The Effortless Swimming Podcast

Today, we're thrilled to have triathlete Josh Salley sharing exciting updates on his technique and swimming breakthroughs. You can learn from his journey and find out the secret to his success. Get ready for an inspiring conversation! 02:33 Josh's Swansea Half Ironman Experience: Calmer and Faster! 07:21 Open Water vs. Pool Impact On Awareness? 10:32 Build Confidence In Open Water. Fear Fades With Time 12:34 Josh Shares His Progression And Coaching Insights 20:36 Consistency, Feedback, And Patience Led To Progress 21:51 Find What Works Best For You, Avoid Overthinking 24:09 Having Strong Foundation And Better Habits In Swimming 27:27 Believing In Yourself And Taking Your Place In The Race Leads To Better Results 31:56 Advice For Triathletes Struggling To Improve Their Swim 35:23 Focus On Progress, Not Pace. Be Obsessed With Improvement, And Use Feedback To Refine Your Technique. 37:43 Consistent Practice Helps Your Body Learn What Works

4x Olympian Brent Hayden discusses his Tokyo Olympics comeback, staying in shape post-retirement with strength training, coaching approach, and thoughts on coaching through Skillest. He shares insights on the Canadian swimming community support, relay event details, passing on core aspects to coaching groups, and the impact of media spotlight on his focus in the 2016 Olympics.

Today, I'm excited to have Tom Hofnadel as my guest. Tom is a committed triathlete who is focused on improving his swimming in Ironman races. In this episode, we'll explore the benefits of video analysis and receiving feedback, as well as the technique changes he has made in the past few years to enhance his swimming. We'll also discuss how he keeps track of his progress over time. Tune in now! 03:23 Performance over appearance 03:56 Did the video analysis teach you something new? 07:52 What's your swimming background? 09:48 Has your progress been quite gradual, or did you make significant gains and then plateau for a while? 11:47 What technique changes have you made in the past few years? 15:10 Did you learn by observing or naturally gravitate towards certain swimming techniques? 16:45 How often are you recording yourself with the GoPro? 19:56 Is there anything that you use to measure where you're at or measure your progress over time? 24:00 Have you noticed variations in your swimming times and factors like leading the lane or drafting affecting your performance? 26:15 Are you training with a squad or doing solo sessions? 31:36 Based on your experience in triathlon, particularly in swimming, what advice would you give someone new to the sport? 35:32 Brief structure for analyzing your own stroke

In this episode, I'll discuss CSS training to enhance your swimming's aerobic capacity, enabling you to maintain faster times over longer distances. We'll explore its definition, and application, and suggest effective sets to boost your aerobic capacity and overall performance. Tune in now! 01:32 Aerobic Capacity And Technique 04:02 What Is CSS Training?  05:36 How Frequently Should The CSS Test Be Conducted? 07:16 Structured Sets to Enhance Aerobic Performance 13:15 12 CSS Workouts Inside The Effortless Swimming Membership 14:17 Develop Stroke, Technique, And Aerobic Fitness For Incredible Gains.

In this episode, we delve into the concept of challenges and how they transform over time. Using my own experiences as a surfer and swimmer, I look back on the challenges I've encountered and how they've influenced my journey.  Tune in now! 00:17 Triumph and Mishap in the Waves 02:18  Ups and Downs: Progress and Challenges 03:21 Finding Joy in the Journey of Improvement 04:55 Next episode: Unlocking Aerobic Fitness!

Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with Joe Friel, an exceptional endurance sports coach, renowned for his expertise in triathlon and cycling. Not only is Joe a highly respected coach, but he's also an accomplished author, having written multiple books, including his most popular work, the Triathlete's Training Bible. In this episode, we will discuss swimming techniques, including the PDLC method for improving skills, the 5-2 training methodology, and many more. Tune in now! 03:41 What stands out in people's swimming skills when working with them in person? 06:54 What is a PDLC method? How does it contribute to swimmers becoming faster? 20:18 Open water swimmers don't swim the same way pool swimmers do. 28:08 Going back to the fundamentals 34:08 Could you explain the 5-2 training concept and its origin? 42:15 What mental advice would you give someone transitioning from the 40s and 50s into the 60s and 70s? 52:43 What has recently piqued your curiosity? 56:24 Current projects and where to find your books and learn more about you?

