TRIATHLON SWIM TRAINING..swim equipment, triathlon wetsuits, swim coaching, and more

Historically, more first time starters are experienced runners and/or bikers as opposed to swimmers. You are not alone!

Swimming is usually a big stumbling block for many a novice Ironman who would like to do this race. Just the thought of being out in the open water scares some people off and so does the thought of triathlon swim training.

If I survived my first Ironman swim so will you. When I watched those crazy people back in 1982 and they were swimming 2.4 miles in the ocean, my first thought was---"well I guess that rules me out".

Considering I couldn't swim a stroke at the time and had a healthy fear of the water, my chances looked pretty slim. At that particular moment, the thought of triathlon swim training for me seemed pretty distant.

Two years later I was in Kona at the Ironman Hawaii swim start when the starting cannon went off and I was on my way. THIS WAS MY FIRST OPEN WATER SWIM! And what a swim it was! I had a really crappy stoke.

I know that now, but I didn't care at the time. I was swimming in Kona--I had really made it to Hawaii! Maybe my preparation and my triathlon swim training was not the best, but it saw me through the day.

I will never forget that transition tent. It was electric! It was like everyone was talking at once. You could "feel" the sense of accomplishment---the relief in the air.

Today I realize it was because the swim had a lot of people worried.

As it turned out in later years I would see this same scenario played out over and over again.

I'm pretty certain that the Ironman swim was a big accomplishment for many of my fellow novice Ironman competitors that day, and they struggled through their triathlon swim training as much as I did.

When it comes to swimming there are many issues that people new to triathlon and swimming in general have to deal with. There are so many questions that need answering and hopefully I can answer some of those questions from my years of struggling with the Iroman swim.

It was such a monumental break-through for me after finally figuring out the best way to approach it from a technique stand-point as well as developing an Ironman competition race swim strategy that worked well for me.

WEIGHT TRAINING FOR SWIMMERS

Many new triathletes are not really comfortable in weight rooms and have little or no experience when it comes to weight lifting.

However, it's not really that difficult to get started in the weight room and benefit your swimming from gaining in strength, flexibility, and endurance. If you can fit it into your triathlon training, weight training might give you a swimming edge.

IRONMAN SWIM EQUIPMENT

Swim fins, kick boards, and hand paddles. What works and what doesn't? Sometimes swim aids can hinder your progress in learning proper body positioning. I can tell you what worked for me and what you might be farther ahead to avoid when it comes to swim equipment.

TRIATHLON WETSUITS

Your wetsuit will be an important part of your triathlon equipment. Now there are so many choices out there and they all claim to make you faster.

However speed is not the only consideration. Click here for more information about wetsuits.

TRIATHLON OPEN WATER SWIM

There are many, many triathletes who have to learn how to swim in order to become a triathlete. By that I mean, they might be 45 years old and not be able to swim a stroke, but are determined to learn just so they can take part in a triathlon. Unlike some who learned how to swim when they were kids.

This makes the thought of swimming in the open water pretty scary for many, but it need not be.The open water triathlon swim can actually be pretty enjoyable with the proper approach and mindset.

BASIC SWIM STROKES

In most swim groups the coach will most likely put you through drills that include the basic strokes like the butterfly, breast stroke, backstroke, and the front crawl.

However if you are planning to take up the sport of triathlon, some old school triathletes(like myself)will have there own opinion on this. Find out about the basic swim strokes and what might be best for you.

FEARING THE IRONMAN SWIM

Swimming 2.4 miles in the open water can be a pretty daunting challenge, but at the same time, it's very doable if you are willing to put in the training time.

What is your biggest fear about the Ironman swim? Here are five of the most common Ironman swim fears.

TRIATHLON COLD WATER SWIM

You start to shiver just at the thought of facing a cold water swim as the opening l

eg of your triathlon. Well you are certainly not alone. I think the cold water swim was one of my biggest obstacles when I first took on the Ironman challenge. Over the years I discovered a few tricks to battle the cold water.

FREESTYLE SWIM STROKE

This is the stroke of choice if you want to get the most out of your triathlon swim.

If you are just starting out in the sport of triathlon, you might feel more comfortable with a breast stroke or backstroke. Ultimately the freestyle or "front crawl" stroke is the best stoke to concentrate on for your triathlon swim..

THE IRONMAN SWIM START

You've worked hard to reach the ironman swim start and there will be many emotions to deal with especially if it's your very first ironman.

Although it's a time of fear, doubt, and anxiety for many, it need not be.It should be a time of reflection about how far you have come to reach this point in your life.

IRONMAN SWIM TIPS

If you've ever seen a horse race then often what you are seeing is much like what happens in an Ironman swim.

Ironman swim tips reinforces the strategy I mentioned in the Ironman swim strategy page. Just like a horse race, if you get yourself into traffic trouble in the Ironman swim it can be a frustrating experience.

