A swimming workout -- water optional
Perhaps you’d like to swim more often but hate schlepping down to the Y for a pool that’s large enough to do laps in. Here are some products that can help you enjoy this superb, all-body cardiovascular activity, with or without a pool.
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Dry run to the real thing
Vasa Trainer Sport: Popular, easy-to-use dry-land trainer. Lie on your stomach, reach for the two handles attached to the front of the frame and pull your body forward. Increase resistance by raising the slant and adding more stretch cords.
Likes: Good for strengthening muscles used in freestyle and breast strokes. Also useful for a variety of leg, arm and torso exercises.
Dislikes: Although it’s a mainstay of college and triathlete swim programs, the Vasa does not actually simulate a true swimming stroke nor does it provide more than a low-level aerobic workout.
Price: $699. (800) 488-8272; www.vasatrainer.com.
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Simulates arm strokes
Triton Swim Spinner: A dry-land trainer that emphasizes accurate swimming technique.
Likes: Forces your hands to replicate an ideal swim stroke. Easy to get a rhythm as hand paddles glide along curved rails. A superb learning tool for youngsters and triathletes alike. Adjustable resistance at hand and leg stations makes it a serious aerobic and strength workout for competitive swimmers. Its design is simple and solid.
Dislikes: Doesn’t allow for hip twist/torso roll, an important element of the swim stroke.
Price: $2,500. (908) 862-7623; www.tritonfitness.com.
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Against the current
Endless Pool: Swim in place in a tiny, propeller-powered pool.
Likes: Real swimming. Fits in a basement or a patio (it’s 8 feet by 15 feet with a depth of 3 1/2 feet). Uses a 16-inch propeller to generate a variable current up to 3 mph, plenty of resistance for the fastest swimmers and triathletes. It’s a free-standing modular unit that can be installed indoors, outdoors, above ground, partially in-ground or fully in-ground. Can be dismantled for moving. Doubles as a hot tub.
Dislikes: Installation takes a couple of days for “two reasonably handy people with no prior installation experience,” according to a company spokesperson. Some owners say initial plumbing and electrical costs can run up to $2,000.
Price: $18,400. (800) 233-0741; www.endlesspools.com.
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Staying in place
StrechCordz Short Belt: Tether for swimming in place in small pools.
Likes: Provides a workout in the tiniest pools. Rubber tubing easily slip-knots to a ladder or rail, then stretches up to 10 feet under full power. Scrunches down to the size of a sock to fit in your luggage, making it ideal for travel. Inexpensive.
Dislikes: Cords can get in the way of strokes and kicks.
Price: $35.95; (800) 886-6621; www.nzmfg.com.
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-- Roy M. Wallack