Swim Trainer – No Water Needed

Trainers are interesting devices. These simulate an activity, and provide great exercise but without actually doing said activity. In other words a bicycle trainer lets you ride a bike and put in miles while you go nowhere. A cross-country ski machine needs no snow, and rowing machines need no water.

Keeping with the waterless concept the Vasa Trainer Pro is a swim simulator for those who don’t want to get wet – at least until you work up a sweat and then later hit the showers. It uses the same principal of a Nordic Track with pulleys and cables and your own body weight to provide the resistance. Video after the jump

Kinetic Recap: 2012 Olympics

All good things come to an end, including the Olympics. Throughout the 17 days of the games and before we cast the spotlight on some of the latest technology and innovations that were used to help the athletes train and perform. Here is our Kinetic Recap of some of the top stories of the 2012 Olympics: Continue reading Kinetic Recap: 2012 Olympics

Motion Capture Provides Insight into Olympic Swimmer Techniques

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Under the water, it can be difficult to see every kick and every stroke a swimmer makes. But Manhattan Mocap did just that with Olympic swimmer Dana Vollmer to analyze her butterfly stroke and underwater dolphin kick.

Manhattan Mocap worked together with the New York Times and the NYU Movement Lab to film Vollmer and create models of her strokes to analyze how the body and water move together. Findings can help coaches instruct swimmers in how to move better in the water to gain speed. A motion capture session might help a swimmer learn where their strokes go wrong, and how to correct them. Continue reading Motion Capture Provides Insight into Olympic Swimmer Techniques

US Olympic Swimmers Wearing Speedo LZR Racer

The US Olympic Swim team is wearing Speedo LZR Racer suits using the FASTSKIN3 Racing System, a combination of a suit, cap and goggles. The suit was originally under some controversy, but Speedo was able to get approval for its LZR Racer Elite line. Here’s a closer look at the suits that are giving US Olympic swimmers advantages in the water this week. Continue reading US Olympic Swimmers Wearing Speedo LZR Racer

Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps Recovery Pajamas

Your body repairs itself when you sleep. So it may be the next evolution to squeeze into a pair of compression pajamas to speed recovery. Under Armour’s Men’s Recharge Energy Suit is a full-body compression suit that helps muscles recover. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is said to wear the energy suit to sleep in when he trains or travels. Continue reading Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps Recovery Pajamas

Future Olympic Uniforms Could be Spray On

The now-banned LZR Racer swinsuit

The Olympic Games don’t begin for over a week and already there is much controversy – not on the fields of competition but rather on what is covering the athletes. In the United States some lawmakers are upset that the attire to be worn by the U.S. Olympic Team was made in China.

Then there are the swim suits that will be worn in the pool – and could be a replay of the now-banned 2008 LZR Racer skinsuits. Likewise the golf ball inspired track suits are getting much attention. Continue reading Future Olympic Uniforms Could be Spray On

O’Neill 365 Launches Natalie Coughlin Signature Collection

Sometimes the loungewear is almost as important as athletic wear. And that’s part of the emphasis with O’Neill 365’s new collection from Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin. Her new collection has a few pieces for pre-workout and post-workout. Continue reading O’Neill 365 Launches Natalie Coughlin Signature Collection

Magellan Gets Active and Switch’s Up

The company that has made its business in helping people find their way is now looking at helping users find their way to better fitness. This week Magellan announced its new Magellan Active Website for fitness activity tracking. And to help users get there the company has released its new Switch and Switch Up crossover GPS watches.

Magellan Active’s Dashboard is designed to help multisport athletes from a single location for viewing all of their performance activities. Users are provided with total control of data and given the ability to quickly search through all of their activities with a range of filters. Activity analysis is easy with summaries, lap comparisons and easy-to-read maps and charts. Multisport athletes can further record each segment on their Switch GPS watch, upload the data to Magellan Active, and then view all of the segments with a single view. This ‘True Multisport’ experience presents multisport activities naturally with a single view of the entire activity and the ability to drill into each segment such as swimming, biking, running and transitions. Continue reading Magellan Gets Active and Switch’s Up

TYR Debuts Custom Goggle Program

When you’re competing in a triathlon you can customize just about every aspect of your uniform. But then you strap on a pair of standard goggles that everybody else is also wearing in the swim component. TYR just announced a custom goggle program that lets swimmers create their own goggles. Continue reading TYR Debuts Custom Goggle Program

Garmin Swim Watch Makes a Splash

Most heart rate monitors are waterproof, and therefore you can track your heart rate while doing laps, but it’s difficult to track what you do in the pool. The new Swim training watch from Garmin is designed specifically for swimmers, and provides feedback on laps. The Garmin Swim training watch was announced ahead of the U.S. Masters Swimming Championships in Omaha, Nebraska taking place July 5-8. Continue reading Garmin Swim Watch Makes a Splash

Fastskin Swimsuit Comes from the Aqualab

Designing a completely new suit for swimmers isn’t so much about going back to the drawing board as it is about going back to the desktop, and the Aqualab. That isn’t some “Bat Cave” secret base for lackluster super hero Aquaman, but it could help competitive swimmers see gold in London in a few weeks. This was also the center of a simulation that helped the designers of the revolutionary Speedo Fastskin Racing System, which utilized the engineering simulation software ANSYS.

When worn together as a complete system, a Fastskin suit, cap and goggle can reduce full-body passive drag by up to 16.6 percent, improve oxygen economy by up to 11 percent (enabling the athlete to swim stronger for longer), and reduce active body drag by up to 5.2 percent. And to help make this possible Speedo looked to ANSYS. Continue reading Fastskin Swimsuit Comes from the Aqualab

Pyle MP3 Player Brings Your Tunes Into the Deep

Water is every gadget’s biggest nemesis, and while there are plenty of specialized cases designed to keep your MP3 player or smartphone safe from mother nature, there are times when a case just won’t do. Enter the Pyle Waterpoof MP3 Player.

Waterproof for up to 3 meters (about 9.8′), the screen-less Pyle Waterproof MP3 Player (PSHWPMP3) is a worry-free way for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy their tunes. It holds 4GB of music and features soft touch buttons that let you easily control your music. The included earphones are also waterproof and wrap securely around your ear ensuring they won’t slide off during rigorous activities like swimming or running.

The MP3 player charges via USB and provides up to 7 hours of playtime. The complete package is available now for $59.99.

[via The Gadgeteer: Make a Splash with Pyle’s New Waterproof MP3 Player]

Swimsuit Drama Continues

There hasn’t been this much drama over swim attire since the bikini arrived followed World War II. With just two months until the London Olympics swimsuits are stirring up trouble. This comes in the wake of the Speedo LZR Racer Elite was banned following the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

The Speedo LZR Racer Elite was notably worn by Olympic gold metalist Michael Phelps, and after the games aquatic leaders banned all rubberized bodysuits. This was thought to be the end of the technological “arms race” that stirred up the trouble in the first place. Bob Bowman, coach of Phelps has gone on the record to say that the suit matters and helps, but that it doesn’t change the swimmer. In other words the Speedo LZR Racer Elite doesn’t make Phelps transform into Aquaman. Continue reading Swimsuit Drama Continues