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Home > Workouts in a Binder: Swim Workouts for Triathletes
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Workouts in a Binder: Swim Workouts for Triathletes
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By Gale Bernhardt and Nick Hansen
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 (38 Reviews)
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From our affiliated sellers:
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Publisher:
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VeloPress
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Published:
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December 31, 1969 |
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Binding:
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Spiral-bound
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Pages:
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96
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Triathletes who hope to improve their swimming too often mix and match workouts or workout segments with no particular goal. The workouts in this set provide a handy, compact, inspiring ? and waterproof ? program. Written by an elite-level triathlon and cycling coach, and a former U.S. National Team swimming coach, the book comprises seven workout categories: Anaerobic Endurance Speed, Anaerobic Endurance Form, Force Speed, Force Form, Muscular Endurance Speed, Muscular Endurance Form, and Muscular Endurance Distance. The variety of workouts included and their ease of use keep the process engaging and allow users to more easily achieve elusive swimming goals. Workouts in a Binder can easily be used in conjunction with triathlon training manuals such as Training Plans for Multisport Athletes or The Triathlete?s Training Bible, or as stand-alone workouts for swimmers. Illustrated throughout, a bound set of waterproof workout cards for triathletes at all levels is also included.
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Customer Reviews:
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 I can't wait to get in the pool again!, February 12, 2003
By Mommy B (Santa Rosa, CA United States)
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Swim Workouts in a Binder for Triathletes is my new "Most Valuable Tool" for training this season. Bernhardt begins the book by making a concise case for sound, purposeful training. No more meaningless laps or jumping in the pool and developing "a plan" on the spot. You can use the workouts, enough to keep you interested for a long time, on their own as you wish. Alternatively, you can truly maximize this nugget by developing your own plan for the season. She provides a 12 week program, assuming 3-4 swims per week, to save you planning time and/or to give you a general structure. The plan is adaptable and flexible and I see no difficulty in adjusting it to my own training needs. In order to accomodate new and seasoned athletes, and those training for shorter courses and iron distance, each workout has two distance options. Your first workout will be a test so you have a reference tool (time) that keeps you training at your own pace instead of some speedier (or slower) swimmer a lane over. Bernhardt makes purposeful training so understandable that you'll wonder why you even bothered "just getting in for a swim" in the past. I have the Triathletes Training Bible (Friel) and Training Plans for Multisport Athletes (Bernhardt), and this book is a great addition. While the other two books have helped me understand what I want to do in order to train well, Swim Workouts in a Binder has saved me hours of time in my season planning and given me a renewed excitement for pool training. The book is the perfect size to sit at the edge of the pool for mid-workout reference, and the sturdy spiral binding keeps your page in place. It will get absolutely soaking, and that's okay. Anything negative? No negatives, only an understanding of what it is not meant to contain. For instance, the only drills she brings into the workouts are finger drags, one-arm swimming, and catch up. It is clear that any other drill could (and should) be added or switched in according to personal needs. For a guide to swimming technique you have to look elsewhere. Expect just what the title of the book indicates. It's perfect.
83 of 84 people found the above review helpful.
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 A good tool, but with one serious flaw.., February 24, 2004
By chives (Dallas, TX USA)
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The workouts and the book overall are good, and for the self-coached athlete, much better than trying to think up a workout every day. There are two main sets for each workout, one longer than the other, but they could use more differentiation - one may be 2600 meters and the other 2300 meters. It should be more like 2600 and 1900. Or slip a third option in the middle. Of course, if you are reasonably experienced, it's not had to extrapolate whatever distance you plan to do for the day. But....the flaw...once you get it wet, it's nearly impossible to get it dry again! The pages are waterproof, but they stick together and even a little splash seems to get every page wet. Unless you stand it up and open as many pages as you can, rotating this every couple hours for several days, you just can't get it dry before it starts to mildew and stink. I evn tried putting it in the dryer (on that removable non-rotating shelf) but unless you get those pages open, it won't dry. Two solutions I've found- (1) take off the spiral binding, hole punch the pages (not easy, since the pages are plastic), but it into a binder, and just take a single page for the day's workout to the pool, or (2) keep the whole thing in a big ziploc bag, turning to the page you want first, then zipping it in for the pool. This work pretty well, and keeps you from owning "Stinky Workouts in a Binder".
