What's the Best Time of Day to Go Swimming?

Swimming is a great way to get a full-body workout. It can strengthen your arm, leg and core muscles and exercise your cardiovascular system, which may help you maintain blood sugar levels, blood pressure and a healthy weight. Swimming in a pool or at the beach can also help you unwind, relieve stress and have fun with friends or on your own. The best time of day to swim depends on why you're swimming, your preferences and your experience level.

Swimming in the Morning

Many swimmers swear by their morning swim because it's quiet, peaceful and can help prepare your body and mind for the day ahead.

Advantages

If you're a morning person, sunrise swims and early-morning dips can be just the boost you need to start your day. Consider some benefits of swimming in the morning.

• It is peaceful: Morning swims usually mean little to no crowds at a public pool or beach, which makes it an excellent time to get an undisturbed workout in or to watch the sunrise from the water.
• There is a lower risk for sunburn: Anytime the sun is out, you're at risk for sunburn. That said, the sun's rays do not peak until 10 a.m., so early-morning swims are an excellent way to minimize your chances of getting burned. Remember to wear a broad-spectrum, high-SPF sunscreen, even in the morning.
• It can make you feel energized: If you're looking for a mental boost, morning might be the best time to swim.An invigorating morning swim can make you feel more alert, increase your overall energy and help you stay focused throughout the day.
• You can complete your daily workout early: If swimming is part of your training or exercise routine, getting it done early in the morning minimizes unexpected interruptions sabotaging your daily workout. It also frees up your evening for other things, like getting work done or spending time with family.

Disadvantages

Morning swims are an excellent way to start the day, but keep the following drawbacks in mind.

• There is reduced visibility: Low-light conditions and morning fog can make it dangerous and difficult to see during outdoor swims. If you want to go for an early-morning dip, opt for an indoor or outdoor pool.
• The water might be cold: Because the sun has not been out long enough to warm the water, an early-morning swim might be too cold for comfort. If you get too cold while swimming, you risk losing muscle control.
• There are no lifeguards on duty: If you're swimming in a public place, you may not find lifeguards on duty early in the morning. If you're a beginner or swimming in an unfamiliar place, proceed cautiously.
• Your body isn't fully awake: When you swim in the morning, your muscles and senses are not as limber and alert as they will be later in the day. That might make it more challenging to push yourself during swim exercises. To combat this, do plenty of warmup stretches and dryland exercises before diving in.
• It requires careful planning: If you're not a morning person, you may have trouble adjusting to an early-morning swim schedule, especially if you have to squeeze in your workout before work, school or errands. When transitioning to morning swims, allow yourself a few transitional days while you adjust.

Swimming in the Afternoon

Whether a lunch-break dip or a post-workday workout, swimming in the afternoon may be a great fit for you — don't forget to apply sunscreen and drink plenty of water!

Advantages

The afternoon is one of the most popular times to swim because the water is warm and most people have finished work or school for the day. Some advantages of afternoon swimming are as follows.

• The water is warmer: By the afternoon, outdoor water has had more time to warm in the sun, making it more comfortable to swim. Make sure the water isn't too hot, or you risk dehydration and early exhaustion.
• It can relieve stress: Many believe the afternoon is the best time for swimming because, after a day of work or school, a refreshing swim can be a great way to unwind, relieve stress and prepare yourself for the latter half of the day.
• Lifeguards are on duty: Most public pools and beaches staff lifeguards during the late morning through the late afternoon, when the water is busiest. Swimming in an area protected with a lifeguard can offer you peace of mind and is especially helpful if you're a beginner or swimming with children.

Disadvantages

While an afternoon swim might be a good fit for some, there are some disadvantages to consider.

• You are at a higher risk of sunburn: Swimming outdoors in the early to mid-afternoon makes you more susceptible to sunburn because the sun's rays are at their strongest until about 4 p.m. Reapply sunscreen every two hours and after swimming, drying off with a towel or after sweating.
• You can overheat more readily: If you're swimming outdoors, it's easier to overheat when exercising or training in the afternoon. The safest temperature to swim in is between 78 and 82 degrees. To avoid overheating, take regular breaks and stay hydrated.
• There are larger crowds: Most public pools and beaches are busiest in the afternoon when adults have finished work and students are out of school. If swimming is a social experience for you, this could be an advantage. However, if you swim for exercise, the larger crowds might limit the amount of space you have.

Swimming at Night

To stay safe while swimming at night, avoid the ocean or other bodies of water because they can be unpredictable. If you choose to swim outdoors, stay in well-lit areas, and swim with a partner when possible.

Advantages

Swimming at night gives you something to look forward to all day long and can be a great fit if you frequent the pool. Some benefits of an evening swim include the following.

• You are at no risk of sunburn: Most types of skin cancers, including melanoma, result from exposure to UV light from the sun. Swimming after dark is one of the best ways to avoid getting a sunburn or irritating existing burns.
• Your muscles are at their peak: By the end of the day, your body has spent hours stretching and moving. Your muscles are limber and warmed up, which can make your workout more effective.
• You will have more post-swim recovery time: When you do a swim workout during the evening, it's easier to spend the rest of the night recovering before you go to bed, instead of going to work, doing chores or running errands.

Disadvantages

Swimming at night is an easy way to avoid sunburn and get an effective workout, but there are some drawbacks to consider.

• There are no lifeguards on duty: Though every beach and pool is different, many places do not have lifeguards on duty at night. Even experienced or competitive swimmers are safer when swimming with a lifeguard present — especially after dark. If you're a beginner or swimming with children, you might be better off going in the afternoon.
• There is reduced visibility: Swimming in low light or after dark can be dangerous, especially if you're in an ocean, river or lake. If an evening swim sounds like the best fit for you, look for a well-lit indoor pool at a local gym or recreation center.
• You may have trouble sleeping: While a regular exercise routine — like swimming — can help you get quality sleep, studies show that exercising at night can make it harder to fall asleep. If you opt for an evening swim, do it at least one hour before you plan to sleep for better results.

Find High-Quality Swim Gear at Kiefer

Whether swimming in the morning or evening — or somewhere in between — there is no right or wrong time of day to go for a swim. The decision comes down to what kind of experience you're looking for, whether you're swimming in a pool or ocean and your individual swim goals. If you're unsure which time is best for you, try swimming during different parts of the day and see when you find the most success. No matter why you're swimming or when you choose to go, Kiefer has the apparel and equipment you need to have a safe, fun time in the water. Visit us online to find swimwear, swim gear and competitive training equipment today!

Pacing Tips for Your Swim Meet

Whether you're a casual swimmer or training for a competitive meet, maintaining a sustainable swimming pace is a critical part of your success as you improve. Your pace is what will help you meet your goals, preserve your strength and become a more powerful, controlled athlete.

Learn more below about the importance of a good swimming pace and tips for achieving it.

Why Swim Pace Is Important

Swim pace is the best way to practice control over yourself while training and competing. It helps you avoid premature burnout and preserve the perfect amount of energy to help you cross the finish line or meet your lap time goals. For most competitive athletes — especially those engaged in long-distance swimming or triathlons — this precision is critical for success.

Understanding and controlling your pace is also an effective way of reducing injury or excessive strain. When you're constantly pushing yourself to go as hard or fast as you can, it's easier to tear or strain a muscle. You may not immediately feel the warning signs in the water, either. By the time you realize it, you could've pushed your body too far, causing an injury that takes weeks or months to heal.

All of this control also helps train your mind and body to be a more disciplined athlete. The more in-tune you are with yourself, the better you can set and achieve new milestones.

Of course, pace isn't always necessary. Casual swimmers who hit the water for fun or stress relief don't have to worry too much about watching their speed. Most fitness swimmers, athletes, team members and professionals should find their pace except in certain circumstances. Engaging in activities like ultra-short race-pace training (USRPT), which focuses on exerting all available force and intensity for a short interval, doesn't require managing speed.

What Is a Good Pace for Swimming?

No matter what type of swimmer you are, your ideal swim pace is one you can sustain for extended periods. Sustainability and longevity are key — not speed. Once you've secured your momentum and practiced with it, you should be able to maintain it regardless of speed, distance or other factors.

Your swim pace also depends on things like:

• Type of swimming: Though having a base pace is an essential starting point, you may need to adjust your goals depending on the type of swimming you're doing. Racing usually requires a different pace because you start with a dive, which crosses distances faster than starting with basic laps and no dive. The pool's length also matters — when you kick off walls more frequently in a smaller pool, you're going to move faster through the water.
• Personal and professional goals: For personal goals, you might set a pace that feels comfortable and push yourself to get better as your skills improve. Non-competitive fitness swimmers may aim for a baseline pace to reach a good heart rate zone. Professional and competitive swimmers will have a far different pace, adhering to industry standards, team goals and competition requirements.
• Fitness level: Never establish a pace you cannot safely sustain. Account for your current fitness and activity level and take it slow. Allot plenty of time to warm up and cool down.

