Cheap endless pool

catweazle

Can you take a picture of the tree that is causing all the problems!

username123

Looks great! Could be a lucrative business opportunity here, you could rent it by the hour to like minded individuals......

mloc123

Do you think an 8ft pool would work? At full stretch I cannot touch a ceiling...

username123

mloc123 wrote: »

Do you think an 8ft pool would work? At full stretch I cannot touch a ceiling...

How deep? Id say that would work. Im only 5ft - no need for a 12 ft pool for me either.

Oryx

Bet its gonna be cold a lot of the time...

Good swimmers are usuallyl nicknamed fish, but after this, KG, youll be goldfish!

peter kern

great job.

I think you would be best off building a water shield around the top edge ( which is leaning inwards) to prevent too much water loss.

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Pool (12' x 30") is up, its been taking ages to fill:) I excavated into a slope, and there is now only about 5cm difference between the high and low points. The pool itself goes up very quickly, and seems sturdy enough. I used interlocking foam panels as a base. I got in just to test it now - its not quite full (about 10cm to go), so my fingers were scraping the base if I didn't bend enough at the elbow. Tried a rudimentary tether for a couple of minutes (running belt, dog leash, and bungy cord), and stayed in the same place no bother. My initial thoughts are that breathing is a lot harder, and that you work harder to stay level. Feet drop was quite evident. I'll know more over the next couple of days, but my first thoughts are that A) this will work, and it will give a very hard workout for the time spent.

[IMG]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bNb6ftbnA5s/Ucw78J1drzI/AAAAAAAAA6E/1QF_lXtjLXM/s640/SAM_0528.JPG" height="427" width="640"[/IMG]

griffin100

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Tried a rudimentary tether for a couple of minutes (running belt, dog leash, and bungy cord), and stayed in the same place no bother.

Any photos or better still footage of this?

My initial thoughts are that breathing is a lot harder, and that you work harder to stay level. Feet drop was quite evident.

Maybe wear a wetsuit?

mloc123

username123 wrote: »

How deep? Id say that would work. Im only 5ft - no need for a 12 ft pool for me either.

It is possible to get a 8ft x 30inch one on ebay... which would fit nicely in my garage.

username123

mloc123 wrote: »

It is possible to get a 8ft x 30inch one on ebay... which would fit nicely in my garage.

I cant see why it wouldnt, even if you drift a bit off centre, if you are as short as me then there would still be some play.

Sounds weird but why not chalk out an 8 ft diameter circle in your garage and lie in it in swim positions, and drift a bit to each side and have someone photograph or film to see how much play you have? Once you had your tether the right length to keep you centred I cant see a problem tbh.

Bambaata

username123 wrote: »

I cant see why it wouldnt, even if you drift a bit off centre, if you are as short as me then there would still be some play.

Sounds weird but why not chalk out an 8 ft diameter circle in your garage and lie in it in swim positions, and drift a bit to each side and have someone photograph or film to see how much play you have? Once you had your tether the right length to keep you centred I cant see a problem tbh.

....and show us the video just so we can analyse your stroke!

Kurt when you get this going please put a thread on Slowtwitch asking for advise on your swim technique

Kurt Godel

mloc123 wrote: »

Do you think an 8ft pool would work? At full stretch I cannot touch a ceiling...

I just looked at my son tethered and swimming- he wasn't going forward at all. So I'd imagine you could do something useful in an 8ft pool.

username123 wrote: »

How deep? Id say that would work. Im only 5ft - no need for a 12 ft pool for me either.

I'm 6'2", with quite a long reach. The pool is 30" deep and my hands are glancing the bottom at times. That's also because of lift- if I swim harder, with better form, my stroke and reach are fine.

Oryx wrote: »

Bet its gonna be cold a lot of the time...

Good swimmers are usuallyl nicknamed fish, but after this, KG, youll be goldfish!

Godelfish? Yes, Its quite cold! I've tried it twice now, with wetsuit and without.

peter kern wrote: »

I think you would be best off building a water shield around the top edge ( which is leaning inwards) to prevent too much water loss.

Good idea, I'll look into this.

griffin100 wrote: »

Any photos or better still footage of this?

Maybe wear a wetsuit?

I'll get a video over the next couple of days. I've tried a wetsuit, legs were a bit higher all right.

Overall I haven't used the pool enough to form a proper opinion, but from first impressions I'd say build a tether yourself using bungee cords etc (stupidly I have one ordered), maybe as okane says this is best used with a snorkel (leg position is hard enough without lifting the head higher to breath), and any work done will complement rather than substitute for pool/OW swimming. Its a lot harder to swim tethered than without, I'd say this will be great resistance training.

username123

Sounds great KG!

