Swimming Goggle Kayenne Aqua Sphere
TYR goggles was my always my first choice in the swimming pool, pronounced as (Tah-Yer), but I usually just call them T-Y-R when I need to buy one from the departmental store, this is because when I pronounce them, the sales person would go What? you can buy them at the car shop, so its easier just to say T-Y-R, just so you know TYR is named after the Norse god of victory (Tier)
Today I wont be reviewing about TYR products but more Aquasphere, This brand has been around since 1998 and has been making waves around the triathlon world, I went online did some reading on it but nothing much on its website beside their usual product description and all.
The Aquasphere range of goggles are not your usual goggles as it they made them into this odd shape lens or so I thought, recently I got myself the Aqua Sphere Kayenne because my trusty TYR goggles is leaking and fogging up on me
So here is what I think of it after a couple of months using it in the pool.
The goggles had all the Italian style from where it came from, even the packaging it came was cool, it was packed in a hard, reusable case which keeps the googles from getting scratch in the swim bag.
Fit/Comfort: When I first put the Kayenne on, It felt that it was made to fit my face, I am sure it has something to do with the design, the fit is comfortable and adjusting these goggles to the right fit was the EASIEST thing I have ever felt before, All the tugging and pulling of your google strap is a thing of the past with the Kayenne as it has this button on both side where you just push and adjust to the proper sizing.
Seal: The seal fits great, once adjusted to my contour of my face, I will usually give it one more push at the bridge to make it seal tighter, Once I’ve had them adjusted properly, they seal just nice and tight. I hadn’t have too much issue with leaks but I did face a slight leak whenever I push off the wall (with excess force) but should be no problem if it is in OWS.
Clarity/Fogging: This goggles are beautiful to begin with for its 180 degree view, the clarity on the smoked lens that I have bought is just crystal clear. The tint was just about right to be used in any light condition even in the evening setting sun. I am sure they are very versatile in all sorts of light condition . There was no fogging issue even when I have them on for the whole session and in between breaks.
Negative : I only found that this goggles strap moved when I placed it over my head, but that’s about it, maybe I am too rough when it comes to placing the goggle over my swim cap.
Isaac’s 2 Cents Worth:
The good: Goggles fit to a T and it feels like you have no goggles on. Its really comfortable and the 180degree view is just perfect for OWS or in a crowded pool , goggle design are very stunning.
The bad: My strap moved when wearing them over my swim cap but that should be no problem with the release button to adjust it again.
I can’t wait to try their other range out, but I am so attracted to the Kayenne for its functionality and looks. If you are looking to buy goggles to replace, I highly recommend this to you.
Tri Factor Swim Challenge
Swim drills, swim session and swim post has been popping up on my blog recently, did the swimming craze hit me? did King Neptune came into my dream and told me to swim more often? none of those of course, it is because I have registered myself on 12 of May for the Tri Factor Swim challenge.
Tri Factor includes all the three elements of Triathlon before their full Triathlon even which will be held later in the year. I actually encouraged this as its like a lead up to the actual event, coming in the Month of May the swim event will take place, then in July it will be the bike session, and then run and then full OD.
You can have only so much Triathlon event in Singapore in a Year, even if they have 50 events I don’t think I want to be doing all of them cause its always the same ole same ole.
Just sharing this cute infograph that I had received from Tri Factor reminding people to join the Swim Event this May. Have fun and Stay safe readers.
Why you should learn the Backstroke for Triathlon?
I have always head to the pool doing laps after laps with 80% of front crawl and 20% breast stroke all the time, I am not sure if it was the best way to train as I am only improving those few muscle group. I was a club swimmer, training with the boys doing 50m freestyle competition but never got to signing up for one, have friends who are on the national squad but never took any swim tips from them.
Since I am doing triathlons and Ironman for the love of it, when it comes to the swim part I can tell you,I am definitely not fast even after so many swim sessions, ,sessions after sessions my time never seem to improve. I also never used other strokes like the backstroke or butterfly, never wondered why I need the them for, this conversation between speedy @trimeon and coach @felog in my feed were conversing about backstroke got me intrigued. I went all out and in search for the missing piece to understand why a backstroke was needed in our training session
Twitter Feed Elieen and Felog
So what happens now is that, I am gonna put in post some backstroke drills that I am gonna use and try on my next swim session..
The backstroke is easy to learn and helpful to triathletes for multiple reasons. It counteracts swimmer’s “shoulder slouch” by engaging upper-back muscles and lengthening pectorals, it can provide an opportunity to calm breathing or clear goggles during an open-water swim and it breaks up monotony in the pool. Plus, kicking while on your back serves as good cross-training for major cycling muscles such as the hip flexors, core and quads.