For an estimated starting point for reference, many swim facilities or coaches have pace charts to give you a good idea of other swimmers' rates in your category. To identify and control your pace, see how fast you can swim a 100-meter or 100-yard lap at a comfortable, sustainable speed. Multiply this number to apply it to longer intervals. Once you've found your estimated ideal pace, you can adapt it to other types of swim environments and competitions.

Shop Swim Gear

Common Pacing Methods

Before finding and training with your pace, predict what your lap and set time will be. Then use a pace clock or pool timer to see how accurate you were. You can bridge the gap between your perceived and actual pace to establish a more sustainable, realistic baseline to build on.

After confirming your base pace, incorporate a balance of speed and endurance drills into your training. Speed lets you play with your average pace and improve over time, while endurance sets enable you to practice setting and maintaining that same momentum regardless of distance.

A few common pacing methods and practices include:

• Descending swims: Descending swims focus on maintaining a consistent pace instead of slowing or increasing your speed. You start with a longer interval — like a 60-second lap — then gradually decrease the time by a few seconds each set while keeping your pace the same.
• Alternating sets: Alternating your sets between mild, moderate and intense swim intervals helps you train your body to start and stop without changing your pace.
• Ladders and pyramids: Ladder swim training is when you maintain a consistent pace while repeating and increasing your distance each time, keeping that same base momentum as you go. Pyramid training is when you repeat and reverse the ladder process by reducing your distance and maintaining the same pace.

How to Pace Your Swim

Here are some helpful tips for pacing during a swim:

• Know what type of swimmer you are: Different types of swimming have different requirements. Sprinters go shorter distances at higher intensities, while long-distance swimming requires a steadier, more consistent momentum. You also need to know your body and what your average pace is for each swimming scenario to build muscle memory and set realistic expectations.
• Work with a coach or trainer: Work with a coach or swim trainer who can keep you accountable and offer an outside, non-biased measurement of your pace and achievements. You can learn the difference between your perceived exertion and your actual realistic pace.
• Mind your turns: One of the most challenging lap and race-pace swimming tips is minding your turns. If you're just starting competitive swimming or have yet to determine your pace, taking turns at the wrong time could interrupt your maintained speed.
• Be prepared: Maintaining a good momentum starts before you ever get in the water. Managed breathing is a critical part of keeping pace — incorporate plenty of breathing exercises into your training routine. Fuel up with nutritious meals and practice active recovery while you're in the water. Remember to be gentle with yourself and your expectations. When it comes to pace, sustainability is always more important than speed.

Shop Swim Gear at Kiefer

Learning how to find and maintain an adequate, sustainable pace is challenging, but it's a valuable technique for meeting your swimming goals. Investing in the right swim gear can help you find your pace and stay safe and comfortable while you train.

Kiefer has all the swimming equipment you need for professional, competitive and casual swimming, with quality options from the industry's top brands. Shop our swim gear today to find just what you need.

How to Stop Goggles From Fogging Up

Swimming is an intense, competitive sport. Athletes dedicate countless hours, both in and out of the pool, to improving their time. You set goals for yourself, work with your coach and hone your technique in hopes it will all pay off on race day. When that day finally comes, you feel nervous but prepared. All you need to do is focus on your stroke. The buzzer goes off, and you hit the water — but then your goggles fog up, and your focus is instantly shattered.

All swimmers know the importance of good gear, and foggy goggles are a common challenge for all swimmers. While this issue might be annoying on a practice day, it can mean the difference between victory or defeat on race day.

How do you stop your goggles from fogging up? First, you need to know what is causing the problem, and then you can learn how to prevent it.

Shop Swim Goggles

Why Are Your Swimming Goggles Fogging Up?

The human eye is not designed for underwater vision. Goggles allow you to see underwater while you practice and race. You can see where you are going, stay in your lane and focus on your technique. Fog defeats the purpose of goggles. You can't reach up and wipe the fog from your goggles, either, because it forms inside the lenses. At best, you feel distracted. At worst, you start to swim off-course. You may even need to stop mid-stroke to take off your goggles and clear them — but why does fog happen in the first place?

Condensation is the culprit behind foggy goggles. Your goggles cool off in the water, but the area around your eyes heats up due to your body temperature. The combination of hot and cold causes water droplets to form on the inside of your goggles — which creates fog. The harder you swim, the warmer your body gets, which can mean more fog. Naturally, you are going to swim your hardest during race time, which is the last place you want to experience foggy goggles.

Condensation regularly forms on swimming goggles for a couple of reasons:

1. No Anti-Fog Feature

Many swimming goggles are equipped with a thin layer of anti-fog protection. It is made up of components that help absorb water and spread it across the surface of the lens, or it may even repel water entirely. When it's working properly, this thin layer will prevent condensation from forming into water droplets large enough to see.

While most modern swimming goggles are manufactured with this feature, some are not. If you swim with a pair of goggles without anti-fog protection, you will likely notice fog nearly every time you get into the water.

2. Wear and Tear

Even goggles with built-in anti-fog protection can still experience the consequences of condensation. The thin layer of protection on your goggle lens is not permanent. Over time, it will degrade, and you will likely notice your previously fog-free goggles start to get a little misty during your laps.

Wear and tear happen to your goggles because they are an essential piece of equipment for every swim. You wear them during every practice session and every race, and every time you leave the pool, they likely get tossed into your bag. The protective layer on the goggles can be worn down by contact with towels and other gear. When wearing them, you might also casually wipe off the inside of the lenses with your fingers, which can scratch them.

It is easy to forget about your goggles until there's an issue, but this routine wear and tear will hasten the degradation of the anti-fog layer. That's why it's important to know other ways to keep your goggles fog-free.

Shop Swim Goggles

How Can You Prevent Foggy Goggles?

Your goggles are crucial to your ability to see well while you swim, whether your face is in or out of the water. Here are some ways to keep your swim goggles from fogging up:

1. Anti-Fog Spray

While DIY methods can do the trick, some swimmers prefer to go with an option specifically designed for swim goggles. Anti-fog spray comes in a small bottle you can keep inside your swim bag. Some bottles have a carrying case that can be attached to the strap of your bag as well for easy access.

The spray works by decreasing surface tension, which means it is more difficult for water droplets to gather and condense on your goggles. The hands-off application of anti-fog spray is one of its key benefits — since it's easy to scratch your lenses if you touch them with your fingers or a cloth that's too rough.

Application of anti-fog spray is quick and simple. First, make sure each lens is clean. You do not want to mix the spray with any dirt or debris, such as sand. Next, use the spray bottle to apply a thin, even coat of the product to the inside of each lens. After spraying the goggles, give them a quick rinse. You can do this in the sink, shower or even the pool. Now your goggles should be clear for your workout or your race.

You also have the option of leaving anti-fog spray on your goggles overnight. Apply the spray, rinse the goggles and then let them air dry while you sleep. They will be ready to go next time you head to the pool.

2. Proper Care

If you want to stop swimming goggles from fogging up, proper care is the first line of defense. It will ensure the anti-fog layer on the lenses, as well as the rest of the goggles, lasts as long as possible.

First, never to use your fingers to wipe off the inside of the lenses. If you need to clean your goggles while you swim, run them through the water in the pool. After you are done swimming, you can rinse them off with cool, fresh water in the sink. Rinsing the goggles off will remove chlorine and any other pool chemicals that can cause them to degrade.

Before storing them, make sure they are completely dry to prevent mildew and mold growth, and avoid using any sort of abrasive material to dry them off. Rough material can scratch the protective anti-fog coating and make the goggles more vulnerable to fogging. Air drying is the safest drying method. Simply hang your goggles up and store them after they are completely dry.

If you want to be extra vigilant about the longevity of your goggles, consider storing them in a protective case. It can protect the goggles from accidental scratches and keep the anti-fog layer intact for longer — which can be especially helpful if you have a more expensive pair of swimming goggles.

3. Get Your Face Wet

Condensation can form due to the reaction between the cold pool water and your body heat. Swimmers can combat this issue by cooling down their face before entering the water. Splash your face with the cold pool water and then put on your goggles. Your skin will be cooler when you first dive in, and your goggles will not immediately fog up. This solution may only be temporary, though. As you push your body to swim faster, you will likely heat up, which could still cause fogging to occur.

4. Spit Into Your Goggles

You have probably seen professional swimmers spit into their goggles before race time. While this might seem strange, it is actually an effective way to keep your goggles fog-free. Spit onto each lens and shake the goggles to make sure they are evenly coated. The saliva adds a thin layer of moisture to the lenses, which deters condensation. Some swimmers actually prefer this method because it means there is nothing there that could potentially cause eye sensitivity.

