Triathlon - Total Immersion

Just got Total Immersion today, read thru the first 2 chapters before I had to head out to the pool.

Its like hes been watching my swim. Every silly idea or misconception that I have about swimming is already in this book.

Just using the ideas he wrote about in those first two chapters made a huge difference for me.
The longer swim stroke and the swimming on my side, made the whole workout seem better. I cant wait to try the drills.

I wish I had bought the book 6 months ago.

i'm in probably the same boat you were. is there just one total imersion book, or is there a series of them.

did you get the book off amazon?

I got my copy at Barnes and Noble- 16.99

I have heard that there is an accompnying dvd - but my copy does not have it.
Either way, I think its worth the money.

Terry is awesome :) His drills are good.

He & his staff do run clinics around the country -- several of the swimmers on my masters team have gone to them.

it's a great book. i had a stretch where i didn't swim for a few years and i couldn't seem to get my stroke back when i got back in. within 2 laps after flipping through the drills i was better than i had been before. def a great book. just be aware that the nice stroke you'll develop won't necessarily translate to open water like it does in a nice, calm pool.

The usual discussion about Total Immersion is that it is great for teaching people that suck at swimming to be competent relaxed swimmers but it doesn't really teach you how to go fast. After doing the TI stuff, I managed to get out of the swim portion much more relaxed and having used much less energy. However I am still very slow.

The usual discussion about Total Immersion is that it is great for teaching people that suck at swimming to be competent relaxed swimmers but it doesn't really teach you how to go fast. After doing the TI stuff, I managed to get out of the swim portion much more relaxed and having used much less energy. However I am still very slow.

This sounds perfect for me.. I just want to get out with more energy so I can make up the time on the bike since I'm so slow in the water.

The book is here with me at work on my desk and I'm reading it now... Luckily my supervisor is on vacation!

Ok after doing the first 4 drills I am in love with this book so far.

I HATE swimming, its a boring workout, but I found myself highly enjoying doing these drills and feeling myself glide gracefully through the water like someone who doesn't completely suck at swimming like I do! Can't wait to go back to the pool tomorrow and do more!

I quite like it too. I have just been reading the info on the website, which is the first 6 lessons. I hadn't swum in years. I really like how he puts a mental picture in your head of what you're trying to accomplish, which is, as you all know, to be streamlined. I kind of picture myself rolling from side to side using my torso and gliding like "Superman" now rather than pulling with my arms. He's a genius.

strange issue Im having. Mind you I used to swim with noseplugs up until I got kicked in the face at the NYC tri and lost them and realized I gotta stop with this crutch.

Now in doing the TI drills I realized I am sucking air into my stomach... a lot... like after 45 minutes of drills in the pool i'm bloated, cramped, and gassy. I tried to just breathe with my nose which helped a little but I am sitting here in pain and ready to fart as I type this... Any ideas?

OK, this is the first I've heard of this happening!

Are you trying to breath rhythmically? That often helps with breathing. Also, breath in your mouth & exhale continuously through both your nose & mouth.

Someone will flame me here -- but this is what I always recommend. Fins. A swimmer's fin like the blue Zoomers or hydrofinz. These will allow you to work on your drills, esp. breathing, because it will give you a tiny bit more time (as long as you are kicking through your breath). It will also allow you to relax a bit and put you in the proper body position. Drawback? Don't get addicted! Use them sparingly & purposefully!

I bought the TI book and got fairly frustrated. I didn't really understand the drills and did not feel like there were enough pictures. Right now I've put the book up and am continuing on working on drills from other books. I still suck at swimming so maybe I have the wrong approach, but did anyone else have trouble getting TI?

When I began swimming 8 months ago I couldn't do more than 50 meters without having to rest before beginning the next lap, now I have days in which I swim non-stop for as much or more than 2000 meters. I drank so much pool water for the first 3 freaking months but instead of allowing myself to get frustrated I increased my time in the pool and swimming changed from the thing I dreaded doing the most to the exercise I looked forward to doing to relax my body and smooth out and stretch my muscles. I also have found that TI hasn't really helped with my speed but it has turned me into a fish, I think that becoming involved in the masters swim program in your area is the best way to become faster. However, I would not do it until you feel relaxed in the water and feel you have some decent endurance, like being able to swim a mile without much effort. Finally you have to get in the pool and do it, I think 5 days a week between 3 and 7 miles per week is the absolute minimum if you want to be competitive. Finally the boring part is an opportunity to learn to meditate while you swim. I find that I can practically fall asleep when I am swimming because my mind is so at peace. GOOD LUCK!

2 weeks ago I decided to do my first sprint tri at the end of this month... haven't really swam since high school (30 yrs), but am picking it back up quickly, with 8000 yds per week. Read TI yesterday and found I'm already doing most of it, and the points of emphasis have me really concentrating on efficiency. Not really scared of the swim leg at this point!

Finally the boring part is an opportunity to learn to meditate while you swim. I find that I can practically fall asleep when I am swimming because my mind is so at peace.! My problem with this is I then lose count of my laps and them I am so frustrated that I don't know what lap I'm on my meditation turns into self-loathing. I've thought of getting one of those lap counter things, but no one else at the pool uses one, and it already frustrates me to carry the kick board, paddles, bottle of water, watch, etc...

Ok I'm not sucking air anymroe, but I sink when I do the Zipper skate... ugh.

I have an easy solution for you that will eliminate the need for you to count laps, determine the average amount of time it takes you to complete one lap within a (for the sake of discussion) 1000 meters/yards workout then calculate the amount of time you need to swim based on that average and swim for that length of time. For example; if you swim 500 yards/meters at average speed of 60 seconds per lap and want to swim five hundred that day you would swim for 10 minutes. I always add an additional lap in terms of time to my workout to assure I get the distance I was planning for in for that day so my time plan would be 11 minutes. This method requires that you look at the clock every few minutes and is so much easier than counting laps, if I am doing 3000 meters it gets a bit absurd and bothersome to count 60 laps. JUST DO IT BABY!

or if you have a Timex Ironman watch you can just hit the start button every lap.

Spend the money and get the videos, the book taught me nothing but the videos were like gold.

Spend the money and get the videos, the book taught me nothing but the videos were like gold.

I think it really depends on one's learning style

I prettymuch figured my issue out today, the book has worked for me so far.

Whoever said it doesn't make you faster is right. However towards the end of the workout I was able to do a lap just focusing on my form as fast as my average lap in my previous style, and barely exerting ANY energy at all. Its promising for once I figure out how to go faster.

Just saw the Freestyle DVD last night and I highly reccomend it. The book was great but the DVD is a wonderful supplement. It's only 45 minutes but it is dense with technique. I learned about Total Immersion on this forum and it really has helped my speed.

I just started TI and look forward to my progress in the coming weeks and months...

i was having a lot of trouble starting the swim training. i drank more pool water than i care to think about until i got the book and dvd last week. i tried the first 5 drills and already i can tell its going to be what i need. i read above that it isn't a fast way to swim but it said at the end of the book and video that once you have the stroke down you can increase the speed. also the questions about weather this will work for tri. i know they have a book and dvd for tri swimming. i haven't read or watched that but i would think that may help