Training fins are lightweight tools that can have a big-time impact. They help swimmers improve their endurance, leg strength, and technique—things that can help you achieve that personal best or improve your fitness level.

When it comes to fashion and team spirit, swimmers love to stand out. Whether it’s with matching logo-embroidered warm-ups, screen tees, funny hats, or bright caps in team colors, showing team spirit and individual personality is easy with the availability of customizable products.

There’s training gear and then there’s racing gear and competitive swimmers know the value of a complete, proper race kit. From the common sense (fog-free goggles) to the sophisticated (high-tech suits), having the right equipment for the race can help you beat your competitors to that final wall.

We’ve all been there. On a hot summer day, you return to your parked car after a few hours of swimming at the local pool. Opening the door, you’re met by a burst of hot air that makes you feel like you’re about to melt. There’s nothing to do but get in the car and hope the air conditioner kicks in fast!

Swimmers’ hair and skin inevitably develop issues in the summer time because of an increased exposure to oxidizers. Because your hair typically gets more sun exposure in the summer, that helps oxidize any residues and deposits on the hair. These oxidized minerals are to blame for the quintessential swimmers’ hair, which can include a muddy or green tint, fiberglass texture, breakage, and a metallic smell.

It’s easy to spot the swimmers at Masters practice who grew up swimming: their hips seem to ride on the water’s surface, their body rotation is fluid and effortless, and their arms, legs, and core work together in perfect harmony. They can often be found in the fast lane, churning out intervals that are 10-20 seconds faster per 100 than those who didn’t grow up in the water.

Masters swimmers know first-hand the many benefits of swimming and the total-body workout it provides. Yet, the water can offer much more to boost overall health and fitness while also improving your swim.

There’s a tongue-in-cheek saying going around these days in the tech world that, at some point in the not-so-distant future, we’re all going to lose our job to robots.

When it comes to race day, few things are as important as your gear. And for a competitive swimmer at any level, a well fitting technical suit is certainly at the top of the list. From maximized core stabilization to optimized body positioning in the water, a tech suit’s main function is to work in harmony with a swimmer’s natural abilities to aid in creating movement and mobility. However, if a suit isn’t properly sized and eased on correctly, it could rip or tear.

Finding the right balance in the water is one of the most important, yet underrated, aspects of swimming. Although we constantly focus on elements such as technique and strength, efficiency in the water through proper body balance may actually be the easiest and smartest way to improve your stroke. Quite simply, you can have the best technique in the pool or be the strongest person on deck, but if you can’t find a way to be efficient in the water through proper body balance, then you’ll never be able to reach your full potential.