SWIMMING EXERCISES

If you have decided to include a weight lifting program into your triathlon training, what are the exercises that will help out your triathlon swimming the most?

All I can really tell you is what helped me out the most, but I have no doubt that including weight training as part of my Ironman preparation helped my swimming and biking immensely.

TOTAL IMMERSION SWIMMING

You will find a link to Total Immersion Swimming on every swim page on the Ironstruck site and for very good reason. Total Immersion, the swim technique devised by Terry Laughlin has helped many triathletes around the world(including myself)change the way they look at swimming in general.

Especially swimming in a triathlon event as long as the Ironman where conserving energy cannot be over-stated. If you are new to triathlon or are having trouble with your triathlon swim, then this is a page you just have to visit.

There is so much to learn about swimming when one first takes up the sport of triathlon. Hopefully you find some of the information on the Ironstruck website helpful to you.

Another important decision to consider is whether or not a swim club or group of some type is the best choice for you when it comes to your triathlon training.

Swim clubs are great for learning to swim in close quarters with others. However, I found there were several drawbacks to this method of triathlon swim training.

First of all you're normally assigned lanes according to ability. More often than not you end up trying to swim faster than the person beside you and stroke technique soon becomes non-existent.

The coach will have you do sets of backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly. You get the picture. Hey! You're going to swim in the Ironman! LEARN THE FRONT CRAWL! And look! Coach is passing out kick-boards! RUN! RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! Oh Boy, I really, really, don't like those things but most of the early triathlon swim coaches I had seemed to think it was a necessary evil.

Anyway, I was determined one year that I would swim faster then ever before and spent one Fall, Winter and Spring in a club working on swim-training.

I had to park 5 blocks away from the pool and in the winter its like 30 below here and I froze 4 nights a week. But I stuck it out! For 8 months! Ironman day came. I was 2 minutes SLOWER than the year before! Oh man. From then on I swam alone.

I read books. I swam thousands of lengths, Reinforcing all my bad habits. I swam miles and miles with pull buoys, because my feet sank.

I blasted my way through the water. It took me 10 years of swim-training to take 15 minutes off my original Hawaii swim. The gun would go off and I would move my arms as fast I could for 2.4 miles.

Then I discovered the TOTAL IMMERSION method and realized I had to SLOW DOWN in order to swim faster. I learned that swimming relaxed and using the natural buoyancy that we all have was the answer.

It wasn't really how FAST I got to the other end of the pool, it was HOW! I finally learned that 16 relaxed strokes is a ton better then 25 "move your arms as fast as you can strokes."

If you are just beginning your triathlon career, TOTAL IMMERSION is the perfect system to incorporate into your swim training as your career develops. If you are completely new to swimming, then you have the advantage of developing a great stroke from the very beginning without having to break bad swimming habits.

TOTAL IMMERSION....Simply one of the best swimming techniques in the world today for triathletes of any level.

TOTAL IMMERSION is offering all ironstruck visitors a 10% discount on Books, DVD's, and all other TI teaching tools.

Simply click on this linktotalimmersion.net/store/go to the store page and type ironstruck(all small case)into the shopping cart coupon box and you receive your 10% discount automatically.

I worked on developing my new swim stroke using the TOTAL IMMERSION simple to follow drills and tips all through the next training season and found myself back at the Ironman swim start. What I learned through total immersion was a whole new concept in triathlon swim training for me.

I had discovered how to swim efficiently and also how to stay calm and relaxed. I used my new loooooong, smoooooth, stroke. I kept a nice even balance on top of the water and my sinking feet no longer held me back.

There was no need to move my arms as fast as I could to avoid sinking because my body-positioning was so much better. I had never felt so relaxed and fresh after finishing an Ironman swim.

I thought, "well, I don't feel like I worked very hard or swam very fast, but if my time's slower that's ok, at least I feel great!" Little did I know just how effective my new-found method of triathlon swim training actually was.

MY TIME WAS A PERSONAL BEST SWIM BY JUST OVER FIVE MINUTES! In one training season, by learning to relax, and swim with proper technique and use loooong, smooooth strokes and proper body balance I made a huge improvement in my swimming.

I found the total immersion method worked best for me. It kept my heart rate down and meant I was expending far less energy and could save it for later on in the day.

Triathlon Wetsuits

Open Water Swimming

Basic Swimming Strokes

Beginner Swim Workout

Fearing The Ironman Swim

Cold Water Swimming

Freestyle Swim Stroke

Ironman Swim Start

Ironman Swim Tips

Swimming Technique

Swimming Exercises

Swim Technique

Triathlon Swim Coach

Total Immersion

Ironman Swim Strategy

Triathlon Swim Training Back To Ironstruck Home Page