Open Water Swimming Technique
The best place to learn text book freestyle or crawl technique is in the pool. Open water swimming is much more than just simply following a line on the bottom which is why it is so exciting, whether you are just swimming for fitness or training for a triathlon or ironman the following tips may help you out in the open water. ...
Dryland Resistance Training
I truly believe swimming is one of the best forms of exercise available. You get a terrific all round work out that places demands on the majority of muscles as well as your cardiovascular system. It provides conditioning and weight loss opportunities with a reduced risk of injury. ...
Aquasphere Kayenne goggle review
Yesterday was my first time using the Aquasphere Kayenne goggles, talk about a terrific experience. You know when you want to buy a new pair of jeans how difficult it can be? You try on 100 pair but only 1 fits well and when you find that pair...
Zoggs Predator goggle review
I have had my Zoggs Predators for a couple of months so have had ample time to try them out; this last two weeks in the Greek Islands I have truly put them through their paces. They are what I would call a hybrid goggle, built for both good visibility as well as performance. In the pool I found them disastrous, the drag profile ensured that on most streamlined wall push offs the seal broke and they filled up. This never happens with a purpose built pool goggle but is not uncommon with the hybrids. ...
Aquasphere Swim Goggle review
I have had a few excellent open water swims now and have been able to properly test out my Aquasphere Vista Smoke Lens and Clear Lens goggles. This trip has required swimming and boat travel between the Greek islands; with all the traveling and all the sand on the beaches it is terrific to have the hard storage case to store my goggles in. The visibility is terrific, nothing would be more annoying than having damaged goggles, the hard storage case protects them well and stops the lens becoming scratched....
Fit&Abel heads to the Greek Islands!
I am very excited to be teaming up with SwimTrek www.SwimTrek.com for the month of July, I will be guiding their Greek Cyclades tour over the next four weeks. For those who have been following my FitandAbel.com blogs you will have seen my passion for swimming runs deep. My swimming background was primarily pool based for many years. I still love the challenge and the speed of pool based competitions however, that black line on the bottom of the pool can get pretty tedious after 20, 40, 80, 120 laps and it is always great to swim in different locations, away from the line on the...
Basic Swimming Technique
People often say to me ‘you make swimming look so easy’, the other typical comment I hear is ‘I am doing all this training but my speed is not increasing’. In answer to the first comment I make it look easy because I have put in the practice and I was lucky enough to have coaches over the years who knew that technique training is just as important as fitness training. In answer to the second I would say cut down on the fitness focus for a while and focus on technique; improve technique and the speed will come naturally. The basic principles of swimming technique...
Finding the right swim goggles?
Previously I have mentioned how important your swimming equipment selection is to swimming performance. There is no point dedicating yourself to training only to be distracted in your swim by leaking goggles, poor vision or discomfort from poor swim equipment. Today I am going to look at goggle selection in more detail. For me buying the right goggles is like buying a new pair of jeans, it is really difficult to find just the right pair, you often have to try many pairs on but when you do find the right pair they fit perfectly and you end up wearing them until they fall apart. Where you are going to swim...
Cancer, Exercise and You
I am just back from a short notice trip to New Zealand. Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer so I went back to lend a hand and support while he had surgery. Dads’ surgery went very well; we are now awaiting the outcome of the post-surgery biopsy. It all looks positive! It was also an educational journey for me, according to the UK National Health Service website men are more likely to die from cancer than woman and the most common cancer is prostate cancer. It is not doom and gloom though, the mortality rates are dropping markedly and this is due in large part...
A True Champion
Congrats to all the true champions out there this summer. Sure many professional athletes will compete and win on the Triathlon, Ironman and open water swim circuits this season and they are most certainly the elite. But what about the first time Ironman competitor who struggled to swim 500m in the pool 12 months ago? They probably need to juggle training around a full time job, maybe a partner and their children, as well as the requirement to fund their own equipment, travel and training. Ironman and Triathlon training takes enormous commitment and dedication to ensure balance with family and work to ensure success in such a demanding sport. There are many of you...