Product Review: SwimSmart Power Harness

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by Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

img_6467-e1538447869651.jpgThe folks at SwimSmart recently sent me their Power Harness to test out. We have been using it for a few weeks now, and my swimmers constantly ask if they can use it rather than the traditional waist belts. The Power Harness allows the loaded resistance to be applied to the upper body, freeing up the hips to move more naturally in every stroke. We particularly like it for breaststroke and butterfly, but we have been using it for freestyle and backstroke (you can wear it backwards!) too. The first time we used the Power Harness, here was the feedback I received:
Swimmer doing fly:
“This makes pulling the bucket way harder, but in a good way so I like it.. I feel like I can actually swim my stroke and get a better pull on the water.”
Swimmer doing breaststroke:
“I definitely like this better than the waist belt. I can really press my chest forward and I like that my hips can pop up and the rope doesn’t get caught in my kick.”
As a coach, I like what I see in the water when my swimmers use the Power Harness. Our training is more technically sound and therefore more effective. I coach swimmers 15-18 years old, and it works well for that range but was a little loose on some of my more slightly built IMG_6470athletes. It is pretty durably constructed and comes with a carabiner so that you can attach it to parachutes, power towers, StretchCordz, buckets, or whatever form of in-water resisted training you do. You can also choose to buy it with a parachute and/or a weight. I don’t have a large budget for training equipment, but after trying the Power Harness I have already bought 9 of these so we can have a bunch of swimmers using it at the same time.
The links listed in the article above are affiliate links, meaning that if you use them to buy products, I will receive a small commission that adds nothing to what you pay.  That said, I really like the Power Harness product and wouldn’t recommend it to you here if I didn’t like it and wasn’t having my own team use it.  – Ryan

Free and Stroke with the YBCC Phoenix

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Chris Brookover, YBCC Phoenix

10 pounds of stuff in a 5-pound bag.

Fall 2018 Warm Up

1 x 400 @ 6:00  Loosen

4 x 50 @ :45 Drill w/ Forearm Fulcrums

4 x 100 @ 1:30 Descend 1 – 4

Aerobic

#A+

1 x 600 @ 8:00

1 x 500 @ 6:30

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:30

1 x 400 @ 5:00

1 x 300 @ 3:40

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:20

1 x 200 @ 2:25

1 x 100 @ 1:10

#A

1 x 600 @ 8:15

1 x 500 @ 6:45

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:30

1 x 400 @ 5:15

1 x 300 @ 3:50

1 x 50 EZ Back @  1:55

1 x 200 @ 2:30

#B

1 x 600 @ 8:30

1 x 500 @ 7:00

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:30

1 x 400 @ 5:30

1 x 300 @ 4:00

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:30

1 x 200 @ 2:35

Kicking:

#A

3 x 200 @ 3:20 Kicking W/ Fins

3 X

6 x 25 @ :25

Rest :30

#B

3 x 200 @ 3:30 Kicking W/ Fins

3 X

5 x 25 @ :30

Rest :30

Stroke – Perfect Technique – Intervals not that hard – thus you can think.

#Back

6 x 100 @ 2:00 W/ Fins & Fulcrums

6 x 100 @ 1:45 Back Swim – Build Each – Best Average

6 x 50 @ 1:15 Cup Head Drill Back Stroke

6 x 50 @ :50 Back Swim [2nd 25 Faster / Minumum 5 Kicks off wall]

6 x 25 @ :50 Spin Drill Backstroke

2 X

6 x 25 @ :45 Back Swim – All Out Sprint

Rest :30

#Breast

6 x 100 @ 2:00 Breast 4 Kick / 1 Pull – Double Pull Outs

5 x 100 @ 2:00 Breast Swim – Build Each – Best Average

6 x 50 @ 1:10 Free Kick no Board – Triple Pull Outs

6 x 50 @ :55 Breast Swim [2nd 25 Faster / Minumum 5 Kicks off wall]

6 x 25 @ :50 Spin Drill Breaststroke – [Breast Pull / Free Kick – Not Swim]

2 X

6 x 25 @ :45 Breast Swim – All Out Sprint

#Fly

6 x 100 @ 1:45 – Fly Kick On Back w/ Fins

8 x 25 @ :40 Swim Fly [Boys 6 Kicks 5 Strokes, Girls 6 Kicks 7 Strokes]

Rest :40

8 x 25 @ :40 Swim Fly [Boys 5 Kicks 6 Strokes, Girls 5 Kicks 8 Strokes]

6 x 100 @ 2:00 – Fly Kick Underwater – Streamline Position

8 x 25 @ :45 Swim Fly Fast – Horsehoe Finish

1 x 100 @ 3:00 EZ Free

8 x 25 @ :50 Swim Fly Fast

Swim Down

4 x 75 @ 1:30

3 x 50 @ 1:00

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Underwater Kick Set #37

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This was a brief underwater kicking set that we did in a SCM pool as a pre-set before yesterday’s post. The instructions were to kick fast underwater to 12.5m every time (this was cut off in the picture below). For the first 6, the swimmers held one paddle out in front of them with the broad surface perpendicular to the oncoming water (to create drag).

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Excellent Fast 100s

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

2 x through:

6 x 100 all out from start

2 @ 5:00 (with a 100 ez)

2 @ 4:00 (with a 50 ez)

2 @ 3:00

200 easy swim

Swimmers had two options for strokes. They could either pick a stroke and stick with it for one round (6x100s). Alternatively, they could choose the “IM option,” doing all four strokes in IM order but tripling up on their best individual stroke.

This was a great set for us, with excellent esprit de corps and some pretty good results for early in the season.

