LCB is out ahead at every Kona event, she's known for being an exceptional swimmer. She tends to fall back a touch on the marathon leg but not this year, massive congrats to LCB!!
You mentioned it, the running is more impressive, consider she never ran for her lifetime until about 4 years ago. Only people with the same experience (running from 0 to "good") can actually understand how hard it is!
Waited for this for a long time! LCB is probably my most favorite swimmer... I watched her swimming videos a lot of times however just wish there could be a "pro" to "disassemble" all the aspects of her strokes so we common/ordinary/weak folks could learn something from it. It just seems different but I just can't make sure where, because she is so fluid... But you are nailing it! Well done!
I have club mates with a similar background and they don’t swim close to LCB’s speed. Also, “just be born to swimmers and swim 50k a week from the age of 4” isn’t much help to adult learners…
Shes a smoother much cleaner looking swimmer in the pool which is expected. Adapted technique well to suit her in open water. Nice analysis. thank you.
Catch and pull is virtually bubble-free. Hand path reminds me of good kayak paddlers. Catch is close to center line, but hand moves slightly out away from center line as she pulls and recovers. Swimming is such a feel thing and she obviously has superior water feel. That comes from a lot of miles but perhaps has another aspect that sets her apart. Open water requires the ability to maintain feel and clean stroke while navigating and handling chop. She’s obviously an impressive athlete. 😊
Thanks so much Effortless Swimming for sharing this and your commentary. This is wonderful. There are many take aways here and I will be looking to try these myself.
So good her technique is so perfect, with small rotations, straight streamlines, relaxed body, and efficient strokes, that she uses very little power to provide maximum speed in the water.
A master at work. I love watching her absolutely blitz it through the water. It's like she's got an alliance with the water gods like ok, I'm not going to swim 'text book freestyle', but I'm a mermaid with legs so 💁♂️
She swam amazing! So smart. Most triatheletes aren't trained as swimmers and can't swim as beautiful butterfly like her. And we know from Sheila Taramino that swimming fly is one of the best ways to improve your free. Lucy has a beautiful freestyle, long and smooth.
Thank you for giving you these insights, i am a baby into swimming!!!, i will do my first 5K in December in Acapulco Mexico, but this give more information in regards to how i need to train, i am not a pro-swimmer but this helps a lot
Probably not great. Those women are very specialized in that distance, very different body composition than a triathlete. A triathlete would never be competitive at top level against a specialist in any of the 3 disciplines.
Lucy tried to qualify for the Olympics in 2012 over the 10km swim and just missed out. It would be really interesting to see if she has improved for that distance, but I assume not training specifically for it would make that unlikely.
I get a kick out of the people ripping on her stroke. She was Olympic level open water as a teen - basically didn’t qualify for the Games because GB only has one spot. In 2021, she missed qualifying for the 1500m pool Games by less than a second. Presumably, she had to do the doping tests there, which those who claim she juice should keep in mind. Anyone swimming at this level knows way more about swimming and their own stroke than anyone commenting here.
As someone who used to help administer the sport, and is also WADA anti doping trained, it's kind of normal that top athletes get tested out of season, and are spot checked, she's also likely to be part of the testing pool and IM are no different in testing podium...it's not likely her swim is down to artificial help, her skills is that she's an excellent swimmer, a specialist, not that she's doping...
Lucy was less than a second from winning the 2021 selection trials at 1500m but was 42 seconds outside the British qualifying time. Regardless it's fantastic how fast she can swim with all the biking and running requirements as well.
Hi, Lucy swims open water at our local lake, and when it comes to stroke count hers is quite normal for a shorter course, Standard and 70.3 at least. Females tend, shorter body, shorter arms and triathletes to swim around 90-94 at the start for the break or position, settle to 88 or 90 and finish a bit faster, some well known British stalwarts swam a bit faster. In the recent PTO Neom the lead female swimmer Beaugrand was at 90 for most of the individual endurance swim legs, with Lombardi's less open water style at 78, in fact many of the lead pack at the start of Kona were on 85-92 spm so far from being unusual it's really normal amongst triathlete swimmers, who are not natural pool swimmers IMHO. In competitive short course and even long course, being 2.4 seconds ahead over 100 is quite a feat, and over 3.8K that adds up, to around 1:30. Given the fact that you identified that she gunned it from the start, I'd say it was her tactics that contributed mostly to her performance, and the relative underperformance of the other strong swimmers, making around 10 to 15s early time gains, and holding it over the rest of the course meant she was around 2 seconds quicker per 100, I would think that most elite pros drafting could keep that pace given the benefits, smartly, she gave no one the chance to do that, and kept out of the melee and jostling for line. So a lot of good points but I think kudos to her race strategy for the swim
her wide catch and pull and the wide arm on entry and less rotation and high stroke rate... those all seem they could add stability for open water.. and would that also help make her swim more efficient?
dumb question: if the pull and power position starts with the power diamond, why must the swimmer reach far in front of him/her self? why recover to such a front forward postion if you're just waiting for arms to drift backwards to the pull-start position?
