Hell yeah man, i dropped from swimming 33:00 for 1650 yd (2:00/100 yd) down to swimming 27:00 (1:30/100 yd), just from using my Endless Pool" (EP). So far, i see no testimonial to that effect. OTOH, lightheir swears on his Mother's grave that he dropped from 2:00 to 1:30 just from using the Vasa religiously and hard, to the point that his arms were really sore after a good Vasa workout. So $1500-2000 for the Vasa vs $15,000-20,000 for the EP. If i were you, i'd go with the Vasa.

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Hah - no joke, I was gonna repeat myself yet again on this thread, and I even wrote this super long paragraph about my dropping from 2:00+ to 1:30 race pace, but it got so wordy and self-centered that I deleted it! Well, I'm back!

I was swimming about 1:45-1:50/100yd race pace when I got the Vasa, which got me about bottom 50% AG pretty consistently and just couldn't get any better mainly due to lack of pool time/access (darned lunch circle swim is 1:50/100 = FAST lane yuk.) In the few years since I've been using the Vasa, I've dropped all the way down to 1:31/100 for 3000 straight in the pool (just did that workout this week) and now I'm actually disappointed if I finish any lower than top 20% in the swim in tris - my swim improvement has made the biggest chunk of my race gains (by far) in the last 4 years.

I still do pool time at lunch where I do swim pretty hard so it's def not ALL vasa that's getting me there, but make no doubt - there is nooooo friggin way I could swim anywhere near this level without the erg to supplement volume and power out of the pool. And it def works - I can feel the arm power dramatically improve after pounding it out for a few weeks on the Vasa - it's like serious paddle work on the arms.

I love the way those endless pools look in the brochures, but then I see that you're swimming in a stationary tank, and honestly, I'd MUCH rather just buy the Vasa at this point. On my easier workout days, sometimes I just throw on Game of Thrones or some other great TV show or movie on the TV on the floor, and just do 90 mins straight easy-mod effort on the Vasa, which is great - can't do that in water!

 
As ours is in small swimming pool we do not heat the water. In the winter it is a cold swim in the summer a hot swim. We do have a heater but have always heated just the spa.

As far a improving swim times after leaving a masters swim class my times got slower, much slower. About 10 to 15 minutes additional to an IM swim. Once I started with the Fast Lane they went back down to about 70 minutes. For me, an adult onset swimmer I was/am pleased with my swim times.


.

---

Once, I was fast. But I got over it.

But what were your times when you were swimming Masters??? And, do you ever swim a pool since getting the FL??? Really, improvements in the pool are the most solid way to gauge improvement. Comparing IM swim times is not very valuable since the actual distance, conditions, wetsuit or no wettie, etc, all vary dramatically from one race to another. I don't do many IMs but have done about 20 half irons, and i've swum anywhere from 22-33 for the 1.2 miles, vs i would go around 27 for 2100 yd in the pool.

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

We love our Endless Pool. Use it roughly three times a week. Water temp at 81, but we have a cover and it doesn't use much energy. Pool is indoors in a dedicated "swim room". The routine is warm up ten minutes, then some kicking, then a 10-15 minute pull. Then some snorkel swimming. Then some faster swim "sets" of 2-4 minutes. Then a cool down swim of five minutes. Typically about 45 minutes in the pool. It is a lot like treadmill running, which I can't take for much more than 45 minutes either. Using swim headphones helps. Best part about an EP is that you never have to leave the house or worry about getting a lane. It keeps you consistent. However, best to use in addition to a standard lap pool.

The same water huh, I guess peeing during your swim workout would be more like peeing in a bathtub at that point.

No peeing aloud in mine. Luckily its just me and my wife and we are both smart enough to get out and pee if we have to.

Thank you for posting that perspective! It's always worth asking ourselves, "is the juice worth the squeeze?" We get reports from Vasa SwimErg users frequently that tell similar stories as lightheir.

Most important for any athlete is to be realistic and honest with themselves about how they will consistently get quality swim training done in their busy lives. After all, a triathlon race swim will be much more comfortable, safer and fun if we toe the start line prepared physically and mentally ready to handle what inevitably may happen out there.

Rob - You're very welcome!!! Lightheir is a real Vasa success story espec given that he has zero financial connection to your company aside from having bought the Vasa SwimErg from you. I repeat his story often b/c i get so very tired of hearing tri guys lamenting about how hard it is to make it to the pool. Whenever i've moved to a new job, i have always made convenient pool access one of my top criteria for choosing where to live. Swimming is a very high priority in my life.

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Eric,

Thank you!
There is another thread on this forum by Jon that would be useful to those who cannot find the time to maintain consistent swim training at the pool or open water. Here is the link to read his story, which is quite powerful:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=6596450#p6596450


Always feel free to contact me at Vasa if you wish to discuss use of the Vasa SwimErg relative to your needs and goals.


Thanks and happy trails!
Rob