Hello all.
What kind of benefits, do you generally get from using swim-training equiptment like fins?
At the moment I swim 1½-2 km. (10 sets of 6-to-8 lanes) 3-4 times a week. Mostly front crawl, mixed with some breaststrokes for warm-up/cool-down. Plan to gradually increase the milage.
Thinking about adding some sets with hand paddles and fins.
I have the Speedo Biofuse paddles and fins. The paddles work just fine. It’s the fins, that gives me more problems. It feels weird using them - can feel the added resistance, but it is hard getting a rythm.
Will I get more used to them and what benefit is there from using them? Can they improve my weak kick+
Thanks
Lasse - Copenhagen, Denmark
Fins to understand speed. Paddles for strength. Seemed easier to swim faster without fins once I new what faster felt like. I don’t think mixing the 2 is a good idea, choose one at a time and concentrate on getting the most benefit from it.
Usually use the fins as an aid in certain drills. If you’re working on body position and rotating or something and not using arms at all (or minimally), they’re great to keep you from sinking as much. I wouldn’t use them and do the standard crawl much.
I love warming up in fins. I don’t do much with them once I start my main set. They also teach you to point your toe behind you instead of down. Also, there are lots of drills that are very hard to do (if you aren’t a long-time swimmer) without fins.
Paddles, besides building strength, teach you good hand positions in the water. If you are creating unnecessary drag with your hands, paddles will tell you quickly.
Edit: adult onset swimmer, and am seeing rapid improvements (about :30 per hundred since I started)
Fins to understand speed. Paddles for strength. Seemed easier to swim faster without fins once I new what faster felt like. I don’t think mixing the 2 is a good idea, choose one at a time and concentrate on getting the most benefit from it.
excellent advice IMHO.
My opinion: you really don’t need to use either at your volume. Instead of throwing on paddles or fins, do a hard set of 50’s or 25’s. The strength gains from that will be more specific and beneficial to swimming (duh).
But to your question: no don’t use them at the same time.