Headstrong and SwimSpray
You may feel that we don’t talk about swimming products enough here on Slowtwitch. To that, I respond – ‘fair enough’. Perhaps running falls victim to that, too. Let’s face it – bikes are sexy (and we have the web page hits to prove it).
This being the case, I was happy to hear about two small swim accessory companies that wanted to send their products to me for testing – SwimSpray and Headstrong. Swimming deserves some love, too. What could you need beyond a suit and goggles? Maybe a cap? A kickboard? That’s it, right? Let’s find out what else is out there in the wet world of swimming products.
Headstrong Posture Trainer – $19.95
The Headstrong Posture Trainer is the brainchild of Craig Lewin, a former D1 collegiate swimmer and current triathlete. He also has a master’s degree in clinical exercise physiology, and coaches swimming, cycling, and triathlon.
What does it do? Put simply, it’s a plastic stick that tells you if your head position is bad. In coaching many adult swimmers and triathletes, Lewin found that poor head position is a constant problem. Folks do not relax in the water – their heads come up, and their feet go down:
As you can guess, forward motion becomes much more difficult with a raised head. If you picked up swimming as an adult, you may have heard your Masters swim coach yell at you to “put your head down!” Does that sound familiar? It’s okay – we won’t tell.
The folks at Headstrong provide this diagram showing the suggested ranges of acceptable head angle:
You put the Headstrong on similar to a pair of goggles, only on the back of your head. It can be attached via its own strap, or on your existing goggle strap.
Does it really work? Is it awkward? Can I get the same effect by having a coach tell me what to do?
I’ll admit – this is one product that I wasn’t expecting to like. It just seemed a little silly to me. After trying it, I was pleasantly surprised. For full disclosure, I did grow up swimming, and put myself somewhere in the range of ‘above average’ in the grand scheme of all triathletes (however – very far from putting the hurt on Andy Potts).
The biggest challenge with the product is placing it accurately. I do most of my swimming by myself, so I don't have anyone to tell me whether the device is straight, or how high it is. The Headstrong website does have several videos that aid in setup for those who need help. My initial setup had the device too low, so it was hitting my trapezius muscles on either side.
Once you have the Headstrong where you want it, simply start swimming. It will let you know if your position is off. You can use it for regular swimming, or as a tool in specific drills. You do want to keep the strap somewhat tight for flip turns, as a strong push off the wall can move the device if the strap is loose. As such, I’d keep this as a tool for warm up, cool down, or drill sets – if you want to put the hammer down in a Masters main set, you may find the Headstrong to be distracting.
The only ‘downside’ to the product I could think of is the fact that it doesn’t necessarily tell you what to do to correct your problem. It’s like a wind tunnel – a provider of information, but not an explainer of why. For that, you will still need to rely on a coach or swim lesson instructor. The Headstrong will give you some objective feedback. If your head is too high, you’ll know immediately.
Swim Spray – $12.95
Do you swim in a pool treated with chlorine or bromine? Do you just love that itchy feeling that you get for the hours following a swim practice? Do your coworkers really 'appreciate' your luxurious chlorine musk at the office?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those (the last two intended with a healthy dose of sarcasm), SwimSpray has a solution for you. As the name suggests, it is a spray that you use post-swim to combat the ill effects of pool chemicals.
The product was introduced to me by its inventor, Dr. Andrew Chadeayne. Like many of us, he disliked the smell, itch, and irritation caused by pool chemicals. According to Dr. Chadeayne,
“Swimmers require special haircare and skincare products because they are exposed to pool chemicals, generally referred to as chlorine. The water in swimming pools, hot tubs, and water parks is chlorinated. Swimming in chlorine produces some unwanted side-effects. Chlorine damages swimmers’ hair, making it dry, brittle, smelly, and discolored (e.g., faded or green). It also irritates swimmers’ skin, making it dry, smelly, and itchy. In contrast to traditional ‘swimmer’s shampoo’, SwimSpray actually works. Chlorine removal shampoos leave lingering chlorine behind, but SwimSpray completely eliminates the chlorine.”
What is SwimSpray? Believe it or not, it is nothing but concentrated vitamin C and water. I’m not a chemist, but they say that it instantly neutralizes chlorine and bromine from your skin, hair and swimsuit.
To use it, follow these steps:
Does it work? In a word – yes. I actually planned to devise a blinded trial for the product, to really test its effectiveness. I had already used the product a few times, and really seemed to feel less irritation afterwards – but the product tester in me wanted to know for sure. After all, I’m not immune to the placebo effect. However, a few days later, I forgot to bring my SwimSpray with me, and the familiar irritation and burn was back right away. That was all the convincing I needed.
Keep in mind, I do not think this product is appropriate as a substitute for normal skin lotion. I tested this product in one of the driest places on earth – Colorado – in the winter. While the spray definitely eliminated odor and reduced irritation, I still needed to use normal lotion to combat the dry skin that every Colorado resident feels.
What about value? The 4 oz bottle costs about $13 (USD). Three bottles can be had for $34. SwimSpray quotes that a single bottle is good for 30-40 applications, depending on how much you use. On the conservative side, that’s 0.13 ounces per application (for 30 uses).
I received a handful of trial size bottles, which I measured to be about 1.5 ounces. The first bottle lasted exactly 5 applications (0.3 ounces per use). My math puts that at 13.3 applications for the full 4 oz bottle – or about one dollar per use. I thought I was using it sparingly, but seemed to use it up much faster than their quoted rate. Obviously the amount used will vary based on how tall and/or lean you are, and how much hair is on your head. If you can't stand pool chemical irritation and smell, you may consider the investment to be minimal.