Try these sets:
• 4×75 with 15 seconds rest (25 free/25 back/25 free)
• 1×600 [4x(100 freestyle strong effort/50 backstroke easy)]
• 8×50 on 1:15 (25 back/25 free) descend time 1-4, 5-8
Five technique tips:
1. Tilt chin up and look at the sky. This puts head and spine in good alignment. Do not look toward your toes, as it causes hips to sink.
2. Push hips toward the surface and maintain a steady up and down flutter kick. Keep feet just below the surface of the water. Do not rotate feet with the rest of body.
3. Hands exit the water thumb first and enter the water pinky first. This requires a slight wrist and shoulder rotation as a straight arm moves through the air.
4. Arms enter the water straight up from shoulders and do not cross the center line overhead. Swimming backstroke in a straight line is difficult without following pool lines. Keep zigzags to a minimum with consistent arm placement.
5. The key to backstroke is good upper-body rotation with a motionless head. Try to roll your left shoulder to your chin as the right pinky enters the water and vice versa
drills taken from Triathlete Competitor By Sara McLarty
How to Swim Faster ? Part 2
this is the continuation of “How to Swim Faster?” from the first part. If you just dropped in, please go to “How to Swim Faster” Part 1
Principle #4: Swimming More on Your Sides
The first way to improve propulsion is to roll more from side to side with each arm stroke. Rolling more on your sides allows you to better engage the large back muscles in addition to the shoulder muscles. However, spending more time on your side is unusual at first and needs some getting used to.
Principle #5: Using Your Core
This is another secret of how to swim faster. You should engage the large back, hip and torso muscles while rolling from side to side. The synergy between your core muscles and arm muscles allows you to apply more force to your swim stroke.
It is a little bit like a baseball pitcher when he throws the ball: first his body twists backward, then his hips initiate a rotation forward which is channeled through his upper body into his shoulder, arm, hand and finally into the ball, with an acceleration at each step.
Once you have integrated this technique, you will be able to swim longer and faster and tire less quickly, as your core muscles have more endurance than the ones in your shoulders and arms.
Principle #6: Anchoring Your Arms
This is the last piece of the puzzle on how to swim faster with less effort. Before applying any force on your propulsive arm, you need to make sure that your hand and forearm are aligned and facing backward. You can then effectively move your arm backward like big paddle.
This swimming technique is often called the “high elbow catch” in the freestyle stroke because you need to keep your elbow high in relationship to your wrist to be able to successfully do this.
Hope you have enjoyed the two part series of the “How to Swim Faster”
How to swim faster? Part 1
Swimming Faster is a fascination for many, I just finished a swim yesterday after a month of no activity due to my feet injury and also because race season is over. I felt funny not to train after so long but I am sure definitely out of breath swimming my usual 3 x 500m in the pool yesterday (no more races till 2013)
I have always wondered how to swim faster, Have you been wondering how to swim faster for months or even years without ever finding a satisfactory answer? If this is the case, well, you are in good company.
This article by enjoy-swimming.com describes six principles that will allow you to swim faster without becoming exhausted too quickly.
Swimming Smarter not Harder
For many coaches, swimming faster is the result of gradually increasing the length and intensity of swimming workouts so that the general fitness level increases.
While conditioning has its place, this is not all there is about how to swim faster, because swimming is a very technical sport. There are a few gifted swimmers that instinctively learn how to move efficiently in the water. Given enough time and practice, they will always improve. (this for me have not been the case..but I believe so)
But most of us only have a vague sense about our efficiency in the water. Remember, we are land animals! Because of this, swimming lots of lengths will often only make our bad habits more permanent, while our swimming technique only improves slowly or even not at all.
So what do we need to do? In fact, to learn how to swim faster and better with less effort, we need to swim smarter, not harder. Specifically, we need to work on two facets of our technique:
- We need to decrease drag in the water.
- We need to improve propulsion in the water.
Decreasing Drag
The importance of swimming with the least amount of drag is often neglected. However, this is an area where we can greatly improve our efficiency in the water.
Water is much more dense than air. Drag in the water increases by the square of the speed at which we swim. So there is quickly an upper limit on how much force we can apply against the water to increase our speed.
On the other hand, reducing drag requires SKILLS rather than force. So there’s a lot of room for improvement there. That’s why it should be the top priority of learning how to swim faster.
Principle #1: Improving Your Balance
The first and most efficient way to decrease drag is to improve your balance. This means that you try to stay as horizontal as possible while moving through the water. When you do this, you disrupt the least amount of water molecules on your path, which translates into reduced drag.
