by
Olivier Poirier-Leroy
Swimmers have a lot of tools at their disposal when it comes to improving performance in the water.
Gone are the days when all we had was a kickboard and a pull-buoy.
Nowadays, we’ve got the swimmer’s snorkel, swim paddles, swim parachutes, and one of THE favorites of most swimmers…
Swim fins!
Choosing the right set of swim fins encourages higher body position in the water, extends push-offs and underwaters, and develops lower body strength.
In this article, we will look at some awesome ways to incorporate swim fins into your training for faster swimming.
Whether you are looking to improve overall leg endurance or build peak speed, swimming fins are a way to help you get there!
Let’s dive right in.
Before we get into the sets and swim workouts, it’s worth outlining the purpose of using swim fins in the first place.
Some of the benefits of swimming with fins include:
Swimmer’s shoulder is a real issue for both competitive and even master’s swimmers. The constant overhead arm movements, especially when technique falters, take its toll.
Strapping on a pair of swim fins can reduce the beating your shoulders take on the daily and are a great way for you to train “around” cases of swimmer’s shoulder.
The added surface area on the fins helps create a gentle “pull” on your feet and ankles when kicking, creating a stretch and improving ankle range of motion.
Fins hurtle you through the water faster, which has the benefit of putting your body into a more efficient position.
Swim fins are a great corrective tool for higher hips in the water.
Swimming with fins, especially higher intensity efforts, develop power and endurance in your legs and hips.
Whether you are doing extended kick sets or short-and-sweet bursts of raw power, swim fins are an excellent tool for increased conditioning and strength.
When it comes to building general endurance, fins are awesome as they increase metabolic demand in your legs and will also reduce the demand on your shoulders.
Which means you can rack up the meters and yards without taxing and stressing your shoulders too much.
Here are some sample endurance-focused sets you can do with swim fins:
8 rounds—
Notes: Alternating kick and swim is an excellent way to build overall leg endurance and improve conditioning. Kicking speed is correlated with swimming speed1.
Powering up your kick will help you finish races stronger and also reduce the demand on your shoulders over the course of months of training.
See also: Olympic Coach Eddie Reese’s Favorite Sets for Getting Swimmers in Shape
1,000 free kick with swim fins – for the last 25 of each 100, accelerate to all-out speed.
Notes: Fartlek training—long bouts of medium paced effort interspersed with quick bouts of fast effort—is one of my favorite ways to spice up endurance sets.
It’s also great for teaching you how to change gears (handy for races when you need to pass a competitor or fend off a challenger) and helps sharpen focus during longer workouts and sets.
20×100 freestyle with fins and paddles @2:00
Notes: Gregg Troy was the coach of Olympic champion and world record holder Caeleb Dressel at the University of Florida. This particular set is one of Troy’s favorite workouts for sprint swimmers.
Although this is more of an advanced set and designed for elite swimmers, feel free to adjust the intervals to your current level of conditioning and ability.
One of the most appealing aspects of using swim fins is being able to swim faster than you normally would!
For a few moments, you are swimming as fast (or faster!) than your peak swimming speeds.
The good news is that you can combine the joy of speed with power development.
Here are some of my favorite swim fin workouts you can do to build speed and power in the water:
8×25 freestyle with swim fins and paddles all-out @2:00
Notes: Short, simple, and sweet, this set is low on meters but ALL-OUT on intensity and speed. The goal is maximum speed and power!
When using swimming aids such as fins and paddles, your body is forced to learn how to move through the water at hyper-speed.
Fins and paddles are a combination of speed development and learning how to move through the water at increased speeds efficiently. Take plenty of rest to maintain a near-maximum effort throughout.
16×25 freestyle kick fast with swim fins, parachute and kickboard @1:00
Notes: Kicking with fins and a parachute are a great way to power up your flutter kick.
To get the most of this type of kick work, alternate two reps with a parachute with two reps without a parachute to get that added spring in your kick after dropping resistance.
Bonus set: Want to take your underwater dolphin kick to the next level? Try doing vertical dolphin kick with fins with your arms over your head. Aim to do for :30, rest for :30, and repeat 10-16 times through. See more on vertical kicking here.
The best training fins for swimmers depends on your goals and budget. Short blade swim fins are superior to longer fins because they are a more challenging swim workout (although shorter, they tend to be heavier) and the shorter blade ensures a higher kick tempo.
It’s important to note that swim training fins decrease kick frequency by about 40% (Zamparo et al., 2022). Specificity requires a short blade fin that better matches the kick kinematics of regular swimming for maximum transfer.
The best fins for high-performance swimmers are the DMC Elite Max. They are made with a buttery soft silicone called silform that gives the blade and fins excellent flex. They have open heels, V-rails for directed water displacement, and will never blister your skin or crack from use. Expensive, but easily worth it and will last forever.
As fun as swim fins are—nothing quite beats moving across the pool like your hair is on fire!—they should serve your training and competition goals.
Use them to improve speed, get your legs in better shape, and improve technique in the water.
Try these sets the next time you hit the pool and kick your way to faster swimming.
5 Epic Distance Swim Workouts for Maximum Endurance. Ready to level up your distance swimming? Here are five epic distance swim workouts from some of the best coaches and athletes on the planet.
Olivier Poirier-Leroy Olivier Poirier-Leroy is the founder of YourSwimLog.com. He is an author, former national level swimmer, two-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and swim coach.
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