It appears that she starts her recovery slightly early. She trades the final finish of her stroke for faster turnover and more front quadrant pull. Amazing swim.
how do i maintain stability with a high stroke rate? my body starts to lose balance and wiggle with high stroke rate making me slow how do increase my stroke rate? i have the endurance to be at 65 stroke rate and i want to increase it but how do i do it? anyways the analysis excellent!!
see my earlier answer, commit to doing it over the off / shoulder season months, once you're sure that the rest of your stroke is so good that it can benefit for a faster stroke rate...most importantly nearly all triathletes and many swimmers don't accelerate their hand under the water, you want to go faster then you have pull faster, and ensure that your hand doesn't slip water, the reality is most will run or bike faster because they're in control in the water, no matter how confident you are, getting out of breath, swallowing the odd mouthful of water can make you feel unwilling to push the envelope...
She was a near olympic swimmer in her youth while most other triathletes just learned to swim for the sake of it. She obviously has an advantage in that.
Everyone has a 'natural' tempo, what's fast for some is slow for others. Ideally a stroke ramp test would do it, you measure SPM, starting at probably 45-50, not cycles, each arm is one stroke, time over a set distance, 25 or 50, perceived effort and every 'go again' you increase the stroke rate by 3. Faster times usually come at an exertion cost, but if you can do a faster length at 78 for the same exertion as you did at 71 then there's an argument to say if you can keep it up that's your stroke rate. If the next stroke rate is quicker still, but you're at a 9 say rather than a 7, that's probably your cross over point. There will come a time when the stroke rate trades off too much distance per stroke. You need someone to do this for you deck side, or get yourself a pair of pricey Form goggles, which are brilliant, and you can analyse yourself post workout as they offer turnover, distance per stroke, speed, you just need to note how you felt at each ramp stage. I would say that for a podium athlete, I would be expecting a time of between 52 and 58 minutes for the 3.8, work that back to give you a time per 100 then what that is for your per pool length, 25/50 that would get you that time. At that level I would be expecting a sub 19/18s cruising threshold time for 25, and probably 16-18 strokes. 1.3-1.4 m per stroke, each arm. 72 seconds and 72 strokes. Once you've got your regular count over 100 then you just experiment a few times , is stroking faster going to improve your time, is your preferred recovery suitable for open water, a straight arm is quicker and better for the bun fight. Hope you take something from this. Remember that a wetsuit cuts 6-10 seconds off most swimmers 100 times if they go straight, the better the swimmer, the lower seconds saved generally, going straight is also super important, not something that many can do
I think it s a great advantage that she breathes both sides so easily !!! I always say that Spiros (greek) lost the Gold 10km,because he could not see his opponent reaching from the other side ....
This makes me wonder what Katie Ledecky's stroke rate is.... One big advantage Lucy has is that she is a swimmer who became a triathlete. What this does for her is that she knows how to kick. Most who are runners or bikers first and pick up swimming, they don't know how to kick. Yes, you use all the same muscles for swim kicking, biking, and running, but with swimming you use them in a much different way. Interesting that she uses about a 90 degree elbow bend in her stroke. Katie does that as well.... Interesting as well is that Katie swims 'gallop' style, and Lucy swims with a 2, 2, 3 breath cycle. Pretty much all the men swim breathing every other stroke. Finding your best rhythm for efficiency is crucial....
She looks like she practices lots and lots and heaps of swimming with tight clasped tennis balls to me. It's such a great drill even if she does not do it. Thanks for the info.
The Tri swimmers always look like thrashing machines in the open water. But they're still very fast Thrashing machines. Having to look and also breath without coping a wave means it's never going to look as good as a pool swim. Really need to train in open water to get ready for it.
Depends on the water conditions. Look at the 10km open water swim olympic champions from Rio where it was it was a light swell with no chop and they were both from a pool swimming background with long slow strokes.
I've waited a long time to see you cover Lucy, let's face it, she looks awful, compared with say Lauren Brandon. I've always wondered why she moves so fast. I think you've made a good explanation here. But also, look at her shoulders :) I think they're about twice as wide as mine. Certainly interesting to see how little she rotates, I'm going to guess that she has a lot of flexibility in her shoulders, not just strength.
She swims on her left side lol. 😊 Look at her left arm - it is going under the chest as she does not rotate! All coaches advices with "high elbow" "rotation" "gliding" went to trash bin 🗑
that stroke rate is ridiculous....does she have short arms relative to her shoulder width? If an elite distance swimmer has narrower shoulders and long arms it wouldn't be possible to do this rate she has a world class developed back and shoulders but if her arms are a bit shorter than usual maybe that's what going on here.