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Rev that Breaststroke Engine

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

On days when we do what I call “quality sets” (generally fast swims off the blocks or race-pace swims from a push) I have noticed that our breaststrokers sometimes have difficulty getting up to full speed, even after a full warmup. This set was designed to get their engines going before today’s quality set.

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Descending Pyramid of 75s

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

The intervals on this set were based on best 100 times for whichever stroke was being performed. Swimmers whose best 100 time is under 1:00 Weedon the A interval,etc. In hindsight, the JMI (just make it) interval needed to be faster for our fastest freestylers. Our group did well on this set and was hitting some pretty good 75 times by the end.

Gotta Hit Those Walls

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This set was originally published here in 2016

So much of performing good turns in short course fly and breaststroke swims comes from spacing the cycles out correctly.  The key is that swimmers hit the wall at the conclusion of a full cycle, and not on a short stroke or a long glide.  This set is simple but demands exactly that.

6 x 25 Breast @ :35 — Hit the wall correctly at specified cycle count or it doesn’t count (take :20 extra rest and then continue

100 ez free

6 x 25 Breast @ :30 — same instructions as above

100 ez free

6 x 25 Breast @ :25 — same instructions above.

100 ez free

200 Breast  odd 25s at min cycle count, even 25s 15m speed drill, 10m long and smooth strokes

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Dayton Raider Mountain

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Gary Galbreath, Head Coach of the Columbia Swim Club, formerly of the Dayton Raiders

This set was originally published to the blog in 2010.

Here’s a set we did Saturday morning. Just as a reminder it’s base building time! We did it SC meters. Everyone was on the same cycle. The Kick part was the chance to catch up if the were struggling with the Times. It’s just a good Aerobic set. Total 8800 meters

25 Kick@ 30

4 x 50 @ 45 Descend 1-4

Free

75 Kick@ 1:30

4 x 100 @ 1:30 Descend 1-4

25 Stroke/50 Free/25 Stroke

125 Kick @ 2:30

4 x 150 @ 2:05 Descend 1-4

Free

175 Kick@ 3:30

4 x 200 @ 3:00 Descend 1-4

BackStroke

225 Kick @ 4:30

4 x 250 @ 3:15 Descend 1-4

Free

275 kick@ 5:30

4 x 300 @ 4:30 Descend 1-4

100 IM/100No Free/100 Free

325 Kick @ 6:30

4 x 350 @ 4:25 Descend 1-4

Free

375 Kick@ 7:30

4 x 400 IM @ 6:30

#1 4 x 100 IM

#2 100IM/200 IM/100IM

#3 2 x 200 IM

#4 Reverse 400 IM

8800 meters

Freestyle Option and Choice Fartleks

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

SCY. We use the term “fartlek” to mean a continuous swim where we are changing speeds or instructions. In this set, we alternated a fartlek with a brief freestyle set. Swimmers were on either the more “distance-y” left side (milers) or the more middle distance-oriented right side. We came together for the 150s FPA (fastest possible average) at the end.

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“Almost Fast” Fly Set

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

The idea for this fly Set was to a good amount of “almost fast” fly on the 25s and then put together some good fast 100s. We incentivized the 100s and swam so well that we ended up doing only 1 each round (instead of 1,2,3). Some of the best fly we have done this early in the season!

The Swimming Wizard Blog is always looking for submissions. If your practice yesterday was a good one, tell us what you did: swimmingwizard@gmail.com

Quality 75s!

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This was a good challenging set for us in our first SCY practice of the new season (We have been LCM for the first 3.5 weeks).

We did the odd 75s from a dive and the even ones from a push… the goal was to keep the even ones within the amount of time listed for each stroke relative to the odds.

The Swimming Wizard Blog is always looking for submissions. If your practice yesterday was a good one, tell us what you did: swimmingwizard@gmail.com

Vertical/Horizontal Breaststroke Set

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Our breaststrokers enjoyed this one. The vertical kick was “eggbeater style.” In the 200, swimmers did 3kicks-1pull-2kicks-1pull-1kick-1pull where they focused on getting Distance per Stroke. The 6 x 50 with the squats was a great leg workout and we saw some pretty decent early-season times at the end.

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Product Review: Squeezeline, “The World’s First Streamline Sensor”

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We recently tried a new innovative product from the folks at SwimSmart. It is called Squeezeline.

The Squeezeline is a small rubber-covered sensor that resembles a soft blue rubber pierogi in size and shape. It can be placed under a goggle strap or inside a swim cap so that when a swimmer streamlines tightly, the arm presses down on the sensor and creates an audible beep. This gives the swimmer feedback that they have “squeezed” the streamline well.

As a coach who has gone hoarse hollering “streamline!” at practice, this little device is a game-changer. Our age groupers tried it and liked it. Their feedback was that the beep was a little hard to hear when it was placed in a cap but was easier to hear when worn on the goggle strap.

It is important that the device be properly placed. If it is not directly between the arm and head, the pressure won’t trigger the beep. The Squeezeline works, though. The instant feedback it provides might be the exact thing that your absent-minded age groupers need to help them remember to do swimming’s most basic skill. My guess is that a few weeks of using this thing on a daily basis and a new lifelong habit of excellent streamlines will be in place.

Our club is going to buy a handful for our worst streamliners. Once we have new habits established, we will pass them along to the next ones who like to “Superman” off the walls. Thank you SwimSmart!

Big Set with Quality 100s

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

LCM. The intervals for the longer swims were pretty loose on this set, and we got some good results out of the dive 100s, particularly for early in the season. On the black sets, swimmers could pick the freestyle or FRIM (IM with free instead of fly) track. On the purple 100s, the instructions were to pick one stroke and stick with it or go in IM order.