55 of 57 people found the above review helpful.
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 Try The Waterproof Coach, February 13, 2004
By A Customer
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This book appears to be similar to the Waterproof Coach: The Waterproof Workout Book for Fitness Swimmers and Triathletes published several years ago. The Waterproof Coach has more versatility because it's interior workout pages can be rearranged to create thousands of combinations of workouts.
21 of 27 people found the above review helpful.
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Good variety for your workouts, August 26, 2006
By MrModernShopper (ASTORIA, NY USA)
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I've been fitness swimming for several decades which usually means go to pool, swim a mile. I recently started working through the workouts in this book with some triathlon friends. Still manage to get my mile but every day takes a different focus, my swimming has improved and I enjoy it more. Each page is something fresh and different. While the pages are waterproof, you do need to spend a few minutes and wipe EVERY page dry when you get home, not a big deal. Or stick the book in a ziplock bag and avoid the wet pages problem in the first place.
While it doesn't matter if you swim in metres or yards, the book is written for a short course 25 metre/yard pool. If you're like me and have the luxury of a 50m pool, you'll find that some of the drills don't convert nicely to the long course.
18 of 18 people found the above review helpful.
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People ask if I swim in college..., August 14, 2010
By SwimDVM (Houston)
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I was on the swim team as a little kid. I mean little. Never learned how to do a flip-turn. At 32 I decided to try swimming as a way to stay fit. After a few months in the pool, I was losing weight, but getting bored. I bought this book just for variety in my workouts. A mere three months later, other swimmers are stopping me and asking if I competed in college, how many triathalons I have competed in (zero!), and I even had someone's coach tell me I had great form. I attribute my development into a speedy, flip-turning, bilateral breather 100% to this book. The workouts based on form and muscle endurance are my favorites and have helped me the most. The workouts are long - I just set a timer for one hour and do what I can....lately, I have started finishing the sets before my timer goes off. The book is freestyle only, and I look forward to trying the book with all four strokes. I recommend the book to anyone who asks me how they can become a better swimmer!
8 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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Great Training Tool, February 24, 2006
By Bryan M. Dunn (Nashville, TN)
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I have been using this book now for 2 months and I have enjoyed the variations in the works that I get each time I go to the pool, it can not replace the value of a coach, but as a training tool it can't be beat.
As far as the one reviewer who said the pages never dry, I have not had this problem at all. I take it from the pool, throw it in my bag, and it seems to be dry again ready for use two days later.
4 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Fantastic Book!!, April 25, 2007
By Motor City Madman (Manhattan Beach, CA, USA)
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A friend of mine had this book at the pool doing their workout, and bought it for me as a gift. Prior to getting the book, I was trying to come up with my own workout. This book provides me with much bettered structured workouts, and I am working out harder and better than ever before.
The two levels are good, as some days I do the shorter workouts, and time permitting I can attempt the longer ones. And of course, I can always add/subtract from those.
I am not having problems yet with the book getting wet. The pages seem to stay dry for me, but I put a towel on the deck, and then stand the book up on a towel.
I highly recommend this book if you are trying to workout on your own.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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 Confusing--should be organized along the type of Triathlon you want to do, June 20, 2009
By E. Varisco (Baltimore, MD)
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There's almost too much information here to pick and choose from. The codes and 'coach-talk' can be difficult to follow.
This book would be more helpful if it were organized along the lines of what you want to accomplish as a triathlete. For example: (1) Sprint Tri: do 'these swim workouts.' (2) Same with Olympic and Ironman distances.
She states '10 new workouts for Ironman distances' but then doesn't really state which workouts those are in the book.
3 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Good book for Triathletes who need direction in the pool, June 9, 2009
By J. DeVito (New York, NY, United States)
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I bought this book after I mistakenly bought the newer, updated version that had workouts more geared for swimmers (different strokes, really high volume, etc). I am very pleased with the book, it offers direction and a plan for those who previously just jump in, swim 1500 and leave. The book has different types of workouts (endurance, speed, strength, etc)and has 2 versions per workout (one usually 500M less than the other). Each workout is 2000M-3500M, so it can be done in a reasonable amount of time. Waterproof pages are key as well
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Good Resource for swimmers, January 8, 2008
By Exercise fan
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I've had the book for 6-8 months now and it has proved to be very useful. It provides you with many,many,many choices for your workout needs in the pool.
