Will be travelling a lot the next few months and may only have regular access to airport hotel pools. Does anyone have experience with StrechCordz pool belts? Or any other useful suggestions?
Don’t even try. First they are to short, by the time you push off one wall you’re at the next and need to turn. No point in trying cords either, becasue they keep the stinkin things at 85 degrees and after about 3 minutes of swimming you’ll be close to nuclear meltdown.
Your best bet is to pay for oneday fees at the local gym/pool. Or join the YMCA where you can then go to any other Y in the world for free.
Depends on the hotel and the time of day. Not that I spend a lot of time in hotels, but I’ve been to pools that are a decent length with nobody around and others where there are too many other guests splashing around or the pool is just too short.
I remember one hotel where the pool was behind glass windows to the bar. I felt like a dork swimming all by myself in front of everybody drinking in the bar, but I didn’t want to miss my swim.
As suggested, you might also be able to use a local YMCA pool.
This weekend I stayed at the Santa Clara Marriott. Great pool, 25 meters, 84 degrees. Each morning I was the only one in it (air temp; high 30's) except for the one morning my wife, Michelle joined me. Other days she headed for the running trail next to the canal near by. It was an excellent place to stay. They also have an excellent gym.
We should start a list here of hotels with good training facilities.
As one who has tried swimming in a motel pool tethered to the diving board stanchion–forget it.
Spend $25/yr. and join US Masters Swimming (usms.org). You will then have access to a database of Masters teams all over the US. Find the one (or more, sometimes) in the city where you are traveling and look them up on the web or give them a call. You will normally be allowed to workout with them, albeit sometimes you may have to pay to get into the pool.
Spend $25/yr. and join US Masters Swimming (usms.org). You will then have access to a database of Masters teams all over the US. Find the one (or more, sometimes) in the city where you are traveling and look them up on the web or give them a call. You will normally be allowed to workout with them, albeit sometimes you may have to pay to get into the pool.
That is a friggin great idea! The sad thing is that Held until about 6 mos ago a USMS card and ver freeking did that and I travel about three nights a week. I feel like a moron!
If you cannot get access to a pool of sufficient size you can use your stretch cords on land. You can get an attachment which will allow to hook your stretch cords to the hotel door or to a balcony and do reps of 50-100 with a rest between sets. You can do intervals on land. Latex tubing is the closet form of exercise equipment which simulates swimming on land. There are a whole variety of exercises that you can do which will maintain the condition of your swimming muscles.
Doug Stern
We should start a list here of hotels with good training facilities.
There’s a fairly recent book called The Athletic-Minded Traveler that describes and rates hotel fitness facilities and traveler-friendly gyms.
SwimmersGuide.com is a great resource for finding workout-worthy pools all over the world.
During a recent visit to Chicago I stayed at the Intercontinental specifically so I could swim in their 25y pool. What a treat. It was built in the 20s to look like a Roman bath. Gorgeous.
Need more details: usa or international travel? car available? Most true airport hotels have pathetic, unacceptable pools. Generally stretch cord type tethers do not work at all for real swim training, but there may be other pool options. I have not tried this product, but in the “cord” dept., this device looks very, very interesting–
I was in Las Vegas last June. The pool opened at 10 AM so I would go down about 9 AM and swim laps. Securtiy came by and kicked me out because it wasn’t safe for me to swim without a lifeguard on duty. I was polite and told him I knew he was just doing his job but I would like to challenge the lifeguard to a swim contest. :~) Didn’t work, I still had to leave. :~)
Aloha