Like wetting your face, spitting in your goggles is a temporary way to deal with the problem. You can use this method as often as you want, but you, of course, cannot stop in the middle of a race to do it.

5. Shampoo

Swimmers rinse off in the shower before and after each swim, so shampoo is always handy. Just like toothpaste, shampoo can leave a thin protective film on your goggles that will prevent the formation of fog. Take a very small drop of shampoo and gently rub it across the surface of one lens. Repeat the process with the second lens. Then, rinse the goggles off in the sink or the shower. Just don't rinse them too much, or the shampoo will come off completely. Hair conditioner will also have the same effect.

This method can certainly be effective, but you will want to keep your eyes safe. Everyone knows how much it burns when you accidentally get shampoo in your eyes. Opting to use baby shampoo is an ideal way to make sure this does not happen. The gentle formula is designed not to sting if you get it in your eyes.

Whether you use baby shampoo or your regular shampoo, it is a good idea to test out this fog-free method for the first time during a practice session. That way, you can perfect the amount of shampoo and rinsing necessary to keep your goggles fog-free without causing eye sensitivity. You do not want to find out you didn't rinse your goggles off thoroughly enough on an important race day.

6. Shaving Cream

Shaving cream is another quick and easy anti-fog option. If you already use shaving cream, grab a bottle from the cabinet or buy a small one to keep with you in your swim bag. Although it's thicker than toothpaste and shampoo, shaving cream has the same effect. Squirt a small amount onto your fingertip and gently smooth it across the inside of each goggle lens. If you have a soft towel that will not scratch up the lens, you can gently wipe the excess shaving cream away. Otherwise, you can quickly rinse off the goggles in the sink or the shower.

Just like the toothpaste and shampoo tricks, keep eye sensitivity in mind. Make sure only a thin, transparent layer of the shaving cream is left behind. You should not actually be able to see anything on the surface of the lens. It may also be helpful to use shaving cream without a heavy scent. Unscented shaving cream for sensitive skin is a good option to reduce the risk of it affecting your eyes.

Turn to Kiefer for Top Quality Swim Gear

Like any piece of sports equipment, swimming goggles have a lifespan. If these tips to keep your goggles fog-free are no longer working, it may be time to invest in a new pair. When you are goggle shopping, you can look for options that specifically feature an anti-fog layer on the lenses. Brands like Speedo, RISE, TYR, Arena and Dolfin make goggles with anti-fog lenses. Keep in mind that durability, comfort, fit and price are also important factors to consider.

No matter your style, color, brand and budget preferences, Kiefer's extensive collection of swim goggles will have what you need to dive into the pool with a fresh outlook. Forget about fog and focus on getting your new personal best, one stroke at a time.

Shop Swim Goggles

How to Protect and Remove Chlorine From Your Hair, Skin and Suit

One of the best things about summer is getting to cool off in the pool. Whether you have a pool at your home or you like to make trips to a public pool, there's one thing they all have in common: chlorine. Chlorine is a chemical that helps keep pools safe, so you don't come away from a swim having been exposed to dangerous biological contaminants. This is especially important in public pools since you never know what viruses or germs people may introduce into the water.

While chlorine is a necessary means of making swimming in pools a safe activity, it can also cause some problems. If you've ever noticed those days at the pool are leaving your skin and hair dry and your favorite suit faded or frayed, chlorine is likely to blame. Don't worry, though. We're going to discuss some effective ways to protect your hair, skin and suit from chlorine before you swim and how to remove the chlorine after. Follow our tips, and you'll be able to enjoy plenty of afternoons at the pool without dealing with the potentially damaging effects of chlorine.

Why You Should Protect Your Skin, Hair and Suit From Chlorine

Chlorine is necessary to keep water disinfected. That way, you can enjoy swimming safely without worrying about being exposed to bacteria like E. coli. However, even though chlorine helps you stay safe and healthy when you're swimming, it can cause problems for your skin, hair and swimsuit. Before we discuss the best ways to protect yourself from chlorine and remove it after a swim, let's take a look at the reasons why you should be concerned about chlorine exposure.

Chlorine can adversely affect your skin, hair and bathing suit in the following ways:

• Effects of chlorine on your hair: Chlorine deprives your hair of the natural oils that otherwise keep it soft and healthy. If you have repeated exposure to chlorine, the problem will be compounded, and your hair may become dry and brittle. Another problem is that, if your hair has been color-treated, chlorine can cause the color to fade.
• Effects of chlorine on your skin: When it comes to your skin, chlorine can leave you feeling dry, itchy and sensitive. This is because chlorine strips away the natural oils that protect your skin and keep it moist. Some people are more sensitive to chlorine than others, so you could experience more severe symptoms of irritation. Repeated chlorine exposure can eventually lead to fine lines and wrinkles on the skin.
• Effects of chlorine on your suit: It isn't just your body that's affected by chlorine. Chlorine can also take a toll on your bathing suit. It forms hypochlorite when combined with water, which fades the color of your suit over time and can even cause the fabric to fray and disintegrate. For many people, the idea of losing their favorite swimsuit too quickly due to chlorine eating away at it is disheartening, to say the least.

Also, it is possible for a pool to be overchlorinated. This means the effects on your skin, suit and hair will be even more pronounced.

Considering the damaging effects chlorine has on your skin, hair and suit, you may feel you'd be better off staying out of the pool this summer, even if you know it's not overchlorinated. The good news is that there are ways you can protect yourself from chlorine and remove it from your skin, hair and bathing suit — so you can still enjoy your time in the pool.

How to Protect Your Hair From Chlorine

You can curb the negative effects of chlorine on your hair by making some simple preparations before you jump into the pool. There are three main ways you can protect your hair from soaking up too much chlorine:

1. Wet your hair first: One way is to wet your hair down before you start swimming. This may sound silly since you're about to get your hair wet in the pool. The reason this helps is because your hair soaks up water, almost like a sponge. So, saturating your hair with water in the shower first will keep it from soaking up as much chlorine in the pool.
2. Apply some product to your hair: Another way you can prevent chlorine-damaged hair is by applying some product to it before swimming. You can use any oil or silicone-based product, such as a deep conditioner, anti-frizz serum or heat-protection spray. If you don't own hair products like this or would prefer a more natural alternative, you can use coconut oil. Applying product to your hair will create a barrier of protection from chlorine.
3. Wear a cap: You may be used to seeing Olympic swimmers wear latex or silicone swim caps to keep their hair out of their faces and help enhance their aerodynamics. Swim caps can also be an effective way to protect your hair from chlorine. It won't keep your hair completely dry, but it will add a layer of protection that significantly reduces the effect chlorine in the pool will have on your hair.

Shop Swim Gear

How to Protect Your Skin From Chlorine

Just like your hair, your skin can also suffer from exposure to chlorine. Protecting your skin should start before you head to the pool. The key is to add a layer of protection to lock in moisture and keep chlorine from soaking into your skin too much. Try these methods to protect your skin:

1. Wet your skin before entering the pool: Your skin is absorbent, just like your hair, so the same principle we mentioned earlier applies here as well. If you rinse off with fresh water before you get into the pool, your skin won't soak up as much chlorinated water. Rinsing off before you get into the pool will also ensure you don't have any sweat on your body that could react with the chlorine and form chloramine.
2. Moisturize: Rubbing a natural oil into your skin is a good way to ensure the chlorine doesn't strip it of too much moisture. Some examples of natural oils you could use are coconut, argon, avocado, almond and jojoba. You can also apply lotion to your skin. As we'll see in the next section, you should also follow up with lotion after you get out of the pool.
3. Apply sunscreen: Waterproof sunscreen is a must if you're planning to swim outdoors, but it can do more than just protect you from the sun. Sunscreen can also protect your skin from chlorinated water. Make sure you reapply the sunscreen as often as needed if you're outside for a long period of time so you don't burn.

How to Protect Your Suit From Chlorine

Your bathing suit can also suffer from exposure to chlorine. The color can fade, and the fabric can break down. There are some ways you can prevent this, though. Try following these tips:

1. Choose a chlorine-resistant suit: If you are a serious swimmer, you may want to consider purchasing a suit that is specially engineered to be chlorine-resistant. These suits don't repel chlorine, but they are made from fabrics that are less absorbent. The fabric is also more durable, so the suit should hold up better over time.
2. Pretreat the suit: When you purchase a new suit, regardless of the material it's made out of, you should pretreat it before you wear it the first time. Pretreating your suit helps to lock in the colors so it will be less likely to fade. You can pretreat your suit by letting it soak in a solution of water mixed with a teaspoon of sodium ascorbate, which is a type of vitamin C.
3. Wet the suit before you enter the pool: Each time before you swim, you should rinse off first in fresh water, which contains far less chlorine than pool water. Saturating the suit with fresh water first will keep it from soaking up as much chlorinated water.

