The Effortless Swimming Podcast Brenton Ford

In this episode, Quest Meeks shares his inspiring journey of transforming from a non-swimmer to comfortably swimming over 1000 yards without stopping. He opens up about the mental and physical obstacles he had to overcome along the way.  Join us as we dive into this episode!
01:02 Swimming Background
9:00 Doing Half Ironman
09:30 I Gotta Start With Something
16:52 But Swimming
25:53 Signing Up For The Stroke Analysis
35:53 Kicking Hard
44:18 Climbing Up A Mountain
47:10 It's Not Comfortable But I Am Not Dying

In this episode, we have Carl Reader, a functional movement coach with a background in exercise physiology and Pilates. We will discuss the connection between hamstring strength, mobility, and how it can improve swimming performance. Carl has extensive experience working with swimmers to improve their movement and strength training. Join us as we delve into his research and practices in today's episode.
00:00 Introduction
00:59 Techniques and Tips from a Functional Movement Coach
01:59 The Role of Hamstrings in Maintaining Speed and Efficiency in Swimming
05:21 Exploring the Relationship Between Hamstrings and Calf Muscles
08:14 Factors Affecting Hamstring Strength
11:20 Strengthening Techniques for Better Posture and Muscle Activation
13:39 Squats: One of the Best Ways to Strengthen the Hamstring
17:43 Signs to Look Out for: Indicators of Hamstring Issues
21:08 Core Engagement in Squats: Finding Balance

Prescott Balch is an ironman triathlete who started at 2:10/100m, and is now able to consistently swim under 1:30/100m. He recently broke through a plateau in his swim times by focusing on one change to his swim technique. In this podcast we delve into what change Prescott made and some unique approaches he took to fixing these areas of his stroke. 
00:00 Introduction
01:09 Overcoming Plateaus and Finding Speed
05:27  Weak Core, Weak Performance
12:02 Body Awareness Challenges for Adult Onset Swimmers
16:35 How Dead Hangs and Handstands Improve Upper Body Strength
21:14 Executing a Well-Planned Race: Negative Splits and Smooth Pacing
30:45 How a Good Swim Sets the Tone for the Rest of the Race
34:57 What's next for Prescott?
38:27 Exploring the Concept of "Swimming Downhill"

In today's episode, we will talk about the BEST WAYS to look good when swimming.
02:00 The Base Position
03:35 Have The Right Amount Of Rotation
04:48 Keep The Kick Fairly Narrow
05:53 Good Recovery
09:05 Soft Hands
10:20 Good Looking Freestyle Is Never Hurried Or Rushed
11:41 Slow To Fast
12:06 Skinny S Shape
12:31 The Breathing
14:00 The Kick
14:41 Style Is Important
15:36 Visualize Yourself Swimming Like A Pro

In this episode, we discuss three ways to generate more propulsion without getting tired, along with a drill that will help you practice each of these methods.
00:16 Generating propulsion
01:31 The Size of the Paddle
03:44 The Power Phase of the Stroke
08:31 Accelerate through the Stroke.
11:01 Keyhole Drill
12:58 Building Power and Speed in Your Stroke

In this episode, we have a special guest, marathon swimmer Andy Donaldson, who is a three-time world record holder. Andy shares his insights on freestyle technique and how he is able to maintain an impressive pace of 1:12 per 100m for 4 hours. This episode focuses solely on technique, as we delve into Andy's thought process and approach to his stroke. Tune in now!
00:00 Introduction and Background
2:31 Where is your head position?
2:58 How often are you breathing?
4:30 How do you use your kick?
5:23 What does your recovery look like?
8:09 What is the end of your stroke like?
9:07 What is your rotation like?
9:47 How did you develop your catch?
11:13 How much power are you putting into each stroke?
11:54 What do you do to increase your swim speed?
13:11 How do you like to train?
14:20 What pace are you aiming for?
14:49 What stroke rate are you aiming for?