Fitness Swimming, Second Edition (Paperback)

by Emmett Hines (Author)
Key Phrases: main set, fitness swimming, drill review, Thurs Fri Sat, Lactate Endurance, Bit After (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Finally, someone has written a book about swimming that makes sense. Emmett's ability to explain swimming concepts in an understandable way is unparalleled. This book will open up the eyes of any fitness swimmer, from novice to ex-Olympian."
Troy Dalbey
Head Masters Coach, The Phoenix Swim Club
Double Gold Medalist, 1988 Olympics
Former World Record Holder
Fitness Swimming "is filled with sound, practical advice on how to swim faster and easier and is informed by Emmett Hines' elegant writing and wonderful, down-home sense of humor. A must read for serious masters and fitness swimmers."
Phillip Whitten, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, "Swimming World" and "SWIM"
Author, "The Complete Book of Swimming"
"A must read for any self-coached swimmer. The discussions of cardiovascular fitness and stroke technique combined with Coach Hines' rainbow' of workouts will almost guarantee improvement in swimming efficiency and fitness."
Mo Chambers
Head Coach, Mountain View Masters
United States Masters Swimming Coach of the Year (1996)
"Coach Emmett Hines has created an invaluable tool for improvement-minded swimmers." Fitness Swimming "is the first book I have seen that perfectly complements the" Total Immersion "book and method by providing sensible and friendly guidance on how to build fitness and stroke efficiency in a seamless combination."
Terry Laughlin
Director, Total Immersion Swimming
Author, "Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way to Swim Better, Faster, and Easier"
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Want more from your workout? Whether you seek to improve your technique, trim your times, swim greater distances, or simply improve your fitness level, Fitness Swimming will help you achieve your goals, all in full-color.

Expert swim coach Emmett Hines has created 60 new workouts and 16 sample programs, each arranged into suggested training zones to correspond to your fitness level and performance goals. Over a dozen cutting-edge technique drills help you progressively build an effective freestyle stroke. The text covers stretching, warm-up and cool-down methods, heart rate zone targets, expanded instruction for stroke efficacy, progressive drills, conditioning tips, and fitness assessments. Fitness Swimming has all the information you need to chart progress and maintain peak performance.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics Publishers; 2 edition (June 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736074570
• ISBN-13: 978-0736074575
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #177,340 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #30 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Swimming
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book for swimmers of all abilities-, September 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fitness Swimming (Fitness Spectrum Series) (Paperback)

Fitness Swimming is a teriffic book for swimmers of all abilities- It's the kind of book that will get you in the pool while actually enjoying your swim practices. Emmett Hines is an excellent coach & author who understands how to get the reader motivated to swim smarter rather than harder- The self-paced drills and various workout organization are easy to follow and with consistency, make stroke & time improvements attainable for all levels of swimming abilities. The best part of this book is that improving your swimming doesn't have to be a terrible grind! As a former AAU swimmer, I know the "no pain, no gain" theory of my former coaches all too well- As a result,I was reluctant to pursue swimming again as regular excersize- Fortunately the Author's self stated mission in life is to "save the swimming part of the world", and he definitely succeeds. Thanks to Emmett Hines, I look forward to my 3-4x weekly swims and am always refreshed and energized after my workouts. If you are interested in swimming, get this book, set aside time for consistent practice and enjoy yourself while getting fit.

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An OUTSTANDING book for any swimmer, July 18, 2000

By	James Wallace (Tarrytown, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fitness Swimming (Fitness Spectrum Series) (Paperback)

This book has been extrodinarily helpful to me. I am a former beach lifeguard and thought that my freestyle was pretty good until I read the author's extremely clear, detailed descriptions of how it feels to swim correctly. I now realize that I what I used to do was really akin to stabbing through the water, rather than gliding over it as I do now. I've been using the drills and workouts in the book for only about 2 months and already I've brought my stroke count (on 25 meters) from 22 when I started to 10-11 now. I expect that this improvement will continue as I progress farther into the drill sequence. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to swim for fun, fitness, or competition, regardless of their current ability. Swimming is one of those sports where one's technique can always be improved further.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't just get your feet wet, but dive right into this book!, August 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fitness Swimming (Fitness Spectrum Series) (Paperback)

There's an old saying about paradigms--"If you continue to do what you've always done, you'll continue to get what you've always got." I have been a "triathlete" for the past ten years. Well, at least that's what I told people. Trouble was, I couldn't swim the length of a 25-yard pool. However, every year I was determined to learn how to swim and finally become a "real triathlete." And every year I continued to give up after struggling to do it on my own. Finally, two months ago I was fortunate enough to attend a "Total Immersion" workshop which was coached by Emmett Hines. I couldn't believe it when the first thing he said he wanted me to do was swim the length of the pool, let alone the fact that he was going to videotape it. I skipped the warm-up laps everyone else was doing just so I could have enough energy to swim the entire twenty-five yards! Well, when my turn came, I took a big deep breath and swam to the other side...barely. Next came the fun (ha-ha) part--evaluating the video. The way Emmett was talking about the others, who were mostly experienced swimmers, I hoped he forgot to turn the camera on for my turn. But then this swimmer came on the monitor who made me start laughing...yeah, it was me. It took me 21 strokes to swim the length of the pool. Although I prayed that Emmett would just give me a book to read and I would learn to swim by the end of weekend, I found out we were actually going to have to swim in the pool! We began in the classroom, where Emmett instructed us on proper "fishlike-swimming" before we returned to the pool to practice the techniques. I found out after I bought "Fitness Swimming" the next day that everything Emmett taught came right from his book. Less than 24 hours from the first day's videotaping session, Emmett videotaped us again. Although we hadn't spent much time actually swimming, Emmett just said to concentrate on the drills we had practiced the day before. The results...12 strokes! And I wasn't even tired! However, as we sat in the classroom for the last time, I had just one question for our instructor, "How was I going to keep improving when I returned to Sicily (the workshop was in Dallas) and what was I supposed to do next?" It was at this point that Emmett brought out a little box containing copies of "Fitness Swimming." Needless to say I bought the book immediately and have read it and re-read it so many times the past two months that I need another copy. The book is very well organized and easily readable. In fact, in my library of several hundred fitness-related books, I can say without a doubt this book is by far the best in every category! One last thing, did I mention that by following Emmett's schedule in his book, I swam 1,500 meters this morning! So shift your paradigm, buy this book!!!