How to Remove Chlorine From Your Skin, Hair and Suit

As we've seen, there are ways you can protect yourself from chlorine in order to minimize its effects. However, a dip in the pool will inevitably leave you with some chlorine clinging to your skin, hair and bathing suit. This is because chlorine bonds on a molecular level to the proteins in your hair and skin and to the fibers in your swimsuit. While people often prioritize rinsing off after getting out of the pool, rinsing off or even showering with soap isn't enough to strip the chlorine from your body.

The only way to actually remove chlorine is with a vitamin C-based chlorine removal product. SwimSpray, an all-natural chlorine removal spray, is the best chlorine removal product on the market by far for your hair and skin. To use this product, you should follow up rinsing your skin and hair by spraying both with SwimSpray. The vitamin C formula neutralizes chlorine quickly. You can then wash with soap and use your favorite shampoo and other products on your hair.

To remove chlorine from your suit after you've gotten back from swimming, soak it in a swimsuit cleaner like Suit Solutions. The cleaner is specially designed to neutralize chlorine to keep your suit smelling fresh and to keep the fabric from stretching and breaking down. If you want your suit to last longer and don't want it to smell like chlorine the next time you put it on, be sure to use Suit Solutions consistently.

Enjoy Your Time in the Pool With Products From Kiefer

Whether you're a professional swimmer or just someone looking forward to fun and relaxing summer days in the pool, Kiefer has all the products you need. This includes products to protect your hair, skin and suit from chlorine. One product, in particular, you'll definitely want to stock up on is SwimSpray, which uses vitamin C to naturally remove up to 100% of the chlorine from your hair and skin. You'll be amazed at how much better your skin and hair will feel without chlorine sticking around.

Browse through our other personal care products for more ways to keep yourself protected from the effects of chlorine. With help from Kiefer, you'll be ready to dive into the pool this summer!

How to Improve Your Swimming Speed

In 2010, Michael Phelps reached a swimming speed of about six miles per hour. The record for swimming a men's 50-meter short course (50 meters in a 25-meter pool) is 20.91 seconds. Not every swimmer is going to achieve Olympic Gold and record-shattering speeds, but it does spark inspiration to move faster through the water during your swim workouts.

The four basic swimming strokes are freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly. While you move your body differently for each stroke, the main determinants of speed are thrust and drag. The water provides resistance (or drag) while your arms and legs propel (or thrust) you through the water. Learning how to effectively move your body through the water for each different stroke will help improve your time.

Once you have the basic arm and leg movements down for the stroke you're trying to speed up, you can focus on the nitty-gritty elements of your swim time. You can shave valuable fractions of a second off of your time by improving each of these elements:

• Underwater time: This number is the total time you spend under the water.
• Turn time: Turn time is the amount of time it takes you to turn and begin your next lap.
• Cycles: In swimming, one cycle is the equivalence of a single stroke. So, your cycle count is the number of strokes it takes to finish your timed swim.
• Stroke rate: This rate is the average speed of your strokes. To determine stroke rate, you should divide the number of strokes taken during your timed swim by the total time.
• Reaction time: If you're taking off from the blocks, this term refers to how long it takes you to get from the block to the water.

You'll need some dedicated coaching to get accurate times for each of these elements. Whether you have a coach or not, there are plenty of ways to achieve a faster swimming speed. Here, we'll talk about how to swim faster by improving your technique, exercising outside of the pool, committing to improvement and buying the right swim gear.

Focus on Your Arm Movement

Your arms do a lot of the work it takes to move you quickly and efficiently through the water. You can calculate your own stroke count by noting each time your arm enters the water during freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly. Remember, when swimming backstroke and freestyle, your arm movements are not synchronized. That means you have the choice of counting in half cycles of full cycles.

For a half cycle, you'll count when either arm enters the water. For a full cycle, you will only count when your left or right arm enters the water. To become faster, swimmers can either reduce the number of strokes it takes to cover a certain distance or make their strokes faster. During your next workout, count your strokes. The number you get can be a great baseline to see how different arm techniques change your stroke count and overall time.

Shop Swim Equipment

Freestyle

When you swim freestyle, your arms account for 90 percent of your thrust through the water while your legs do what little work is left. That means knowing the proper arm technique and refining it will help you improve your speed.

In freestyle, your arms move in an alternating fashion. One arm is beneath the water, stretched forward as far as possible, while the other is out of the water, arching above your body.

The arm that is above the water is bent, with your hand and fingers completely straight. Your hand will enter the water first, while your elbow comes last. Pull forward and allow your arm to go all the way back to your waist before you begin your next stroke. As you alternate arms, your body will slightly rotate in the direction of the arm above you.

Backstroke

When swimming backstroke, you also use an alternating arm movement, but your arms will remain straight when out of the water. As one arm comes up, keep it fully extended, and rotate your palm to face outward as you move your upper arm — then the rest of the arm — into the water. The arm then completes a down sweep.

You will then pull your bent arm backward to help push you through the water. The upsweep movement occurs when the arm and palm rotate to face inward. You will then move your arm up out of the water.

Breaststroke

When you're swimming breaststroke, proper arm movement begins with both arms stretched out in front you, palms facing outwards. You will move both of your arms outward. Then, bend your arms so that your palms are lined up with your forearms. Next, your arms will begin to move backward, and then bring your arms up toward your chest with your palms facing one another. Once you have completed this movement, you will extend your arms in front of you, and the stroke begins again.

Butterfly

The arm movement for butterfly is similar to that used in freestyle, except your arms both move at the same time instead of alternating.

It can be easy to mimic the arm movements by watching other swimmers, but the finer details might get lost. Focus on honing your movements. This focus on precision can help you to become a faster swimmer.

Refine Your Kick

How you move your legs in the water is just as important as how you move your arms. Here is how to improve speed in swimming by enhancing your kick technique.

• Freestyle and backstroke: Both freestyle and backstroke use the flutter kick to move you through the water. It might seem counterintuitive, but bigger kicks do not necessarily mean better. The flutter kick involves quickly moving your legs up and down in an alternating fashion. When you kick, try to keep your knees as straight as possible. If you bend them too much, your legs will do very little to move you through the water. While you kick, concentrate on making smaller movements. You don't need to make big splashes with your feet.

• Breaststroke: The synchronous leg movement used for breaststroke is often called the "frog kick" because your legs move much like the amphibians'. First, your legs bend at the knee and the hip, coming up beneath your torso. Next, you turn your toes and knees out as you move your legs apart. Your legs will move downward and outward in a circular motion. As they come close to completing the circle, move your toes and heels back into a straight line. Repeat the circular motion.

• Butterfly: The leg movement used when swimming butterfly is known as the "dolphin kick." This kick is simple to learn, but it can be difficult to master. During dolphin kick, your legs will stay straight and together with your feet pointed. Your legs will kick much like a dolphin's tail does, through a rhythmic up and down motion.

Shop Swim Equipment

Perfect Your Breathing Technique

When you want to improve your speed, every breath counts. Finding the correct position for your head is the first step to improving your breathing technique. When you're swimming any kind of stroke, you want your head to be aligned with the rest of your body, creating one smooth plane that moves easily through the water.

You keep your head in line with your body by looking down toward the bottom of the pool as you swim (or up at the ceiling during backstroke) rather than looking forward. Looking forward will cause your body to go deeper into the water and make more work for you as you swim.

Backstroke makes breathing easier because your face remains above the surface of the water the entire time, but to accomplish efficient freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly, you need to put your face in the water with each stroke. Here are two tips for perfecting your breathing technique for these strokes:

• Exhale when you're in the water: When you see underwater videos of professional swimmers, you see a constant stream of bubbles coming from their nose. That's because they're exhaling every time they put their face in the water. It might seem like common sense to exhale when you turn your head to breathe (like in freestyle) or when your head pops above the surface (like in breaststroke and butterfly), but you'd have only a short window to exhale and inhale before your face enters the water again. Shallow breathing means growing tired and slowing down much faster.

• Find your rhythm: Once you're comfortable exhaling while underwater, you can focus on finding the right breathing rhythm. Concentrate on making each breath and exhale the same length. During freestyle, do your workouts with bilateral breathing. This term means turning your head to both sides of your body to take a breath. This strategy will ensure that you're working the muscles on both sides of your body evenly. When it comes to race time, you can use bilateral or unilateral breathing.

Once you have your breathing down, you can concentrate on the movement of your body and what you can do to up your speed.