The distances are probably a bit daunting for beginners or for the self-titled "not-so-good-at-swimming' individual. Average swim distances run from 2200-2800 mts for the workouts. This isn't too bad if you have some fairly decent swimming experience.
While this workout booklet is a strong product on it's own it is geared towards the triathlon peeps. This has been a very useful tool that is used in conjunction with the Training Plans for Multisport Athletes: Your Essential Guide to Triathlon, Duathlon, XTERRA, Ironman, and Endurance Racing book.
One of the main complaints seen in the comments is that the book doesn't dry...this true but it's not that big of a deal (in my opinion at least). Besides it's great having this plastic wonder by your lane while some folks leave once used soggy swim workout papers by the pool side.
One last thing to consider is that if you don't own swim paddles, a kick board or a pull buoy, you may want to think of purchasing these items as they are part of some of the workouts.
Overall an excellent guide for those seeking routines in the pool that are challenging and can help you towards improved performance.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Very pleased, August 14, 2007
By tri girl (Scotts Valley, CA United States)
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What a great product. I use it every time I go to the pool. It takes the guesswork out of training and mixes things up. It's like having a silent trainer.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Great Workouts, April 18, 2010
By J. Spencer
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Love the book and the workouts but waterproof is a bit of a stretch. If you want to keep it in book form for years to come, place it in a zip baggie before heading to the pool!
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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great for the pool!, March 15, 2010
By Michelle Wilson (Boulder, Colorado)
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I see people at the pool with workouts on a piece of paper and stuff then I pull out my handy book and goto the next workout! If you like to swim but would like a structured workout I would recommend this!
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Great book, a bit tough for a beginner though, December 20, 2008
By K. Black (Rio Rancho, NM)
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This a great book with a well organized, clear and simple format. The waterproof pages are great and I have got this book completed soaked on the pool deck and it has no probs.
Each of the workouts has a long and a short version depending on your swimming ability, however I found that when I first got this book my ability was not even up to the shorter workouts. Overall a great product esp. if you can't be part of a Master's swim team.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Great for those who forget how many laps we have swam, June 2, 2008
By G. Kloeppel
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I like this book for the sheer reason that when I swim longer workouts, I tend to forget how many yards/meters I have done after I get out of the pool. By having this poolside, I can do the various workouts and then know the total distance covered. The variety of workouts is practically endless and the book is holding up fine. It sure beats just swimming lap after lap at the same pace. I tried a lap counter that you wear on your finger and that is okay for grinding out 1500 meter swims, but if you are doing a mix of speed and endurance, the binder works better for me.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Swim workouts, June 18, 2008
By D. Vining (Arizona)
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These workouts are very much like what you would see a swim team doing day in and day out. The book is for swimmers looking to push themselves to a higher level in terms of endurance and speed and does not address strokes. It presumes that you already swim about a mile a day, so there is no plan for building up except maybe by segmenting the workouts. There is some ramp up time to learn the coding associated with each workout, but everything is explained in the intro section. The title says it all.
1 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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It was hard to understand, May 12, 2007
By D. Swarts (USA)
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IT was waterproof so that was nice. However it used way to many abbreviations and i had to look everything up in the back. Complicated.
1 of 7 people found the above review helpful.
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My new swim buddy..., December 27, 2011
By Steven Morley (Northern New Mexico)
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The good points of this book for me are that:
- It's waterproof
- I can show up at the pool without a plan and have a productive workout.
- It comes with training plans that cover everything from general fitness through to Ironman.
- The text is big enough to read through goggles, without my contacts (your mileage may vary here)
- It has illustrated drills (and be honest, who doesn't need to do more drills?)
So why just four stars? I mean, I use this thing at all of my swim sessions now.
As has been pointed out by other reviewers, the workouts are extremely front crawl (freestyle) heavy. It's not a big problem, since the book is targeted at triathletes and swimming any other stroke in a tri doesn't make much sense. However, the IM sets and backstroke that featured in my old masters squad workouts really helped my swimming, and I think provided a balance for the muscles used in the sets.
