Using fins counter productive?

[Q.]

I'm talking about regular, long fins that would be used for diving or snorkeling.

We've got our annual trip to Cozumel coming up in a week so I thought I'd warm up the finning muscles. I did several laps with the fins on but, when I took them off to just swim, I think it caused me to use a lot more arm than normal because I wasn't getting the same propulsion from my legs as I had just a minute or so prior.

Even though I could really feel it and it made the work out a lot better, could using fins be counter productive to developing good form?

[castufari]

I use fins when I want to shift my workout from my arms to my legs. When I put my fins on (Churchill Blunts) I can swim a bunch of laps using no arms at all. They're stubby fins, used for bodyboarding, not those long diving ones.

[Q.]

Originally Posted by castufari

I use fins when I want to shift my workout from my arms to my legs. When I put my fins on (Churchill Blunts) I can swim a bunch of laps using

I guess this is mostly a TI thing and not everybody's take on how to do it but there is little focus on developing your arms at all. It's all about core and, by extension, your legs. Your arms are used to "anchor" your position in the water. If I use the fins and then take them off, I guess it's because I'm going so much slower that I go back to relying more on arms which I personally don't want because I don't want to develop the dreaded swimmer's shoulder.

[castufari]

Originally Posted by Q.

I guess this is mostly a TI thing and not everybody's take on how to do it but there is little focus on developing your arms at all. It's all about core and, by extension, your legs. Your arms are used to "anchor" your position in the water. If I use the fins and then take them off, I guess it's because I'm going so much slower that I go back to relying more on arms which I personally don't want because I don't want to develop the dreaded swimmer's shoulder.

I've screwed my shoulders up enough so now when I swim I use fins. I can go much farther, much faster and look smoother. I tried swimming for fitness last year but I toasted my shoulder on a surf trip. Now I use fins in the pool.

I like smaller fins, they're easier on my legs. I tried some duckfeet once, man, I thought I was going to puke after a few laps.

[milkman21]

Using fins certainly changes the game, but as long as you use them as a supplement to your workouts, they will cause no harm to your technique. Be conscious of maintaining DPS and stroke/kick tempo while using fins, and you'll only benefit from their occasional use.