Work on Flexibility and Strength Outside of the Pool

You can work on improving your swim times even when you're out of the water. Here are a few dry-land flexibility and strength training tips that can help improve your performance in the pool:

• Work your core muscles: While it seems like your arms and legs do all of the work when it comes to swimming, you can't forget about your core muscles. If you want to maintain good technique and improve your speed, keep your core strong. On land, you can work your core with exercises like crunches, sit-ups, planks and scissor kicks. Maintaining a strong core takes regular exercise.

• Use an exercise ball: An exercise ball can be a great way to work on your shoulder muscle strength. Lie down with the exercise ball beneath your stomach. Put your feet on the floor hip distance apart. Raise your arms above your head, and point your thumbs toward the ceiling. Bring your arms together and then apart into a "Y" position. Repeat this exercise. Your shoulder muscles play a big role in moving you through the water, especially if you're looking to improve your butterfly speed.

• Stretch out: Stretching is an important warm-up for swimming and any other type of exercise. It helps keep your muscles and joints limber and prevent strains that will slow you down in the water. Great areas of focus for flexibility improvement include your pectoral muscles, neck muscles, quad muscles, calf muscles, hamstrings, hip flexors and latissimus dorsi muscles, which are located in your back.

Try Different Drills in the Water

Once you feel like you have a handle on your strokes and breathing, you can put those techniques to work during different drills in the water. Here are a few drills that work well for the four main types of swimming:

• Freestyle: Try swimming freestyle with just one arm. Place your left or right arm either straight in front of you or pinned to your side. Then, complete lengths of the pool kicking with both legs and moving one arm. Trade arms to keep both sides of your body even. Then, vary arm-stroke speed. Swim with four quicker strokes of your arms, then slow your tempo for eight strokes. If you want to work on your kick technique, take your arms out of the equation. Do laps by holding onto a kickboard and focusing on your flutter kick.

• Breaststroke: Breaststroke drills are similar to freestyle drills. Swim laps using just one arm while the other remains in front of you or by your side. Alternate arms. When you want to work on your kick technique, grab a kickboard, and do laps with just the breaststroke leg movement.

• Backstroke: When it comes to backstroke, you can try drills that help improve core and leg muscle strength. Try three sets of 25 meters with your right arm up and your left arm down. Try another three sets, but switch which arm is up and which is down. Another drill: Use your arms evenly, but alternate six kicks with your right leg with six kicks with your left leg.

• Butterfly: You can focus on honing your butterfly arm technique by doing laps with the flutter kick. To work on your leg movement, try swimming butterfly with short fins. You can complete the arm movement every few leg movements during this drill. When you want to put both the arm and leg movements together, swim the stroke with clenched fists. Doing so will help improve your arm and leg coordination.

Know the Power of Practice

Practice is one of the most important tips to swim faster. You cannot master and maintain proper technique and improve your overall speed without getting in the water on a regular basis. This advice doesn't mean you have to live in the pool, but it does mean you need to commit to making swimming a part of your routine.

It's possible to see improvement with a minimum of two to three vigorous workouts each week. Try different drills to find what works for you. If you can't get to the pool as often as you'd like, work on dry-land exercises that will help improve your swim performance.

Set Goals

If you're focused on how to become a faster swimmer, you'll need to track your progress carefully. Set goals for yourself, and measure your improvement. Of course, everyone's goals will be different, but here are a few baseline goals to consider:

• 50-yard times: Swimming 50-yard drills is a great speed-training technique. Time yourself swimming this length. See if the time is within 95 seconds. If not, aim for that number. If you're swimming 50 yards in 95 seconds, aim for five seconds faster. Once you hit 90 seconds, see if you can do it faster. Once you've reached your peak time, work on maintaining that time for multiple sets.
• 100-yard times: When it comes to swimming 100 yards, you can aim for 160 seconds. Next, push yourself to complete 100 yards within 125 to 140 seconds. When you've reached your peak time, see how many sets you can finish at that time.
• Date your goals: When do you want to achieve your goals? Set a target date, and make a plan based on that date. Having something tangible to work toward is a powerful motivator.
• Break your goals into manageable steps: So you want to hit an incredible time. That's great, but how are you going to get there? Make your goal attainable by plotting out step by step the way you'll get there. Set a starting goal of getting into the pool a certain number of times per week. Set smaller goals for knocking time off your race bit by bit.
• Define your own success: Swimming is a competitive sport, but don't let that stop you from pursuing your own goals. While you practice, focus on what you're doing rather than what the person in the next lane is doing. When you reach a milestone or achieve a goal, remember to celebrate that success.

Invest in the Right Swimsuit and Gear

Proper technique, training and practice are the bulk of improving your swimming speed, but having the right equipment matters too. Here are three important pieces of gear that can help you achieve peak performance.

• Swimsuit: The right swimsuit fits your body like a second skin, which means you're positioned to have a minimal amount of drag in the water. Swimsuits for competitive swimmers are designed to be as hydrodynamic as possible. When it comes to swimming performance, many athletes swear by tech suits. Finding something comfortable with the right fit for you is the key to finding the right swimsuit, whether that's a tech suit or not.

• Goggles: The right pair of goggles keeps your eyes clear so that you can keep your head in the right position and focus on the rest of your technique. Try a few different shapes and sizes to find the pair that fits your eye sockets and feels comfortable.

• Swim cap: If you have long hair, it will cause a little more drag in the water. If you want to feel even more hydrodynamic (without shaving your head), a swim cap will be a good investment.

If you're trying to reach peak performance, you'll need the right swimsuit and other gear from a supplier you can trust. At Kiefer, you can find just the right swimsuit, goggles, swim cap and other equipment to improve your swimming speed in no time. Every little bit counts in the water. Browse our selection of swimwear and tech suits to find the right suit for your workouts. When you're armed with the right gear and determination, your personal best time is just around the corner.

How to Avoid Burnout and Overtraining for Swimmers

Competitive swimming takes long hours and personal commitment. Early mornings in the pool, tailoring your meals to keep your body in the best possible shape and mentally rehearsing every stroke all leads up race day. Race day should be exciting, the culmination of all of your hard work. But all competitive athletes, swimmers included, are at risk of overtraining and burning out during those long hours of practice. Burnout in competitive swimmers can lead to poor performance and ultimately the abandonment of the sport. Losing the passion for swimming can be extremely disappointing, but luckily, burnout is not inevitable. Learn how to avoid burnout in swimmers with these helpful tips.

What Is Burnout and Overtraining in Swimming?

Overtraining in competitive swimmers can start at a young age. Children often crave variety. A study of college athletes found that 98 percent of the study group played a different organized sport before college. On average, the college athletes did not start focusing on a single sport until age 15. The study results suggest kids should be allowed to explore other organized sports. They can learn a variety of skills and have fun along the way. If and when they decide swimming is the sport for them, they will have learned a lot about what they are capable of and what it takes to commit to a sport. It is easier to avoid burnout when the athlete knows how hard they will have to work and what will come of all of that hard work. Older athletes may have the benefit of years of experience and focus, but they are still susceptible to overtraining and burnout.

Overtraining means pushing your body too hard. It can lead to physical injuries and contribute burnout. Burnout is a cumulative experience born from more than just long hours. Burnout in competitive swimmers happens when they do not feel their goals are attainable, when they lack support and when they are unable to take a break, both physically and mentally.

Signs of Burnout and Overtraining

If you want to know how to avoid overtraining in swimmers and eventual burnout, you need to know how to recognize the signs that indicate a problem

1. Lack of Enthusiasm

A sudden drop off in enthusiasm for swimming can indicate both overtraining and burnout. If a swimmer no longer feels the drive to pursue goals actively or no longer feels like the pursuit of those goals is worthwhile, they are likely being pushed too hard.

Competitive swimming takes a great deal of motivation and dedication, and waning enthusiasm shows that a swimmer is struggling to find that motivation and dedication. This could be a symptom of overtraining, the long hours taking the joy out of the sport. It could also be symptomatic of a deeper burnout. Check how you feel when you get in the pool. Are you ready to throw yourself into practice? Are you excited about that upcoming race? Or, do you dread practice even before it starts? Does each race feel like a chore?

2. Health Issues

Competitive swimmers demand a lot of their bodies. All of those long hours of training will make you physically fit, but there is such a thing as too much. Your body will warn you if you are pushing too hard and overtraining. You might find you are getting sick more often. Your joints and muscles might ache for longer after your training sessions. You might even notice you have lost weight. The stress your body is enduring will make it more prone to injuries. These are all signs of overtraining. If you continue to train at that level, it will take a toll on your physical and mental health. The physical effects of overtraining can increase your stress levels and make you unhappy. Prolonged overtraining is a strong indicator that a competitive swimmer is headed toward burning out.

