So a lovely new Gold’s Gym has opened in my neighborhood with a 20 yard lap pool that is about 200 yds from my home. So would you do the math to make the swims work or stay @ your old gym ( 10 min drive) where there is a 25 yd pool?
The pool in our town is 20 yds. I have a 20 min commute to the “real” pool but it is well worth it - hard to get a good workout in a 20 yd pool, all you do is turns.
I think it comes down to whether or not you have time to drive to the 25y pool or not. Maybe swim at the pool close to your house a couple days a week, and drive to the “real” pool a couple of other days a week?
When I go to Mammoth, most of the time the only pool readily available is 19yd. I just don’t push off much, stroke immedicately and stroke all the way to the wall, open turn and return. Otherwise, I’d get in 6-8 strokes per lap. It’s OK in a pinch.
Ask for a trial membership and see how you like the pool.
However, there are too many variables to answer your question. It’s not just about math (yards).
Your swimming ability
How many yards you currently swim
How many people/lane?
Lap swim hours/water aerobics/open swim (kids)
Water temp
Water depth
Potential for locker room stories
Oh, and most important, CUTIES.
Chris
I think you should suggest to the Gold’s that they invest in that new Fastlane thing that Endless Pools has - it can turn a backyard kindney shaper into a serious tool for a swim workout.
Ian
I have friends in a Idaho town and they kick butt in the swim…from a small pool.
technic!
my old gym had a 20 yard pool… since i already had a membership i used it. great in the summer, since almost noone swam in it, i could often swim on the diagonal.
but it was never the only pool i had access too, and the other one was at school so basically free.
-charles
Two thoughts, maybe three:
“Commercial” gym pools tend to never be well maintained in my experience. They are always a last resort.
If I were to swim in a 20 yd pool, I think I would get a very effective drag suit. Old jammers work really well also. I also agree with the minimum wall push off.
The closest pool to me is 25 yds, but is also a minimum 30 minute drive. It sucks big time. Twenty minutes or less is no big deal within that frame of reference.
At my previous home, I swam tethered 3-4x per week in my 40 foot backyard pool. I can’t swim backstroke due to a labral tear from a couple years ago, but it was decent for the other 3 strokes. I’d throw in a couple of “real” pool or ocean swims on weekends to make sure I wasn’t picking up any bad habits.
The good thing about tethers is you can gain a lot of strength due to increased resistance (it feels like using REALLY big hand paddles). The bad thing is you can easily learn bad habits that won’t show until you get in moving water. Also, like paddles, it can be pretty tough on your shoulders.
I think I bought my last tether from worldwideaquatics.com, but I know I’ve seen them elsewhere, too. Now that I’m thinking about tethered swimming, I miss it. Yeah, another excuse to spend a little more money on my obsession!
I have a very nice 25m pool about 12 minutes from my hous. The problem is that it is on a military base (it is open to the general public though and I have a civilian membership) so the swim times can be erratic (last Wednesday I stopped by after work for a normal drop in swim and there was a large group of air force guys floating around in lifejackets doing some training exercise so no public swim). I used to have a membership at a health club too and they had a 20yd pool that I could swim in almost anytime. I used it regularly for 5 years but have recently given up the membership. You can get in a decent workout (I usually did a lot of drills or just hard continuous swims in it and for shorter workouts when I couldn’t get in the other pool) but for me, if I had a choice (and I did make the choice), I’d pick inconvenience and a good pool over closer little pool any day. You could also use both depending on the type of workout and time available which is what I did for 5 years.
Two thoughts, maybe three:
“Commercial” gym pools tend to never be well maintained in my experience. They are always a last resort.
If I were to swim in a 20 yd pool, I think I would get a very effective drag suit. Old jammers work really well also. I also agree with the minimum wall push off.
I agree that commercial pool are not well maintained. The limiting factor may not be the length but the temperature. It might be so warm you can’t swim for very long.
I wouldnt get a drag suit, it screws up your body position. You should try and train in the position you will race.
I come from a swimming background and I find it the work out more intense in a 20 yard pool. If you do flip turns the work out quickly turns into a hypoxic workout (it will get your heart rate real high before your muscles get correspondingly tired).
Ours is 22 yards. Who is the dipstick that designs such things?
i can assure you its the same moron that puts regular size doors on hockey rinks. I want to kick that guys ass everytime i have to go through a door with my sticks and bag.
Grant
My only indoor pool option is 61’ long. During the summer I get to swim endlessly in a lake just outside my bedroom door. The winter sucks, horribly. I take off for about 8 weeks and work up a longing for swimming, then hit it hard in the pool for ~3 months. Then, I grow some ovaries and don the T1 with neoprene cap and jump in when the water hits ~63*. I think if I had another choice that wasn’t too far out of the way, no more than 10 min, I’d go use that pool, all else being equal. Is either less crowded? Nicer facilities? Not only is mine small but it is a dump; and I’m a germaphobe which isn’t good.
One nice part of a 20y pool is 5 laps = 100y so the math isn’t too tricky. Its almost easier because you have 5 fingers to work with to count laps.
Personally, I’d drive the 10 mins. I hate short pools. I have yet to swim in a short pool for any workout other than easy drills…the damn things drive me nuts. If a short pool’s the only option, than 9 times out of 10, I’ll opt to run instead.
I have a 17.5 yard length pool here in town 3 miles from where I live. I drive right by it on my way to work, it’s cheap to swim at, and I can always get a lane. The closest alternative is a 25 yd pool 20-25 minutes away, but the traffic to get there is a real pain, and it’s crowded once I do get there. Since the math is grade school arithmetic I do it and swim more often at the place where it’s more convenient.
Are you joining this Gold’s Gym anyway?
I ride and run almost exclusively from my home. To have an ultra-convenient post workout swim/hot tub I would suffer with the shortie-pool. They are planning a Lifetime 3/4 mile from my house, but a 6-minute easy run w/ some traffic is not the equivalent of a 1 minute walk.
If you ride and run from another place than home then your benefits may vary.
Btw pool I used to train for my first tris was 15 yards so 20 would have been long-distance 
As some other post mentioned you can lobby for a endless pool and who knows they might just put one in.
Your profile says Alabama so depending on how far north you are you can make fieldtrips to the ocean to get long swims.
They both sound pretty sweet to me. The open water here is under ice for 4 - 5 months every year and the only pool available is less than 5 minutes from my house but it’s a tiny hotel pool that might be 10 yds. at best. There’s a nice gym in the hotel that’s never busy so I have a membership (mainly for the treadmills, I don’t like to run in -30 or colder temps if I can avoid it) and can use the pool as often as I want but there isn’t much of real benefit I can do in it.
I would do the math to make the swims longer. Right now I have access to a 22 yard pool that is free and 5 minutes (3 miles) from my house - with VERY warm water - great for winter outdoors in FL - and I do the math to make it LCM and do extra laps.
But on weekends or for longer swims I travel to a 50 LCM pool.
I consider myself one of the cuties, though in the over 40 crowd. As for the locker room stories: I walked into the ladies locker room the other day and there was a butt naked big dude. Brand new gym and he was oh so in the wrong locker room!! He tried to convince me it was my mistake until one of the female staff walked in.
Gina