I bought Roka (Pro) shorts around 6 months ago. I immediately noticed the difference and jumped up to leader of my masters pool lane. Since getting them, Roka shorts are ALL THAT I HAVE BEEN SWIMMING WITH. Why? Because I could now kick everyone’s butt in my lane. But … then … last week I swam solo in my tiny speedos and swam the slowest in a loooooong time. Chalking it up to a fluke, I tried again tonight, and sure enough, my time was super slow. Question: Did my dependence on the hip-lift I received from the Roka’s cause me to forget proper body position now that I am back to speed’s?
Here is a break it down for you:
Speedo: '13- 500 tt (scy) 6:55-7:05 avg. *I hovered around these times for an entire year
Roka (shorts) '14- 500 tt (scy) 6:40-6:45 avg.
Speedo: Last week/today: 500 tt (scy) 7:40!
****I also want to add that my weakest since beginning to swim has always been my body position. While it’s not horrible, it is noticeable every time I see myself on video. Also, there has not been any significant changes to the volume/intensity in my training in the last 2 years.
I’ve seen it happen with some of the guys on my team. They religiously use the “cheater pants” and when they take them off they go slower.
If I had to guess it’s that you are not having to engage the core any longer to keep the back end up. You don’t get any dynamic recruitment of the core with other working muscles, so that’s what you train. Then when you take them off your body can’t compensate since your core really hasn’t been used much.
I’ve seen it happen with some of the guys on my team. They religiously use the “cheater pants” and when they take them off they go slower.
I’ve stopped using all training aids as i feel its easy to become reliant on them and the body position they give you, I see some people train constantly in wetsuits or with fins and wonder what the point is. Where i live in Australia you have to get used to swimming with jammers or a regular Tri suit as the water is not that cool in Summer.
I bought Roka (Pro) shorts around 6 months ago. I immediately noticed the difference and jumped up to leader of my masters pool lane. Since getting them, Roka shorts are ALL THAT I HAVE BEEN SWIMMING WITH. Why? Because I could now kick everyone’s butt in my lane. But … then … last week I swam solo in my tiny speedos and swam the slowest in a loooooong time. Chalking it up to a fluke, I tried again tonight, and sure enough, my time was super slow. Question: Did my dependence on the hip-lift I received from the Roka’s cause me to forget proper body position now that I am back to speed’s?
Here is a break it down for you:
Speedo: '13- 500 tt (scy) 6:55-7:05 avg. *I hovered around these times for an entire year
Roka (shorts) '14- 500 tt (scy) 6:40-6:45 avg.
Speedo: Last week/today: 500 tt (scy) 7:40!
****I also want to add that my weakest since beginning to swim has always been my body position. While it’s not horrible, it is noticeable every time I see myself on video. Also, there has not been any significant changes to the volume/intensity in my training in the last 2 years.
Any input is appreciated!
In my entire life I have operated in the exact opposite. I prefer to make things as challenging as possible. For instance my group ride bike is a 60lb bike with baskets, rear rack, and huge trunk bag. It has 42mm tire that weigh 2lbs each and I ride 32/36 spoke wheels with huge heavy slime filled tubes. During rides I have no choice to keep up and it has made me a better rider. When I was a kid my parents made me play tennis with a wooden racket. Although I hated it at the time, I found this principal in life has taken me a long way.
1.) I think any equipment used for swimming or in any other sport should be use in moderation
2.) Also You need to ask yourself what is the purpose of using the equipment.
For example I really never got why use equipment that makes the training easier. We train to make things harder so when we race it feels like we are more in the comfort zone and in control.
If you going to train on your bike to climb hills you will not do hill descent repeats you will do hill climb repeats instead
If you want to be efficient and fast use the equipment and training tools that makes you work harder. Train your body to naturally have a good form and use tools to help your muscles and your endurance to grow. Resistance is always a good way to accomplish this.
When I used to train 15 to 20 hours per week and race, (on my swimming training I would do 5 days a week pool workouts, once a week open 1hour open water swim to get train my body to swim straight and being efficient at sighting, and once a month would do a swim in a wetsuit just to have the feeling for racing in one.) My best swim time for IM was 46
My recommendation to you if you want to be faster in swimming put on a pair of drag suit. You might be slower initially but after couple of months training in the drag suit and taking them off you will be faster
Well I’ve been using them entirely too much too…my rationale is that I will be doing wetsuit swims exclusively next season so it won’t hurt me to practice with a similar body position. But after reading some of the replies on this thread, I need to get back to just the speedos…ugh.
Use a minimum of toys. Some pulling with paddles is ofc OK, but dont go crazy. No more than 30% per workout and maybe 15% per total yardage and that is still pushing it.
If you want to use fancy shorts, get drag shorts. You want to highlight your issues, to work on them and improve, rather than disguise them and act like everything is OK.
And remember to mix it up. Try to do like 10-20% of your total yardage as stroke (fly and back primarily) and some kicking (fly kick on back is great).
I’m doing 2 months now after the offseason with almost no paddles and a lot of stroke work to build my shoulders for the winter training. No drag shorts yet either but I’m building the mental confidence required to start working with my FINIS Ultimate drag suit. That f-ker is awful but so good for practicing rhytm. Its very, very tough.
I didn’t understand the shorts when I first saw them. Want to get faster? Don’t make swimming easier, make it harder. Drag suit > Roka shorts
This is what I’ve been thinking all along, too. Every company that makes them (Xterra, b70 are also coming to mine) feeds a line of BS about how it simulates wearing a wetsuit or something like that, rather than “it makes swimming easier.” However, the only thing I’ve ever felt I wanted to simulate with a wetsuit is how it feels on the shoulders, which a pair of shorts can’t do.
Well I’ve been using them entirely too much too…my rationale is that I will be doing wetsuit swims exclusively next season so it won’t hurt me to practice with a similar body position. But after reading some of the replies on this thread, I need to get back to just the speedos…ugh.
The shorts are swim crack. This summer I used them a lot in prep for my A race. And they actually helped me race the personal best because I knew what it felt like to go faster. Once A race was over, I haven’t been swimming in them and while I am not as fast, I am faster without the tool than I was before I was using it.
Here is my suggestion. Swim in them once per week - that one time make it a tempo workout. The other days, back to the speedo.
The shorts are swim crack. This summer I used them a lot in prep for my A race. And they actually helped me race the personal best because I knew what it felt like to go faster. Once A race was over, I haven’t been swimming in them and while I am not as fast, I am faster without the tool than I was before I was using it.
Here is my suggestion. Swim in them once per week - that one time make it a tempo workout. The other days, back to the speedo.
I have gotten faster too, I went from a :50 min HIM swimmer to a :34 min HIM and 1:19 full IM swim. So they haven’t destroyed me…now I just need to work on fine tuning my form, which the shorts aren’t doing for me. Bit I have gotten faster while using them.