3. Noticeable Changes in Performance

If you are feeling the physical and mental effects of overtraining and burnout, that is bound to be reflected in your performance in the pool. Your times might become steadily worse as your motivation drains and your body suffers the physical consequences of training too much. Or your times might be erratic. Maybe you feel you should push yourself to achieve improved times, but you can only manage the strength and dedication to do it on occasion. If the issue is solely overtraining, you are probably going to be frustrated by your poor performance. If you are burnt out, you will likely care little for the poor outcomes, whether at practice or a meet. It is even possible that a once cooperative swimmer will begin to butt heads with teammates and coaches. A decline in performance and change in attitude are both signs that a swimmer is training too much or already burnt out.

4. Exhaustion

Feeling tired after a long day of training or a competitive meet is normal. Feeling exhausted all of the time is a sign that something is wrong. Your body needs a chance to rest. If it does not get that, burnout is almost inevitable. This can lead to a vicious cycle. A swimmer can be so tired that they dread getting into the pool. Anxiety can disrupt healthy sleep patterns and make the swimmer even more exhausted. Listen to your body. Are you simply tired from a rigorous workout? Will you feel rested and ready to train again after a good night's rest? Or are you finding yourself exhausted all of the time? Checking your heart rate is a good way to measure how well your body is adapting to the physical work you are asking of it. If your resting heart rate is elevated by 10 to 15 beats per minute for two or three days in a row, your body might be struggling to meet the demands of your training.

5. Struggles Outside of the Pool

The issues caused by burnout and overtraining will not end when a swimmer gets out of the pool. The physical exhaustion and greater tendency for illness and injury will affect day-to-day life, as will the mental stress. Burnt out swimmers might start to suffer poor performance in other areas of their lives, like school or work. They might exhibit different behaviors and attitudes brought on by prolonged physical and mental stress. If you notice a pattern of issues outside of the pool, ask yourself if you are pushing yourself too hard or if you are heading toward becoming burnt out.

Shop Swim Gear

Tips for Avoiding Burnout and Overtraining

Once you recognize you are on the road to overtraining and burnout, take the time to stop. See if you can discover the root of the problem. Here are a few tips to address those potential problems and get back on the right track.

1. Maintain Variety

It is easy to become burnt out in any sport or activity if you become bored or feel trapped in a never-ending cycle of repetition. You might be pushing yourself to do the same exercises over and over again, putting yourself at risk of overtraining and eventual burnout. Instead of focusing on a narrow range of exercises, introduce variety into your swimming routine. Try practicing at a different pool, if possible. Change the schedule for your training. Ask your coach and teammates for suggestions on different exercises. Try different types of on-land exercises. Find ways to challenge yourself every day without pushing your body and mind too far. If you feel like you are still stuck in a routine that is pushing you toward burnout, be honest with yourself and ease up on the pressure. Ask advice from the people you trust, so you can find a way back to a place where you can enjoy swimming. You can still keep up with your training and accomplish your goals without swimming becoming an activity you dread.

2. Set Attainable Goals

Having undefined or unreachable goals is one of the biggest factors leading to burnout in swimming and any other area of life. First, if your goals are unrealistic — for example, beating a world record at your very first swim meet — it is easy to feel like your hard work is worth nothing. You spent all of those hours training, but you still did not beat that world record. Why even bother trying? Without a sense of accomplishment, swimming can quickly become a chore. It is also likely you will push yourself into overtraining in pursuit of your lofty goals, further contributing to burnout. This does not mean you should swim without clear goals in mind. On this opposite end of the spectrum, you will likely feel aimless. If you are not working toward something, why are you trying so hard? To avoid this potential pitfall, set attainable goals for yourself. Work toward polishing your reaction time off of the blocks and your kick turns. Work toward beating your personal best time, if even by a split second. Work toward placing in a swim meet. Be honest with yourself when setting goals. Ask for advice. When you have your concrete goals, keep them in front of you as you train and compete. When you achieve a goal, take the time to celebrate and make a new goal. Even small successes go a long way toward avoiding burnout.

3. Allow Sufficient Recovery Time

Swimmers know a lot about endurance. You are up and in the pool before a lot of people have even hit snooze on their alarms for the first time. You train long hours and push your bodies to perform at their peak during races. This endurance is something to be proud of, but you have to remember that the body always has its limits. If you do not allow your body sufficient time to recoup from an injury, illness or even simple exhaustion, you are at the point of overtraining. Overtraining is unsustainable over long periods of time. You will likely burnout out, and your body will certainly pay the price. Pushing through when your body needs that recovery time will not make you a better athlete. It will ultimately cause a series of setbacks that will take you further from your goals, compounding the other burnout risk factors. Even high-level swimmers need to allow time for their bodies to recover. In addition to physical recovery, competitive swimming can be high-stress for many athletes. Stress heightens as competitions draw closer. Recognize the signs of physical and mental stress. Between competitions, give yourself some breathing room. Lighten your training schedule. Take a day off. Allowing that recovery time will better prepare you for future challenges and leave you feeling refreshed, rather than stretched too much and on the verge of burnout.

4. Balance Responsibilities

Competitive swimming demands a lot from your schedule, but it is important to remember it is not the only responsibility you have. If any single activity subsumes everything else in your life, you will probably grow to resent it. Everyone, younger and older athletes, needs to find the right balance in their lives. Make sure your swimming schedule does not negatively affect your work and school responsibilities. If it does, you need to reassess your time management. Competitive swimmers also need time to socialize and relax. Go out with your teammates for an evening. Spend time with your other friends and family outside of the pool. Take time to be by yourself. Sometimes this can seem like an impossible juggling task, but taking the time to figure out what works for you is worth it. Allowing swimming to take up all of your time will increase the probability of overtraining and eventual burnout.

5. Don't Forget to Have Fun

Not everything about any sport is fun. There are long hours. There are blood, sweat and tears involved – sometimes figuratively, sometimes not. When you swim competitively, your hair is always on the verge of being dried out by chlorine. You are tired from those early morning laps. Sometimes you are sore. Sometimes you would rather be anywhere but in the pool. But in the end, these should be fleeting concerns. You should look forward to the next meet. You should feel a surge of adrenaline when you step up onto the blocks. The hard work and competition should feel fun. If you forget that sense of fun, burnout is just around the corner. Pushing yourself so hard for something that you do not even enjoy is not worth it. If you feel that sense of fun slipping away, ask yourself why. Are you overtraining and not letting your body recover? Are you chasing goals you will never meet? Are the other responsibilities in your life suffering? Try to ease the root cause of the pressure. This can be difficult when competition is involved. After all, winning takes serious dedication. Think of fun as one of your goals, alongside improving your time and technique. It's okay to laugh in the pool, and it's okay to try some new, silly exercise. If you keep seeing swimming as fun, why would you ever want to stop?

Get Your New Gear at Kiefer

When you swim competitively, you need a lot of suits. Sometimes it's nice to treat yourself to a new one as a reward for reaching a goal or to signal your recommitment to swimming. Whatever your reason for getting new gear, check out our wide selection at Kiefer Aquatics. We have everything you need from suits and towels to caps and goggles. If you can't find what you need, don't hesitate to contact us. Remember when you take your new gear to the pool, you are swimming with a purpose. Know your body's limits, strive for your goals and never lose sight of what all of your hard work means.

The selection of swim goggles offered by retailers can be just as overwhelming as picking a swim suit. Rather than assaulting you with all the different brands and types of goggles, perhaps looking at your water activity as a starting point will be better suited in this shopping endeavor.

Goggle Guide By Activity

Jump to section:

• Casual Adult Lap Swimming
• Team Training
• Racing
• Open Water / Triathlons
• Aquatic Fitness
• Kids

Casual Adult Lap Swimming:

You want something comfortable, reliable, and basic. Not many moving parts, a simple goggle you can depend on and get a long life out of.  Avoid ‘buttons’ that make straps adjustable. Look for straps that are made of silicone or bungee cord to get the most longevity.

Maximum Comfort: Kiefer Softseal Swim Goggle and Kiefer Raptor Swim Goggle.  These goggles have the softest gaskets to form a good fit over your eyes. The Softseal is made of foam while the Raptor is silicone. Most mainstream swim companies will offer equivalents to these designs. If your primary concern is comfort, looking into similar options might be the best route for you.

Best Fit: Kiefer Express Swim Goggle and Kiefer Vivid Bungee Swim Goggle. These goggles have the soft seal gaskets made of silicone, so they are high on the comfort scale and durability scale with silicone straps as well.  The straps are fully adjustable and the nosepieces are interchangeable to make a pair of goggles customized to fit your face. Compare these to Speedo’s Vanquisher.

Bare Bones: Kiefer Swedish Racer Swim Goggles. Don’t let the name fool you, they aren’t just for racing.  These are sockets only, no padding, no gaskets. These are ‘I came to swim’ goggles and nothing more. They do not come with silicone/bungee straps, but those can be subbed in easily to make these the never break pair of goggles. You can customize the nose fit with a bit string and a tube that is included. I’ve worn these for years.