What tether did you order?

Oryx

If you want to borrow a snorkel I can loan you one to try next week.

Kurt Godel

username123 wrote: »

Sounds great KG!

What tether did you order?

Finis heavy cord, but to be honest my home made job worked perfectly; because you're in fluid there is little "pull" noticed around the waist.

mloc123

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Bestway-Steel-Pro-Rectangular-Frame-Pool-With-Pump-113-x-73-x-39-5-56248-/170988844202?hash=item27cfbab4aa

Pricier but good dimensions... would leave me room for bike storage and a turbo too

sconhome

Was thinking about this during the week but away from the PC to post.

Use a pull buoy to neutralise your leg position while tethered that way your feet wont fight the tether.

The big thing I was thinking about and maybe any of the engineers might be able to help prove or disprove my theory.

Tethered in a static pool has got to be a far better workout for you as a swimmer than the idea of swimming in a moving body of water which just allows you to hold your position. Similar to the idea of running on a treadmill vs the real thing ?

Love the ingenuity of it all.

tunney

vasa trainers? Given the feel for water and position is going to be all off anyways.

AFAIK even the proper endless pools "aren't right" feel wise

shotgunmcos

tunney wrote: »

vasa trainers? Given the feel for water and position is going to be all off anyways.

AFAIK even the proper endless pools "aren't right" feel wise

You will never really get feel right. Nothing substitutes the real thing. In rowing a similar but more pronounced difference between ergo and water. I've seen technical whippets beating machine animals on the water where it counts. However the ergo is part of the training for every rower at every level. At least this treadmill type solution is closer to the natural environment than an ergo although more brutal without immediate data feedback..

Kurt Godel

Tether is a little short so I was too close to the wall when kicking, but otherwise this works a treat! Hard on the arms, a lot more intense effort then regular swimming:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK8DZsKsEIc

hardCopy

Brilliant

username123

KG - you might actually be my hero!

Good work with the snorkel, keeps you in a nice even position to use it. Looks good!

Bambaata

Id raise your saddle a bit, maybe a spacer might help with comfort but by and large not a bad position. Funny looking helmet though, i dont think its all that aero!!

Kurt Godel

Just did 10 minutes straight in the wetsuit (although the water has noticably warmed up since yesterday). It's much harder than regular swimming, my core is really feeling it now. Holding and experimenting with the stroke is easy with a snorkle (must get a centre one). The only issue I have is with water depth, after doing 10 minutes my hand hits the bottom too often for my liking- as I said I'm 6'2" with a long reach. Otherwise I think its a great backyard solution.

I'm draining the pool now, have bought a 36" deep version which I think will suit my long reach better, look forward to a summer of this lark. (So in case anyone is interested, I'm selling the 12'x30" one, as new, pump still in package etc, offers over €100 (cost me €129), otherwise I'll give it to a relative or something:))

griffin100

Are you on the mains or do you have your own well? That's a lot of water!!

sconhome

Fill them now before the water charges come in!!

Briando

Can you anchor the tether to something right above you and a little behind you, so as you strain against it, it will pull you up in the water, stopping you legs dragging so low and giving you a more natural position.

hardCopy

Briando wrote: »

Can you anchor the tether to something right above you and a little behind you, so as you strain against it, it will pull you up in the water, stopping you legs dragging so low and giving you a more natural position.

And maybe use a buoyant belt around your waist?

mrbungle

Reckon you should keep water quality in mind.

enzeder

Do you have a large mirror you're not using? I swam in an endless pool last year and a coach put a mirror on the base of it and another at the front angled towards me. It allows you to see your own stroke and correct anything that's off immediately. Would be perfect for this kind of thing. The deeper the pool, the better though, I reckon.

Kurt Godel

Overhead tethers, mirrors, etc- good ideas I'll look at later. Body position is going to be different though, thats just a fact. This sort of swimming is going to complement rather than replace straight swimming.

I bought a bigger pool, 15'X36", which should help with arm reach, it's taking ages to fill right now:). For anyone interested, Ken Black toystore in Carlow town have a great deal on these, half price at €150, including pool, ladder, groundsheet, cover, filter pump, etc. They had three left after I bought mine. Also they had a Saltwater Chlorinator for €99. Figured I'd mention these in case anyone was thinking of getting a pool, its probably the best value you'll find.