As an example, while swimming freestyle, swimmers often lift their head to breathe or look ahead. When they do this, they lose balance and their hips and legs drop. Their body is less streamlined and generates more drag while moving through the water. Additionally, they need to kick harder to keep those legs up. Needless to say, a lot of energy is wasted while doing this.
Note that being as horizontal as possible is especially important for the freestyle and backstroke. For the breaststroke and butterfly, things are a little bit different because a body undulation occurs during the stroke cycle.
Principle #2: Swimming Taller
The next way to decrease drag is to make yourself as tall as possible in the water. The theory behind this is that for the same mass, a long tapered object moving through the water creates less turbulence than a short compact object. In fact this principle has been used by naval engineers since hundreds of years. I have learned to walk tall but I believe this
To swim taller in the freestyle stroke, you enter your recovering arm early in the water once it has passed your head. You also make sure to completely extend your recovering arm forward underwater before starting the down sweep and catch.
Principle #3: Compact and Efficient Kick
In world-class front crawl swimmers, the kick contributes for up to 10% of propulsion, while the arm stroke contributes for the rest. So an efficient kick is important for fast swimming, but less than what is commonly believed.
What is equally important is a compact kick, meaning that it should neither break the water surface nor move too low below the body line. Otherwise unnecessary drag is created which will only slow you down.
Improving Propulsion
Once you have reduced drag to a minimum, you can work on improving your propulsion. Again, this is mainly done by improving your swim stroke mechanics, not by building bigger muscles.
to be continues in the part 2…
RoadID GiveAway Friday
It’s a Gorgeous Friday everyone, and if you were wondering what was that icon posted last week, it’s no road sign but a logo of a company that has “YOU” in mind, yes, you the one reading this, and this company is called RoadID.
Before I go any further let me tell you what RoadID is all about, This Company was founded by a father-and-son team and they are none other than Edward and Mike Wimmer. They have been providing safety gear to help keep you safer since 1999, and I am glad they did so. This so called bracelets are like guardian angels, no kidding. With all the unfortunate recent death of Marathoners like Claire Squires in the recent London Marathon , Jeffrey Lee for the Philadelphia Half Marathon , or even Firefighter William Caviness in the Chicago Marathon.
Those people I have mention are not old or unhealthy, they are young and even triathletes at their peak of their health, just saying that we are not bullet proof even if we are at our pink of health. I am trying to say that those death are at a high profile event, given the scenario that we are training alone running 5 am in the morning (which is a fav of mine) and I fall flat to the ground. I would have this ID tag on me telling anyone that finds me all my vital info.
I have been using RoadID since a couple of years back and it has not faded on me nor smelled on me. Why do I talk about RoadID? Cause I truly believe in a product that is for safety and has athletes in mind, but come to think of it, RoadID are not only for athletes but can also be used for everyone including your family members, This little nifty product is a bracelet that carries all the vital information for anyone in an emergency situation, and not only they have bracelet form they now come in 6 different types of design for you to choose from depending where you want to place your ID from wrist, necklace, ankle to even your shoe.
I have the wrist ID Sport on me and it goes where ever I go, I don’t only use it for sport but I use it as a fashion bracelet as well, who knows I might just drop dead when there is a pretty girl that come asking for my number. LOL See it still looks new to me.
Anyway since it’s a FRIDAY , I am gonna be doing a “GIVE AWAY FRIDAY “ I will be giving away Gift certificate worth $15 each to 2 lucky readers courtesy of RoadID. All you need to do tell me how many types of RoadID design are there. Leave your answer at the comment box below and like the post. Remember Stay SAFE !
The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and the results will be posted on this blog. Winner will be announced by Monday, May 6, 2012 at Noon. A winner has one week from the announcement of the winner to claim the prize or else a new winner will be chosen (May 13 at 12:00 p.m.). All prizes will be awarded. Thus, if the winner does not come forward, a new winner will be chosen. The writer of this blog will not be held liable for any typographical errors or technical failures.
This Giveaway is now closed. Chosen winners please do contact me as soon as possible.
You wanna “Be seen wearing it”
Something is brewing up in the coming next few days, do watch for this Icon .. Do follow my blog to get the updates ! this will be interesting. Do let me know if you know what that this icon means ? Can’t reveal too much for the moment.
As I always say “No Helmet, No Ride”
Absolutely BAD SWIMMERS !
You know lots of people are scared of the water According to a survey, nearly 86 percent of adults and 91 percent of children and young adults admitted to being afraid of something. When a fear becomes irrational and unbearable, it can turn into a strange, funny or even weird phobia.
Well I surely can’t make your phobia away, but I can share some water funnies with you .. enjoy laugh away !