Team Training:

You still want something reliable and comfortable, but durable runs to the forefront.  If you or your swimmers are in the water once or twice a day selecting a goggle that will put up with the rigors of the swim lifestyle is your number one goal.  Look for goggles that have bungee cord straps or silicone as a backup.  If they have a favorite already, you can purchase a bungee strap to substitute in.  I highly recommend it.

All Around Best Bet: Kiefer Express Mirror Swim Goggle and Kiefer Vivid Bungee Swim Goggle. These goggles can be used for training AND racing.  Their simple design and silicone gaskets make this a comfortable, efficient, and attractive goggle.  Kiefer offers a mirrored variety to block the sun for outdoor training or competition to boot.  They come with a silicone strap and nosepieces to create a custom fit for the wearer. Compare to Speedo’s Vanquisher.

Best Bargain: Kiefer Swedish Racer Swim Goggles. If you or your swimmer has a habit of leaving goggles behind the Swedish Racers are the best value for product out there. These are classic and have been around for years.  They are low profile and durable. Perfect for training or racing. You can use bungee cording straps to improve their longevity as well.  You can also find them mirrored to protect your eyes.

Racing

Fit should be the highest on your priority list.  Good suction and reliable.  Keep your racing goggles separate from your training gear.  Leave them in your meet bag and take care of them. Personally, I recommend getting a bungee strap for your meet goggles.  They won’t snap behind the blocks during last minute adjustments.  Simple is still best.  Extra moving parts like strap adjusters are destined to break at inopportune moments.

Best Value/All Around:

• Kiefer Vivid Bungee Swim Goggle
• Kiefer Elite Swim Goggle | Kiefer Elite Junior Swim Goggle
• Kiefer Express Swim Goggle | Kiefer Junior Express Swim Goggle

These goggles have a consistent fit, silicone gaskets, and low profile lenses. They aren’t exclusives or pro-athlete branded but they are quality and perform well.

Open Water/Triathlons

If you are looking for something more like a mask and less like a goggle I have a few suggestions for you. If you still prefer goggles that have two separate sockets, go back up to Team Training or Racing.

Best of Both Worlds: AquaSphere Kaiman Swim Goggle might be best for you, or the Speedo MDR 2.4 Swim Goggle. These are as close to a mask as you can get without actually being one. With excellent fit, low profile, superb visibility and an anti-slip buckle make these a winner for sure.

Aquatic Fitness

Fancy isn’t in your vocabulary yet, and racing specs don’t matter to you. However you want to keep water out of your eyes and be comfortable.  There is something out there for you too!  If you swim outside at the ocean or in a lake these are a few good pairs to try.

All Around: Speedo Bullet Goggle is a new to the fitness line Speedo is pushing.  These goggles rest comfortably within the eye orbital for less pressure.  They have excellent suction and leaking shouldn’t be an issue.

Fails Safe: Kiefer Ultimate Swim Goggle, Kiefer Junior Ultimate Swim Goggle, Kiefer Raptor Swim Goggle. To me these epitomize comfort; function and value bundled up nicely with pretty colors.

Kids

As a parent, my first concerns are value and quality.  I want goggles that can easily and affordably be replaced because kids lose goggles.  I want them to be quality, kids are rough on their things and are generally pretty vocal if something is uncomfortable or dysfunctional (mom they are leaking!).  These are goggles that are good for the splash park, beach, lake or swim lessons/team.

Safest Bets: Kiefer Raptor Junior Swim Goggles and Speedo Hydrospex Junior Swim Goggles.  There is a large price discrepancy between the two, but they are both sturdy and quality.  I buy and use Raptors for my learn to swim classes.  They fit all kinds of faces and are soft.  The silicone construction and bright colors make them a friendly choice for those new to wearing goggles.  Best starter pair out there.  Hydrospex’s are the next step up, the stage where your kids wear goggles without a fuss.  They are similarly constructed with soft silicone and vibrant color options.  My six-year-old prefers these for swim team.

All For Fun: TYR Character Goggles.  They come in shark, fish, and happy whale.  These are classic styles with added flair.  They are cute and functional with silicone gaskets and an adjustable nosepiece.  These are step two goggles, for those who have worn them successfully before. I recommend Raptor’s as your kids first pair of goggles.

Understanding the Components

of Your Swim Goggles

Jump to Section:

• Frames
• Sockets/Gaskets
• Lenses
• Straps
• Nose Pieces
• Adjusters

Frames

Single Piece:

These frames are similar to masks for snorkeling or scuba diving, just much more compact.  Single piece frames are easy to use, there is no adjustment for the nose and are built to fit most faces comfortably. Generally, they are made with a hard plastic outer shell to hold the lenses in place and fit to your face with silicone for comfort.

Single piece frames are ideal for most moderate pool activities and are more commonly found in open water swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving.

The benefit of goggles with a single piece frame is ease of use and longevity.  Fewer pieces generally mean longer lasting. A consumer would want this type of goggle if they don’t want to mess with all the bells and whistles.

Two Piece:

This type of frame is going to get you the most variety in colors, shapes, customizable fit, and more.  Two piece frames are going to have some kind of connection over your nose; this will make it easier to get a custom fit.

Two-piece frames are suitable for all types of pool activity.  From casual lap swimming to competitive racing, they are the most commonly found type of goggle found in water.

The benefit of two piece goggles is making a pair that really fits your face just right.  You won’t have to deal with your nose being pinched and those red indentations that seem to linger for hours after you swim.  These are the most widely sold and purchased type of goggle in the industry.  Consumers would lean towards this type of frame if they are invested in their water time; prefer comfort over simplicity, and like options.

Sockets/Gaskets

Foam

Foam sockets are the classics.  Before we had things like injection molding foam padding was glued to the plastic rim of goggles to keep them from gouging out your eyes.

Foam sockets are useable in all types of water activity from pools, to lakes, to oceans.  They are soft and comfortable.

The benefit to foam sockets is soft pressure around your eye socket, they don’t have a hard suction that pops when you pull them off your face.  They are more gentle and great for those with sensitive skin.  Consumers will appreciate their lower cost.

Silicone

Injection molded and flexible to the touch silicone is soft, comfortable and provides a superb amount of suction.

There isn’t a water activity that isn’t appropriate for this type of gasket.  They last; they fit to faces well, and are made in a variety of styles to meet individual needs.

The benefits of silicone are a longer life than foam counterparts, a virtually leak proof fit from excellent suction, and a wide variety of colors and styles.  They really are ideal for consumers because they offer the most value from their long life, high quality, and endless variety.

None

Swedish goggles offer no padding in any form.  They are bare bones and often used by the most hard core of swimmers.  That doesn’t mean that they aren’t for you.

Their no frills approach is minimalist to be sure.  They come unassembled and the consumer builds them.  Each packet includes two hard plastic sockets, a rubber strap, a bit of string, and a tiny piece of plastic tubing.  Consumers string them.  These goggles are not as intimidating or uncomfortable as they sound.  The sockets are smaller than normal goggles and don’t sit on the bone surrounding your eyes.  They sit on the soft fleshy part and while they do take some getting used to they are virtually unbreakable.

Benefits of Swedish style goggles are primarily cost effectiveness.  You buy one pair and unless you lose them, they will last a lifetime.  I recommend investing in a bungee strap because the rubber one will not last that long.

Lenses

Clear

Clear lenses are comparable to wearing glasses because you like the way you look, they won’t affect your vision.  You can find optical ones that are not dissimilar to reading glasses with diopters.

Clear lenses are best suited for indoor water activities because they offer no protection from the sun.

The benefit of clear lenses is unobstructed vision.  They will give users the clearest view of their surroundings potentially making things like judging walls for turns easier.

Colored

Lenses come in just about every color of the rainbow and then some.  They are mostly for fashion or personal taste.

These goggles are primarily for indoor use, but some darker shades like blue, grey or black certainly help cut down on the sun’s glare.  These can be fun for kids as they can pick their favorite color.

The benefit of these goggles is similar to the clear variety.  Colored tints don’t interrupt vision, so colored lenses will still give you optimal viewing of your surroundings.

Mirrored/Polarized

These lenses have a reflective metallic coating to protect your eyes from the sun.  You can find them in silver, multi colored, and gold.

Mirrored and polarized lenses are used primarily outdoors and generally by avid swimmers.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t great for a day at the beach though.  These lenses can be found on Swedish style goggles as well as those with silicone gaskets.

Benefits are being able to wear a pair of sunglasses in the water without the fear of losing them and being able to see underwater too.  If you are an outside water enthusiast you know it’s worth protecting your eyes.

