How Can You Perk Up Swim Practice With Garmin

Ever since I was six years old, my father took me with him each afternoon to the nearby swimming pool. And as I grew, so did my fondness for swimming. When I turned 20, I got a sports gadget as a Christmas Gift from my cousin, and here I would like to share my experience and add to your knowledge of how it can make you more productive at your swim routine.

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Garmin is a Sports Watch that is specifically made for people who love swimming and want to channelize their exercises in different sports domains. For years, it has helped me boost performance at swimming matches and practice sessions.

Precise measurement for attributes like swim stroke recognition, distance, pool lengths and stroke count matter a lot when you want to improve each day at swim. Beside these, data unit can also compute tracks pace, distance, heart rate and elevation. Swolf (swim golf) score is calculated based on number of strokes taken per lap and the time it takes me to complete a lap. With these parameters on display I can easily analyze my swimming training efficiency.

We are a product of tech generation and we yearn for connectivity in everything. Through real time satellite connectivity, I transfer my swim data to my personal computer and analyze it later to set more targeted and realistic goals, usually when at night, for me. Though I don’t use it, but USB transfer of data is also supported in some models, to upload and download user statistics.


Though am not really fond of it, but you can use Garmin Connect TM to develop swim plans, upload performance data, analyze it, ask for expert opinion, interact with other users, customize settings and much more. Performance can be viewed in tabular format and comparison can be made with previous swim laps, and also have the option to view it in graphical form by plotting related attributes against one another. The Garmin 910xt claims a battery life of up to 20 hours, but honestly telling, I forget to switch it off and end up having a quite lesser battery life.

What I absolutely love about Garmin is that I can switch between sports modes (with separate settings for each) with a single button touch. Usability of the device for me would have been reduced a great deal if it was only useful for swimming. With customizable data fields I can personalize training pages for swimming and other sports activities (but that only happens on weekends for me). There is no other device that combines so many attributes for swimmers, and let them have greater command over their fitness and health stats.

It was quite later in years, when I paired accelerometers with it to count swim strokes. Although the watch is water resistant and that too up to 50 m (164 ft), but there is another side of the story too, it will not be able to measure your heart rate while it is submerged in water. Comfort counts a lot (at least for me) and thanks heavens; it has a smooth profile and a comfortable wristband.

Depending on mood or training need, I adjust it easily for Open Water and Pool setting. Then if I opt for open water, Garmin produces average stroke distance over a swim or between splits; and in case of pool it divides distance-per-stroke to individual lap and thus generates an ideal measure of pacing. You can pick from the two models, one is the watch only version while the other comes paired with a Heart Rate Monitor; currently I am still using the watch one, but would love to use the HRM one sometime too. So there are so many ways in which you can boost your performance in multiple domains like me. Have a happy swim!

About the Author:
Kathrine Switzer is an ardent cyclist, swimmer and devoted writer. She is obsessed with high tech gadgets like Heart Rate Monitors, swim watches related fitness apparatus. She would be delighted if you follow her writings on various fitness, health and technology blogs or simply on twitter @KathrineSwitzer

Enjoy
   Richard