If you don't splash much when you turn, the drying of the book when you get home is easy... wipe down the page you're open to and forget about it. If you splash (or the guy in the next lane does) then it can take a few minutes to go through and wipe down all the damp pages - this is a necessary step. It's waterproof, not 'stay-dry'.
The book is also seemingly written for a short-course pool (25m/yds). That's what I have access to mostly now, but I still prefer long-course (50m) and some of the workouts would be harder to adapt to long course.
The abbreviations used in all the workouts can take some time to get used to, but that's not difficult unless your memory is worse than mine. The final issue is that many of the workouts rely on you knowing your T-pace (test pace following one of the tests in the book), and assume that you can effectively gauge your own pace as you swim. This is easy(ish) for experienced swimmers, but will be difficult for novices.
All in all, I recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who wants an easy way of getting more structure into their swim workouts. It's not perfect, but that's a lot to ask for...
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Swimming workouts, July 28, 2011
By Hanan Joseph
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Although the book includes detailed workout. It doesn't include training program (the one in the book is not detailed enough) i think the book is more nice to have than essential training tool.
The water proof papers is great idea.
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Awesome training tool, June 24, 2011
By Jennifer Costa
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If you've been working out for a race and find yourself in a rut, injured or bored...this is the book for you. I've gotten faster, stronger and have increased my endurance just in the last 3 weeks of swimming the plans. Love it.
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Great resource for triathletes, June 8, 2011
By K. Lourie
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Like most triathletes, swimming is not my strong point. So far, this book has shown me HOW to work out which has been most of my battle. Great resource since it is waterproof and it can even be "tented" so that you can place it on the edge of the pool and you don't have to pick it up to read what to do next. Highly recommended.
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Great for the traithlete looing for set swim workouts., April 20, 2011
By L. Ramirez (USA)
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I have been using the binder three times a week since purchase and am very pleased. The workouts are great and there are plenty to change up the routines. The workouts are done with a specific area in mind, and I really like the simplicity of how the workouts are set up. Already have recommended this binder to many friends.
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Fun and challenging workouts!!!, April 12, 2011
By kinneymc
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I love this book! No more boring workouts staring at the lane line counting laps! My favorites are the Endurance/Form ones. And I love how scalable all the workouts are! Great investment!!!
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Great workouts, February 11, 2011
By FastGMan
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I was looking for something to help me structure swim workouts and this book was recommended to me by two friends who recently completed Ironman Lake Placid. The book is fantastic, you just pick out what element of your swim you want to work on and do the workout. I have seen marked improvement in my swimming abilities since using this book and would recommend this book to anyone looking to improve the swim leg of their triathlon.
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Prevents mind numbing, January 13, 2011
By swimmer (Wichita, KS)
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I was always repeating the same drills and work out. This waterproof book guides through a number of different types of workouts to train at various levels.
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maybe too good!, November 23, 2009
By Kyle Oliver (oneonta, ny)
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This little water-proof book is fantastic. I keep it right at the gym and simply pick one of the many workouts (endurance, speed, form, force, etc...)and then hit the water. Each workout has a long and a short version so you can select based on how you are feeling that day or the event you are training for. One problem, running and biking have taken back seats to swimming!
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Great workouts!, November 10, 2009
By Trigirl (Omaha, NE)
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Waterproof easy to use. Meant for serious swimming distances. Lots of codes to refer to-but does come in handy by the wet pool!
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Great Training Tool, April 21, 2008
By A. Thompson
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This book is a great addition to my training library. Not only does it have great workouts, the waterproof pages are awesome. You can take it to the pool and not worry about it being ruined by water. You can just throw it on the side of the pool and go. The workouts are easy to use and are very challenging. Probably the only complaint about the book is if the pages get wet and you don't dry them off completely before throwing it into your workout bag, they stay wet. But overall, great purchase!