My guest today is Kyle Chalmers, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the world's top swimmers. I've featured him in some of my YouTube videos, highlighting his excellent freestyle technique. I'm excited to discuss his training and technique in depth. Tune in now! 01:47 After clinching the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, how did you experience changes in both your personal and professional life? 05:25 Do you have any rules for yourself regarding social media, particularly during competition time? 08:49 How has feedback shaped your career and consistently contributed to your improvement? 11:45 Have you applied the knowledge gained from skill acquisition coaches to work with younger kids and pass on those teachings? 15:25 What contributed to your maturity? Did you develop it early due to the level of competition in swimming, where you joined a team without knowing any of the swimmers? 17:42 Coming towards the end of your career, do you feel like that's given you more freedom to choose the path you want to take? 21:35 Can you share any unexpected benefits or silver linings that emerged from the challenges you faced during your recovery from injuries and surgeries? 23:32 Can you provide insights into your training approach? 25:09 Could you share your experience with aerobic training and explain why you enjoy it? 29:00 Do you hold any unconventional beliefs or practices that might seem counterintuitive to others in the swimming community? 34:56 What are the key factors you consider during your training? 38:39 Are you changing your stroke from 50 to a 100 and then from 100 to 200? 41:04 What motivated you to join Skillest?

My guest today is Seb Wichmann, who attended one of our clinics in 2022. He was averaging around a 2:05 to 2:10 per hundred and said he was happy to survive a 1K swim at the pool and has now got himself down to around a 1:45. Tune in to the episode now!  01:02 What challenges did you face transitioning from cycling to triathlon and swimming? 02:02 In the beginning, did you teach yourself or did you have a coach to help you? 02:59 What techniques did you learn from the clinic that you can apply to improve your performance going forward? 05:52 How often have you been getting in the water? 07:00 How long did it take you to start seeing results with those changes? 10:27 What motivated you to persevere and not give up? 11:14 Did you initially believe that you could develop a love for swimming, or did you find it to be a less enjoyable activity compared to cycling? 17:33 Did you have moments of success followed by setbacks, or were there variations in performance across different training sessions? 20:15 Do you feel any different when you go to the pool now compared to 12 months ago? 24:13 What advice would you give to someone who was in your shoes 12 months ago? 30:00 How to apply "squeezing the butt cheeks" as a beginner?

My guest today is American swimmer Ryan Murphy, who has achieved incredible success in the Olympics Games, winning multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals. Ryan discusses how his motivation and training have evolved over the past decade, enabling him to stay competitive. We explore his unconventional beliefs, the obstacles he has overcome, including an injury before the Olympic trials, and the rituals that have aided his success in major events. 01:29 Do any of those experiences stand out as your most memorable achievement? 04:20 What do you attribute your sustained success and longevity in swimming to? 06:15 Have you ever had a season where you didn't perform well and struggled to pinpoint why that is? 12:02 How has your motivation evolved in the past decade as you've continued to compete in swimming? 14:19 Can you explain more about the success-focused lifestyle you mentioned earlier, especially regarding areas outside of swimming? 16:48 As you get older and there's up and comers nipping heels, how do you maintain your confidence and mindset when you’re one of the older guys in the field? 19:20 Which up-and-coming swimmer has caught your attention and impressed you the most recently? 21:50 Did you encounter any unexpected surprises in your professional swimming career that were different from what you expected or imagined as a teenager? 24:24 What are the key fundamentals you would focus on while coaching backstroke technique to a 15-year-old swimmer? 27:27 What are the main differences between your swimming technique or style and that of Mitch Larkins? 29:05 Did you get a lot of feedback on your swimming technique as a teenager, or did you develop your stroke naturally? 36:34 Can you share a memorable or transformative experience from your swimming career that has had a lasting impact on you? 42:01 What things beyond swimming motivate and excite you the most at the moment? For those interested in receiving coaching from Ryan, check out Skillest. 

I'm excited to introduce my guest, Ben Geard, from Element Swimming. Ben and I go way back as great friends, and he was one of the coaches during the Maldives Camp last year. At Element Swimming, Ben offers lessons for beginners and helps swimmers progress from beginners to an intermediate level. That's what we will talk about today—strategies and techniques for individuals who are complete beginners or relatively new to swimming, aiming to reach that intermediate level. 01:41 Swimming And Coaching Experience 03:35 Programs For Beginners Are Hard To Find 05:39 Level I: Building Water Confidence 08:49 Different Styles Of Coaching 11:20 Beginner's Swim Camp On September 14:15  Level II: Feel For The Water 16:02 "aha" Moments During The Process 19:56  Biggest Mistakes With Skull  23:51 Training Sessions Per Week 25:20 Consistency Is Key 27:44 Level III: Putting Together And Achieving The Goal 31:73 Causes of Exhaustion In Swimmers 34:29 Vertical Kick 36:3 Visit The Element Swimming Website Check out the Maldives Camp here.