FitView By Efren Martinez
I SwimOvate
1,2,3,5,8,10, no, wait! What happened to 4, 6, 7 and 9? Does this sound familiar during your swim as you try to count your laps? Loosing count during your swim is easy to do, especially if you’re looking to swim more than 16 laps. Like most, I’ve tried several ways to keep track of my swim count but none have proved as effected as my Poolmate lap counter. Last year I invested in a watch that not only counted my laps, but also kept track of my time, swim efficiency and calories burned. I was totally impressed and it made my swims more enjoyable not having to count my laps in my head, it aloud me to spend more time focusing on my swim and stroke. Just recently Swimovate came out with a more advanced swim watch so I decided to step it up to the new Vibrating Poolmate HR that offers additional swim diagnostic tools in the pool.
I’ve been using the new Poolmate HR for around 6 weeks now and my stroke has bumped up to the above average swimmer category. I’ve also enjoyed the vibrating feature on this watch; I no longer have to worry about counting laps in my head or even glancing at the watch to see what lap I’m on. I just swim and at every desired lap that I’ve programmed the watch to vibrate, it does informing me just how many laps I’ve swam, witch in turn informs me just how many more vibrates I’ll need to feel to complete my set of 128 laps. The heart rate strap was a little tricky at first, but I quickly learned to make sure I strapped it on very snug to get a more exact reading of how many calories I’ve burned according to my weight and age that I programmed into the watch. The software that comes with it has been very impressive; it enables me to see my entire swim by the numbers on my PC and has allowed me to focus where I needed help with being a better swimmer. Another plus from the watch verses any other is even though my 1st series Poolmate watch battery life lasted around 14 months before it had to be replaced, this one recharges itself through its PC’s software so the battery never needs replacing. As a Tri-athlete who swims around 6 miles a week in the pool, I’ve found that the Pool Mate HR has proven to be one of my most valuable tools in my swim training. So if you’re looking to get an advantage on your swim and are tired of counting your laps in the pool, a Poolmate watch just might be for you. www.swimovateusa.com<http://www.swimovateusa.com>
Swim Tip Closing your fists and swimming freestyle can really improve your stroke technique. At first it will feel clumsy and awkward, but it actually forces you to rotate your hips and move through the water the way you’re supposed to. Try alternating 2 laps with fists, & 2 laps straight freestyle.
