this snorkel is wonderful.I can now extend the length of my workout. Without this device I could swim laps for about 30 min straight,but slowly so that I can keep up with my breath.Now I am able to work out for an hour straight and with speed.I love it.....I guess the only drawback is that after awhile it does tend to hurt a little on the forehead, but i just deal with it.... FINIS Freestyle Snorkel
Several years ago I had a bulging disk in my neck that impinged a nerve, which cause arm pain. I had to stop swimming and working out altogether for a year or more (before this I was doing triathlons). When I recovered, I wanted to continue swimming to stay in shape, but turning my head to breathe tended to aggravate my neck. So I got this snorkel. After my first session with it I was a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to get used to it. I was anxious because I felt like I couldn't get enough air and once I choked on water that was trapped in it when I inhaled. But what are you going to do? Most of us who swim recreationlly do it because it makes us feel good both physically and mentally, and so I didn't want to give up. The next session I knew what to expect and so I was mentally prepared for it. I started by just putting my head under water and slowly inhaling and exhaling, telling myself there was nothing to panic over and there was no rush. Then I did a few slow laps of breast stroke and then some slow laps of free style.
Long story short: It took four sessions to really get comfortable with it, but now I love it for a bunch of reasons. First, I can swim with no neck pain. Two, I can swim longer than before and get a great workout. Three, swimming is now more relaxing. It's kind of like doing yoga underwater when you don't have to think about breathing so it's a great stress reliever. Four, you can work on kicking without even using a board. I just scull with my arms in front of me, like Superman. And five, chlorine in my pool really bothered my sinuses before, I guess because I tended to inhale through my nose. With the snorkel, I have noticed that I don't have nearly the sinus problems.
The snorkel comes up across the midline of the face and is independent of the mask. I is better positioned for exercise swimming than one that hangs on the right side of the mask. I found it very difficult to get the right-sided mask to be comfortable. They always pulled at my mouth. This snorkel does not have an outlet which is a plus/minus situation. The valve on the outlets were always the first part to break and let in water requiring you to get a replacement snorkel. However, without the outlet, water does get into the mouthpiece (especially when there are waves in the pool) and has to be emptied every few laps or you get water-boarded. It helps to position your head higher in the water than you would with a regular snorkel, more like a regular crawl stroke than like snorkeling. This takes some practice and muscle strength, but like anything that demands more effort, is probably good for you.
I swim recreationally as I truly enjoy the full body workout. But, the extra neck action and cadence timing to breath is a factor in the speed in which I am able swim and the amount of swimming I am able to accomplish in the time allotted for my workout. This snorkel allows me to concentrate on my body (correct arm action and kicking out of the hips etc) during my swimming sessions and makes breathing effortless. I can really dig and get much more workout per minute then without. I go at a much quicker pace until my body begs me to stop instead of taking a rest period because Im unable to catch my breath. The only draw back was the first session or two learning to not breath at all through the nose (the recommendation to wear a nose clip might be important to some who try this for the first time) which was no worse than a slight discomfort until I exhaled stongly through my nose to clear which I am very used to now. And it looks a little silly but is always a topic of conversation with fellow swimmers who I have noticed are beginning to show up at the pool with them!
I was never a competitive swimmer, but now regularly swim freestyle laps in a pool for exercise. I don't rotary breathe, so the repetitive turning to one side only was causing me hip problems. This snorkle completely eliminates the need to rotate head or hips, allowing me to focus on exercising arms, torso and legs. I feel like I'm now getting a much better workout. The manufacturers states you may need to use nose plugs, but I don't and that's not been a problem at all. There's no purge valve so any water in the tube needs to be blown out, hard, which adds to the workout. I'd recommend this version to anyone who swimming laps for exercise, and likes to alternative focus on exercising arms and legs during the workout. - Freestyle - Swimming Snorkel - Swimming - Swim Gear'
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