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Got a Finis Tempo Trainer

Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
in General Training Discussions

New toy: Finis tempo trainer.

Question: how do I start with it? How do I implement it into my pool sessions?

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    Tom BoxTom Box
    I got mine a few months ago. I use it two ways. First, to pace my stroke rate. I'm currently working on increasing my stroke rate so I set it in mode 3 to beep at the stroke rate I'm going for. Currently have mine set for 63 and will try and increase over the next few weeks to 70 (based on ramp test). I use it in this mode during warm ups, cool downs and anytime I'm not trying to hit a time goal for a specific length. The second way I use it is to set it in mode 1 to beep at the wall when I'm doing t-pace sets (or t-pace-3-5"). This keeps my pace on track for the sets. For example, if I'm trying to hit 1:30 for 100 then I set it to 22.5" (90"/4 lengths).
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    Tom GlynnTom Glynn
    I use it for pacing long sets mostly. In general I set the time for the 25 yard distance and then will use one full beep to rest. I'll do stroke rate once in a while.
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    ezellrhezellrh
    Scott, I just got one as well, although it hasn't gotten wet yet. Like Tom Box (and the "9 steps" post), I plan to see where my stroke rate is with the ramp test and then, most likely, use the trainer to work to raise it.

    Let us know your impressions moving forward image
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    Steve WestSteve West
    Been using mine since Feb for pacing. Currently set at 25 sec for laps. Let's me know when I fall off pace or can't hold pace then I call it a day. No point in pushing when form goes to shit.
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    Peter GreaggPeter Greagg
    I have only just started using mine a some weeks ago.
    I am using it to (hopefully?) speed up my stroke rate in mode 3. I have it beep when my right hand enters the water. I used to average (right hands) 32 per 50 metres, and I am now up to 36. Of course the usual way of counting strokes would double these numbers.
    BTW, I use it all the time except for my hard 25 as part of my 50s. Of course, I am in the OS and am doing these twice a week. 5 x 300 metres at my CSS, followed by 8 x 50 (25 hard, 25 easy).
    I must say, so far, it has been easy to increase my stroke rate by just increasing the number in mode 3 by 1 each week. My pace has increased along with the increased stroke rate.
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    Scott GiljumScott Giljum
    The thing is an awesome tool when used right. I first used mine in mode three to see where my stroke rate should was to make sure it was a good range. I will say for me that over a 50 my stroke rate/feel/good form can hold up at a bit of a higher rate than when I am swimming longer distances. At this point I mostly use it like others have mentioned as a timer for each lap in mode 1. I have been using the red mist and pink mist workouts and then stepping down .25 every two weeks with those to make sure I am working at threshold. Let me know if you have any questions on how I use it.
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    Mike RobertsMike Roberts

    Scott, in addition to what everyone else has said here (they're all correct), I also think Mode 1 is great for simply following Coach R's swim workouts. When we (on the team) try to do his 5x400@TP plus 3 seconds, for example, I'm willing to bet that 95% of us just wing it.  Then, when we review the workout on TP, GC, etc., we probably learn that we weren't that close to TP+3 at all, assuming we even know what our TP really is.  And even if we got lucky and hit the time once, we didn't hit the rest of them.  And even on that one where we hit the time right, we probably didn't evenly split it.  With the TT, you can now nail those workouts to the second with perfectly even splits.

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    Tom GlynnTom Glynn
    The guys at Swim Smooth are huge advocates of the device too. A short video they put together is here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/finis-tempo-trainer-pro.html

    They have other articles on their blog talking about the device too.
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    Stephanie HartmannStephanie Hartmann

    I bought one a couple years ago and it died of neglect. Never used it. They wouldn't replace it either. Apparently I wasn't the only one as those early models were crap. Not that expensive though, considering the money spent on other gadgets, so I'll get another one. Thanks for the reminder.

    ::update:: just ordered a new one. cheaper on swimoutlet.com than all3sports.com same as amazon.com

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    Marvin KarlowMarvin Karlow
    +1 on Mode 1 for workouts and Mode 3 for cadence.

    When I first started, I 'found' my cadence by just working up through the 40's in Mode 3 until I found the beep rate that matched.

    I wish there was a Mode 1 + 3 that marked cadence during the set and had a different alert at the wall but that is probably asking too much for a $40 device image
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