TRI Swim Club

10/20/2026

Why I make my athletes swim in a T-shirt.

Most of what I teach is about cutting junk yardage. This one is about adding horsepower. A T-shirt makes every stroke work harder. When it comes off, the same effort moves you faster.

It’s the first rung on the resistance ladder: T-shirts, drag socks, parachutes, and power racks. It’s not for beginners, and the one rule that covers almost all of it is to watch your stroke rate.

The full breakdown is on the blog at https://www.triswimclub.com/blog/get-faster-with-resistance-training.

Comment “POWER” and I’ll send you free workouts in the TRI Swim Club app.

10/19/2026

You probably skipped this step and it’s costing you. Go back to the basics before you try and progress!

10/18/2026

Close your fist = take the hand out of the stroke.
Now your forearm has to do the work.

You’ll feel pressure where it should be:
👉 the forearm, not just the palm

Open your hand again and it clicks instantly.

Hand + forearm = one paddle.
Push water back → move forward.

Try this:
4×100
• 50 closed fist
• 50 open hand

If the water suddenly feels “connected”... it worked 🔥

Save this for your next swim.

10/16/2026

Comment “KICK” and I’ll send you free workouts in the TRI Swim Club app.

Kicking from the hips is one of the hardest things to learn as a new swimmer. To be honest, it takes time and repetition no matter what, because it isn’t a natural movement.

As a triathlete, your instinct is to bend your knees like you’re running or riding a bike. But kicking from the knees just wastes energy, and it doesn’t help your body position or the rhythm of your stroke.

Even if you don’t kick much in a race or you rely on your wetsuit to float, this is still one of the most important skills to learn. Imagine trying to run with your arms held straight down by your sides. You’d have no momentum and no balance. Your kick works the same way in the water.

Here’s an easy way to start moving in the right direction. Flip onto your back. Keep your knees under the surface of the water while your feet bubble right at the surface, and keep your kick small, like your feet have to stay inside a bucket.

It’s a great self-check, especially if you don’t have a coach on deck watching and giving you feedback.

10/12/2026

Ironman #22 for Greg Schaefer, and it was the one he always wanted to finish on.

Greg has wanted his last Ironman to be Kona for a long time. Then in 2023 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and for a while it looked like that finish might never happen. He fought his way back to the start line anyway, and this past year he worked through injury after injury and hurdle after hurdle to get to Kona.

Getting to the start line was hard enough. Getting to the finish line on Aliʻi Drive took a lot of heart and mental toughness.

It’s been an honor to coach Greg this year and to see him close out his Ironman career exactly the way he planned it. Really proud of you, Greg. One more step. Just one more. 🌺

TriSwimClub

10/12/2026

Kona gave us everything this year. A perfect race from Vincent Luis. Laura Philipp going from 30th out of the water to second in the world. And Solveig Løvseth’s collapse in the final kilometer, which sent me straight to the 2026 Ironman rulebook.

Here’s what I found: medical can pull you out of the swim when it’s medically necessary. The run has no rule like it.

Swipe through, then tell me: should medical have stepped in?

Full breakdown on the blog below.

https://www.triswimclub.com/blog/lovseth-kona-collapse-ironman-medical-rules

10/09/2026

In March 2023, at 48, Greg was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s. For nearly a year the disease took away his movement and made him wonder if his days as an athlete were over. In May 2024 he went back to the start line anyway. He’s been racing ever since.

This season the Ironman Foundation named Greg its Parkinson’s advocate and featured athlete. Through his Forward Motion Fund, he’s using every race to raise money for the Ironman Foundation’s youth programs, including Swim Ready and Bikes for Kids, along with Parkinson’s research and support for caregivers and challenged athletes.

Greg’s motto is simple. One more step. Just one more.

Follow along tomorrow in the Ironman Tracker app by searching Greg Schaefer or bib 1964. To support his fundraising, visit gregoryschaefer.com.

Good luck, Greg! 🌺

10/05/2026

10/03/2026

Happy weekend everybody! Enjoy our latest read:
Getting Faster With…. Leisure

Training breaks you down. Recovery builds you back faster. A triathlon recovery guide: one day off a week, routines that work, and how to deload.

10/01/2026

Half the field skips their swim warm-up, and it costs them the most important part of the race.

They stand on the beach cold and stiff, sprint into the water when the gun goes off, and 200 meters in they’re gasping and convinced they’re out of shape. They aren’t. They just never got their body ready for what was coming, and now they’re giving away the first 400 that decides whether they make the pack.

The fix is simple. Warm up on land first, then finish in the water if the race lets you in. Four jobs in the water and you’re done. Save this one for your next race morning.

The full routine, including what to do when you can’t swim beforehand, is on the blog at triswimclub.com/blog.

Comment “WARMUP” and I’ll send you free workouts in the TRI Swim Club app.