Straps

Silicone

Silicone straps are more or less the industry norm these days.  They are stretchy, colorful and last much longer than rubber.

You can use silicone straps on nearly all goggle types so they are really perfect for all water activities.

Primary benefits are longevity and color choices.  You can find something to fit just about any pair to make them your go to goggles.

Bungee Cord

Bungee cord straps aren’t really a new thing, most often you would buy them separately and switch them with whatever your goggles came with.  Now you can find goggles that come with bungee cord straps.  They are stretchy, colorful, and adjust with a plastic toggle spring.

Seeing as their original purpose was to be substituted in for existing straps it would be fair to say bungee cords would be applicable to all water activities.  The only exception being if you swim without a cap and have long hair, they aren’t as friendly as silicone straps.

These are your best bet for goggles.  The benefit to buying bungee cords is that you will not likely need to buy another one unless you lose it.

Rubber

Rubber goggle straps might be in the past, but you can still find them on starter goggles from brick and mortar stores.  Most large aquatic companies don’t have many styles left that sport these relics but they are still around.

In the past this was the only choice for goggles, that being said they will work in any situation.  You can use them for lap swimming, racing, open water, play, aerobics, anything!

Kiefer doesn’t carry much these days in the form of rubber straps and there is a reason for it.  They just can’t compare or compete with silicone.  If you are in a pinch and you grab a pair from a local drugstore they will fill your needs just fine for the time being.  Once that strap snaps you can always replace it with a bungee cord or silicone.

Nose Pieces

Bridges

Bridges are small pieces of plastic that come in varying lengths; they have notched grooves that snap into the goggle main body.

These nose pieces are found on the majority of swim training and/or racing goggles.  They generally come in three sizes to fit the widest range of consumers.

The primary benefit of investing in goggles with nose bridges is the custom fit you can get.

String/Rubber/Silicone

These are small bits of material that can be pulled through a hole on the goggle much like threading a needle.

Most goggles will adapt to something like this, so they can be used in any aquatic situation.  For instance say you lost your plastic nose bridge, snip off a piece of silicone excess from your strap and thread it through the holes.

The best part about goggles like this, is that with just a small stretchy part of material you can get the best fit over your nose for you.  There are no standard sizes to mess with; you can make that bridge as short or as long as you need it.

Notched

These are plastic bridges with grooves on each side, you pull them through and they lock into place creating a fairly customizable fit.

You can’t retro-fit these bridges, so whichever pair of goggle they come with is what they stay with.  These are generally found on children’s goggles and are excellent for playtime, learn to swim, or pre-competitive scenarios.

The benefit of notched nose pieces is once again the ability to fit them in a more custom manner than a single piece goggle body with no adjustable nose piece.

Adjusters

Buttons

Buttons are push releases that will loosen the grip the adjuster has on the goggle strap.  They are more commonly found on single frame goggles.

The benefits of button adjusters are ease of use.  Push the button, adjust, push button to lock.  You don’t have to worry about threading the goggle straps through slots each time you need to tighten or loosen your straps.

Sliders

These are the most common type of goggle adjusters.  They are slotted pieces of plastic that hold tight to your straps.

To tighten you will need to pull out the straps and re-thread them through the slots once you reach your desired fit.  They are a little more time consuming but the good news is they don’t break.  Less moving parts make for a longer lasting product.

Toggle

Toggle adjusters are spring loaded clamps with a button to release.  You will find these on bungee straps.

These are by far the easiest type of adjuster.  The plastic is sturdy and lasts, and the spring is enclosed within it.  Ease of use coupled with durability makes the benefits of this adjust quite clear.

Side vs Back

Adjusters can sometimes be found on the sides of goggles attached to the main frame, buttons generally fall into this category and occasionally sliders.

Back adjusters are typically attached to one of the two straps tail ends.  This is where you will pull and thread silicone straps into a slider or pull bungee cords through a toggle.

Learn More About Choosing Swim Gear: 

• How to Choose Swim Fins
• How to Choose a Swim Cap
• How to Choose the Best Open Water Swimming Gear

If you're looking for some water dumbbell workouts to do at the pool, here are a few options. We've outlined the gear you'll need, and a few different types of upper body exercises to try. Give it a go, and let us know how your workout experience was in the comments below!

Equipment:

• Kiefer Water Workout Dumbbells
• Kiefer EZ Grip Foam Water Dumbbells
• Kiefer Water Exercise Discs
• Kiefer Easy Grip Hand Bells
• Kiefer Deluxe Foam water Dumbbells, or
• Kiefer Basic Water Workout Dumbbells

Water Dumbbell Exercises

Body Position: Upright, bent over at the hips, staggered legs in lunge position.

Bicep Curls:

Starting with your hands extended straight behind you, palms down, past your hips, slowly draw your hands and the dumbbells towards your chest, then release.

Tricep Push Downs:

Reverse! Start with your hands at your chest, palms down, push your weights past your hips and control your recovery bringing them back to your chest.

  Body Position: Wide leg stance, shoulder width apart, standing straight up.

Shoulders:

Elbows at shoulder height, hands up like a goal post. Straighten arms and bring your dumbbells directly above your head, then slowly return to goal post position.

Amp up the difficulty:

Squat or bend your legs as the weights come down to goal post position and straighten your legs as you straighten your arms. Level Up: Jump as you push up, then come down to a squat to reload in goal post position.

Flies:

Begin in chest deep water. Begin with weights in front of your chest, straight arms, palms facing each other. Pinch your shoulder blades together as if you were trying to hold a grape between them and open your arms wide like a ‘T’. Return to hands in front, release your shoulder blades.

Punch:

Begin in chest deep water. Alternate arms pushing/punching your dumbbell out to a straight arm and then pulling them back in close to your chest.

Learn More About Aquatic Fitness: 

• Guide to Dryland Swimming Workouts and Products
• Swimming vs. Running: Which is a Better Form of Exercise
• Basic Gear For Fitness Swimming Part 2
• Swimming Stretches
• Swim Fitness During Pregnancy
• Essential Swim Gear for Water Aerobics and Aqua Therapy
• Basic Gear For Fitness Swimming

Perhaps you keep track of your swim workouts, or maybe your children have been asked by their coach to keep a log. A spiral bound notebook of workouts, goals, performances at meets and more can be a handy tool. Logs make improvement tangible: it’s in your hands and you can see it. If you are already looking at it as extra work or more homework for your kids, stop right now.

A valuable and often overlooked tracker lies within a well maintained log. Sometimes going unnoticed or unassigned is your personal heart rate map. This map is a guide to your health and training. Taking note of and documenting your heart rate while training is only part one. Part two might surprise you.

Baseline heart rate can be established first thing in the morning. Once your alarm has gone off check your heart rate. Keep a book and pencil by your bedside for easy access. After doing so for a few weeks you should notice the numbers remain constant with little variations.

Sometimes discrepancies in either direction can mean your body is working harder. Why? You could be fighting off illness, or you could be more broken down than normal, but these are important cues to notice.

Personally, if my heart rate was higher for a few mornings in a row, by the third or fourth morning I was typically sick with a cold of some kind. This valuable information could help me protect myself. Learning that my increased heart rate meant my body was broken down helped me take better care of myself. Extra fluids, vitamins, and rest could help me stave off whatever was trying to break me down.

Communication about logs is key. If your swimmer is keeping a log but not sharing it with their coach, a huge chunk of knowledge is lost. Encourage follow-through for them. If your log book is yours alone and you work out solo, keep a close eye on your baseline heart rate, you might be surprised by what you can learn.

When you pour your heart, soul, and sweat into swimming, victories aren’t always sweet, and sometimes, losses are real sour. Looking at the big picture can be especially challenging to youngsters who are already holding themselves accountable for their performances.

Although stress seems to be occurring at younger ages, the joy and love of swimming should be the fuel of success - not the fear of disappointment.

As someone who has struggled (and still struggles) with this, here are a few tips that have helped me get over a bad swim race:

1. Banish negative self-talk. Remind yourself how many races you’ve done, how many there are to come, and accept that they all won’t be amazing.
2. Find the good. While going over your race with your coach, try to find a positive. Good turns, a good start, something.
3. Learn from your mistakes, and improve. Was it your tempo? Did you fall off your stroke count? What do you need to focus on next time to reduce the chances of a repeat disappointment? Learn from your mistakes, and improve.
4. Drop it. The race is done, you can’t change it. Move on and don’t let one swim affect the rest of your meet.

The truth is, the more you tear yourself down, the harder it is to build yourself back up. Love and fun fall off the side when your self-esteem takes constant hits. Eventually, fear will consume your confidence, and your swimming performance will suffer.

Always remember failures are merely speed bumps. A chance to improve when approached with the right attitude.

What helps you get over a bad race? Let us know in the comments below.