Swimming with fins lets you break your stroke down into its component parts, perfecting techniques or working on aerobic fitness. However, don't start swimming with fins as a major part of your workout immediately. The muscles and joints involved with fin swimming need to be exposed to the tools over time to avoid injury. And speed training is particularly challenging, so keep this in mind when slipping on your fins.
Types
Swim fins are a critical part of many swimmers' workouts, helping strengthen their kick. However, you might be less familiar with fins for the hands, sometimes called swim paddles. These flat structures allow you to slip your hand onto the back, increasing the resistance of the water and building strength throughout your torso and arm.
Warning
The speed of your swim with fins depends on the speed of your stroke. But don't sacrifice technique for speed. Because swim fins on either your hand or foot accentuate the kick or pull, the potential for injury increases. For example, if you aren't properly warmed up and try to power down the lane with a kickboard and fins on your feet, you're more likely to experience cramps in your calf muscles. With hand fins, if you over-rotate your hand's entry into the water, rather than entering flat, you can cause swimmer's shoulder, a common tendinitis problem that is exacerbated by the increased resistance offered by the swim paddle.
Working With Fins
Introduce fin workouts into your routine slowly. Remember that fins on your feet are appropriate for butterfly backstroke drills and freestyle drills. You need specialized fins for your feet when kicking breast stroke -- regular fins are too long and will interfere with your technique. Similarly, warm up to hand fins with lengths of the pool, starting with two laps, or 50 m or yards at first.
Speed Drills
For either type of fin, use the clock to gauge its impact on your speed. If your goal is to increase your kicking speed and leg strength, try a butterfly drill without a kickboard. Lying on your stomach, hands clasped behind your back, butterfly kick to the backstroke flags from the edge of the pool. Don't use a kickboard or your hands -- work to keep your chin above water simply with the power and strength of your legs. A good hand fin drill that improves your muscle strength and cardiovascular conditioning has you repeating laps, maintaining a constant time. Swim 50 m or yds, using hand fins and a pull buoy. The pull buoy supports your lower body, preventing you from kicking. Watch your technique and see how quickly you can complete the 50 m or yards, aiming to keep the same time as you complete the drill five times, resting for 15 seconds between drills.
Member Comments