So Dubai World Champs complete - didn’t get a PB but the water was mega choppy - swimming past the Burj was amazing - I would recommend the event to anyone. 9th in my category which I happy about, as I only started swimming again 6mths ago. Thanks Nick

By Nick Harris Bike Fitter & Level 3 British Triathlon Coach Whether you’re racing 10-mile time trials or long-course triathlon, aero positioning is your secret weapon. Small changes can mean minutes saved — but only if they’re sustainable. In this post, we’ll cover: - Key differences in aero setups for short vs long-course racing - The rise of the praying mantis position (and whether it’s right for you) - What aerobar angle works best — 15° or 30°? - How to balance aero gains with comfort and control 🏁 Short Course vs Long Course Aero Fit Short-course (TTs, Sprint/Olympic tri): - Prioritises aggression and aerodynamics - Lower stack height, tighter hip angles, steeper trunk angles (10–15°) - Less focus on comfort — races are short, so the position can be more extreme Long-course (70.3 / Ironman): - Balances aero with comfort and energy preservation - Higher front ends, more open hip angle (~15–20°) - Focus on sustainability, digestion, and setting up for a strong run 💡 Rule of thumb: If you can’t hold your aero position for 90%+ of the ride without discomfort, you’re too aggressive. 🦗 What Is the Praying Mantis Position? It’s the newer trend where the forearms are angled steeply upwards, resembling the arms of a praying mantis. Key features: - High hands with a ~30° upward tilt - Narrow shoulder position - Often paired with a slightly more upright trunk Why it works: - Shrinks frontal area = less aerodynamic drag - Creates a smoother air flow around the helmet and shoulders - Easier to maintain neck posture for longer events - Can help with breathing efficiency and head position Backed by CFD and wind tunnel testing, it’s now used by top triathletes and WorldTour riders alike (e.g., Filippo Ganna, Magnus Ditlev, Gustav Iden). ✅ Pros and ❌ Cons of the Praying Mantis Position ✅ Pros: - Lower CdA (aero drag coefficient) - Easier to keep your head in line with your spine (reduces neck strain) - Encourages more relaxed shoulder posture - Works well with modern aero helmets and suits

How did you get on with the Swolf session from the last blog? So in the last blog we wrote about analysing and improving your swim efficiency with a Swolf swim set. This should have you thinking ‘how can I hold my pace and swim faster’. In this blog we'll be delving deeper into how you can swim more efficiently. Maybe you're thinking, well if my swim stroke falls apart a bit when I'm swimming faster, then how do I correct it, and more importantly know what to correct? For example: If your arms are too straight in the catch and pull phase, or you have a crossover of the mid line of your body with your hands, you bend your knees to kick, or over rotate your hips to one side and not the other, or breathe from your chest and not your diaphragm, then there are areas you would want to focus on and improve. Try doing the following set as a variation on the swolf one. Swim golf set 6 x 50 metres Front Crawl with 20 seconds rest Count your strokes and time the 50m. Add the 2 together. Try and hold the cumulative number of strokes and time over the course of the 6 x 50 m FC One of the ways we measure this is by using a Swim golf session regularly as above every 4 weeks, as a benchmark for syour swim efficiency. The adage "If you're not assessing you're guessing" rings true here. This should also be coupled with the following areas too: 1. Stroke rate 2. Stroke count (or distance per stroke) 3. Technique and how much water you're pushing behind yourself 4. Pacing and the law of diminishing returns These can all merge into a grey area all together, and become a bit confusing, so we're keeping them to the above headings and talking about them separately below: 1. Stroke rate We know that for many swimmers, and particularly beginners, when your stroke rate is below 60 per minute, you won't have constant motion through the water. It will be more of a stop / start, since you'll be gliding too far on each stroke, and effectively speeding up and slowing down on each stroke. If you're stroke count is between 40 and 50 you'll be doing this for sure, and probably swimming with straight arms underwater.

SWOLF and Swim metrics - what are they? This is Week 8 of our front crawl technique correction series: Swolf and swim efficiency If you're not measuring or assessing you're guessing! The following swim metrics are a good idea to have on your watch: 1. Interval Swolf 2. Average swolf 3. Pace per 100m 4. Distance 5. Stroke count per length 6. Stroke rate 7. Average pace 8. Lap last pace 9. Elapsed time 10. Last lap distance 11. Interval time 12. Interval strokes / length 13. Average strokes / length Swolf is for reference the number of strokes per length added to the time. The aim is to reduce the overall number over a set interval distance. A goal for stroke count per 50 metres is 45 - 55. A guide for stroke rate per minute is 55-65 (both arms), your watch will probably record just one arm ie the watch side. For more information and to continue reading about this check out our recent blog post article here: https://www.speedyswimming.co.uk/single-post/if-you-re-not-assessing-you-re-guessing-how-to-use-swim-metrics-to-measure-and-monitor Here are a couple of articles from my blog if you want to read more... https://www.speedyswimming.co.uk/single-post/2017/06/26/what-is-swolf-and-how-will-it-make-your-front-crawl-swimming-more-efficient https://www.speedyswimming.co.uk/single-post/2018/11/30/do-you-want-to-increase-your-distance-per-stroke-and-learn-how-to-use-a-high-and-earlier https://www.speedyswimming.co.uk/single-post/2019/11/21/improving-your-distance-per-stroke-part-2

I'll be running a live turbo training class with the music from Redados Turbo torture and video from Train like dogs, Ride like God's soon! @Paul McCullock