Think fins are just for pool Workouts? Think again! In this week’s Workout, Fares heads to the lake for a swim and dryland Workout. Follow along as he shares his tips for using fins in open water!

Like other equipment, fins can help you swim faster, get stronger and refine your technique, increasing muscle engagement as you swim.

When using fins — especially in open water — don’t go too hard on your legs. You could cramp up and put yourself in danger. Listen to your body, swim with a buddy, and use an open water safety buoy!

If you’re looking to purchase fins, we recommend trying short fins vs. longer ones. They create a more realistic speed and feel. It’s also smart to test your new fins, paddles, snorkel — whatever you’ve got — in the pool a few times before venturing to the lake or ocean.

For the swim portion of his Workout, Fares completed 2 1-kilometer loops at his local lake. Before hopping in, he completed a short, dynamic warm up to get his heart pumping and loosen up his muscles.

For the first loop, he went “all natural,” only bringing his safety buoy in the water with him. He held about 1:59 per 100m for his 883-meter loop.

Fares grabbed a pair of fins for the second loop, focusing on pushing his pace and swimming faster than his first loop. He held 1:40 per 100m on this loop, and definitely felt the extra challenge from the fins. He stayed consistent, distance wise, logging 907 meters this time.

Fares used the MySwimPro app on his Apple Watch to make tracking distance, pace and heart rate easy.

To top off his swim Workout, Fares did a quick, 12-minute dryland Workout from the MySwimPro app’s Workout Library.

Warm Up (20sec of each exercise)

Main Circuit (2 Rounds, 30sec of each exercise)

Cool Down (30sec of each stretch)

Fares burned 74 calories during this Workout, and logged a peak heart rate of 140 beats per minute.

Our Community Champion would love to help! Contact us at support@myswimpro.com
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