My non-workout blog and random thoughts

My brother, Linc, gave me a new torture device for Christmas. He swears by it! It is a Kiefer parachute.

The parachute attaches to your waist with a adjustable webbing belt. The parachute is about 12 inches in diameter and connected to the waist belt with a 6 foot cord.

You do look a little silly (and feel really clumsy). When you first jump in and try to swim (operative word is try), the drag resistance is very strong. You feel like you are going no where - because you are going no place. It takes a substantial amount of force to swim at a slow pace.

If you can maintain your stroke technique, I can envision that one could become much stronger in specific muscles associated with effective propulsion. The key is to maintain technique (in a nutshell - early vertical forearm) which use the minor shoulder muscles - which unfortunately are among the first to become injured (rotator cuff related).

The training effect is simply incredible - it is incredibly painful if you are trying to swim fast - as Linc recommends all out 25 yard sprint kicks. Because of his shoulder issues, he does not swim with the parachute. But I have tried swimming and kicking - and it is very difficult.

You can do flip turns, but it is not very smooth operations. I think that sets of 10 x 25 would be sufficient to leave even the strongest swimmer gasping.

I would improve this product by making the diameter of the parachute adjustable. Alternatively, I would drill little holes into the parachute - much like swim paddles - How many people remember the first swim paddles? They were made from plexiglass and were a flat, solid rectangle with surgical tubing. Paddles have really changed.

Anyway, I like the idea of modifying the parachute - replacing the parachute material with either a mesh and making the diameter adjustable.

BTW, Kiefer sells the chute for $18 plus.