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Enjoyable workouts, March 18, 2008
By Chanda Jeppson (Utah USA)
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This book has saved me from the monotony of swimming laps. Having "something to do" while at the pool has given me extra motivation and feelings of success. The workouts are just the right length (I can choose the shorter versions if I need to finish in under an hour). I swim in the pool to train for open water triathlons and this book does more than prepare me to get me there. I use it 2-3 times a week. It is WELL worth having!
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Helpful and convenient, February 20, 2008
By M. G. Hufford (Kansas City, MO United States)
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The workouts in this book are very helpful (especially if you have any other books by Gale, these workouts fit right into her training plans). I especially love how waterproof the book is and that it easily props up by itself. This makes it very convenient to prop it up and the end of the lane, and just go!
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Great Product, November 17, 2007
By Retired (Bel Air, MD)
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Great book. Beats standing in the pool for ten minutes trying to figure out the workout. W/O for all types. Highly Recommend
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Great book, October 31, 2007
By Robert
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I've been using this for over 2 years now. It takes away the boredom in the pool and let you focus on a workout. The pages are waterproof, but I keep it in a ziploc bag because if it gets wet it'll stay wet and never dry. Every workout informs you of the total yards and the book is broken down into different sections for Muscular Endurance, Anaerobic, Force, Form, etc...
I highly recommend this to any swimmer.
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Great Swim Workouts, October 11, 2007
By Mom of 2 (Little Rock, AR USA)
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First of all, I'm not a swimmer. So, at first, this book confused me... Not used to all the terminology. However, if you read through it before heading to the pool, it's very easily picked up. The workouts are tough, but you will see results!
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Great book!, August 23, 2011
By Douglas
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This book has been a great guide to improving my swimming! I don't have to think about it, I just follow the workout plans and my swimming improves! I love the pages are waterproof and that all the workouts are in big writing making it easy to see from within the pool! This is definitely an amazing guide for any triathlete beginner or experienced looking to improve their swimming!
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Awesome workouts, January 20, 2012
By H2O
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Great workout guide. Keeps swim workouts fresh. Binder is waterproof. Gives you plenty of workouts and mileage choices to guide you and keep workouts on task.
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A Great Swimmer's Companion - with two caveats, January 18, 2012
By G. B. Brown (Salt Lake City, UT USA)
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Swim Workouts for Triathletes is a great compendium of workouts for swimmers and a good companion at the pool.
I wanted to switch up my swimming workouts and I don't like swimming with the master's team. I needed a coach, in other words, without the baggage. This book has provided me with a host of workouts that I enjoy and that I can master. In about one hour in the water, I'm knocking out 3000 yards so these workouts are just right for me.
The Good:
* waterproof - 'nuff said
* perfect shape and size so you can prop it on the side of the pool while you swim - and it stays open to your workout
* each workout has two options - days when you're sore or tired, you take the "beginner" workout, other days the advanced.
* the variety of workouts is good - shorter, 30 minute workouts and longer ones
* the variety within the workouts is good - longer swims, springs, and kicks mix up what you're doing and keep it interesting.
The basic message - if you swim for fitness, this book is worth every penny.
Why not give it five stars?
Here's my two caveats:
This book is for swimmers with good technique. If you aren't already a good swimmer, this book won't necessarily help you get better - swimming 3000 bad yards won't make you able to swim 3000 good yards. Most triathletes' weakest sport is swimming and even though drills are provided in the book, more than a few triathletes I've seen need more coaching than the book provides.
The workouts are similar to swim team workouts I did back in the day which I love; but I'm not sure a triathlete would be ready for the long distance, nonstop swimming in the events after practicing with these workouts.
With those caveats, I love this book and recommend it anyone who is intereted in fitness swimming.
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Great product, November 11, 2011
By tricook
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Great product for the swimmer that does not participate in Maters Swim or just wants to swim on their own. Good variety, well explained. I would recommend it to anyone.
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Swimmers Bible, October 6, 2011
By SinksWell
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Excellent book for anyone needing help with swimming. Lots of specific workouts and drills to increase endurance, speed, force, and its good for OWS or pool. Just the structure I needed to really kick my swimming to the next level. It helped improve my form on the first session. After nearly two months of working with the book several times a week, I am back to my collegiate swimming times, and my form is better than ever. No problems with the waterproof paper, works well on deck. Highly recommended if you are good with coaching yourself.
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