Nothing strange, they are the most heavily drugged 'athletes' on the planet, in fact there's no antidoping tests in the IronMan and the expenses to be sustained for the occasional random test are paid by the age group athletes. Keep in mind i completed 4 and at my last IronMan in France, they took out Lance Armstrong right in front of my eyes so i know what i am talking about. 😉
LCB is out ahead at every Kona event, she's known for being an exceptional swimmer. She tends to fall back a touch on the marathon leg but not this year, massive congrats to LCB!!
You mentioned it, the running is more impressive, consider she never ran for her lifetime until about 4 years ago. Only people with the same experience (running from 0 to "good") can actually understand how hard it is!
So stoked for LCB!🎉 Loved the mermaid theme on the bike as well❤
Waited for this for a long time! LCB is probably my most favorite swimmer... I watched her swimming videos a lot of times however just wish there could be a "pro" to "disassemble" all the aspects of her strokes so we common/ordinary/weak folks could learn something from it. It just seems different but I just can't make sure where, because she is so fluid... But you are nailing it! Well done!
All true, but the #1 factor is starting from an early age and swimming competitively for 20+ years.
There are several male and female pros with similar swimming backgrounds. I think this is why it's not mentioned, it's not unique to LCB.
I have club mates with a similar background and they don’t swim close to LCB’s speed. Also, “just be born to swimmers and swim 50k a week from the age of 4” isn’t much help to adult learners…
Lucy's swim training before tri was 100k weeks.
@@ScottWaltonDevanyone born at 4" is probably not in the discussion...😶
@@fittrad3r687I think you need to reread my comment and try again
Shes a smoother much cleaner looking swimmer in the pool which is expected. Adapted technique well to suit her in open water.
Nice analysis. thank you.
Catch and pull is virtually bubble-free. Hand path reminds me of good kayak paddlers. Catch is close to center line, but hand moves slightly out away from center line as she pulls and recovers. Swimming is such a feel thing and she obviously has superior water feel. That comes from a lot of miles but perhaps has another aspect that sets her apart. Open water requires the ability to maintain feel and clean stroke while navigating and handling chop. She’s obviously an impressive athlete. 😊
Thanks so much Effortless Swimming for sharing this and your commentary. This is wonderful. There are many take aways here and I will be looking to try these myself.
You are so welcome
LCB also started her competitive sports career as a swimmer. She's been perfecting her swim technique most of her life.
Brilliant video. Shared with my triathlon club
So good her technique is so perfect, with small rotations, straight streamlines, relaxed body, and efficient strokes, that she uses very little power to provide maximum speed in the water.
A master at work. I love watching her absolutely blitz it through the water. It's like she's got an alliance with the water gods like ok, I'm not going to swim 'text book freestyle', but I'm a mermaid with legs so 💁♂️
What a great analysis!
Thank you!
I Love Kona ❤❤❤ Such a pleasurable place!
Great analysis - plenty to take away!
She swam amazing! So smart. Most triatheletes aren't trained as swimmers and can't swim as beautiful butterfly like her. And we know from Sheila Taramino that swimming fly is one of the best ways to improve your free. Lucy has a beautiful freestyle, long and smooth.
Excellent observation and as an age grouper triathlete excellent tips to improve on
She was recovering from a foot fracture thus the added volume. She was compensating for not being able to run and ride more.
Thank you for giving you these insights, i am a baby into swimming!!!, i will do my first 5K in December in Acapulco Mexico, but this give more information in regards to how i need to train, i am not a pro-swimmer but this helps a lot
Good luck!!
LCB, thats our VIRGO Bud! Woohoo!, as expected, that she would DOMINATE Kona with her BattleBraids! Woohoo! Great breakdown effortless swimming!!!
Thank you!
Great report. How do you think she’s would do in an Olympic 10km field? She came 2nd in the GB Olympic swimming trials for 1500m two years ago!
Probably not great. Those women are very specialized in that distance, very different body composition than a triathlete. A triathlete would never be competitive at top level against a specialist in any of the 3 disciplines.
Lucy tried to qualify for the Olympics in 2012 over the 10km swim and just missed out. It would be really interesting to see if she has improved for that distance, but I assume not training specifically for it would make that unlikely.
good analysis ...
Incredible!
I get a kick out of the people ripping on her stroke. She was Olympic level open water as a teen - basically didn’t qualify for the Games because GB only has one spot.
In 2021, she missed qualifying for the 1500m pool Games by less than a second. Presumably, she had to do the doping tests there, which those who claim she juice should keep in mind.
Anyone swimming at this level knows way more about swimming and their own stroke than anyone commenting here.
As someone who used to help administer the sport, and is also WADA anti doping trained, it's kind of normal that top athletes get tested out of season, and are spot checked, she's also likely to be part of the testing pool and IM are no different in testing podium...it's not likely her swim is down to artificial help, her skills is that she's an excellent swimmer, a specialist, not that she's doping...
Lucy was less than a second from winning the 2021 selection trials at 1500m but was 42 seconds outside the British qualifying time. Regardless it's fantastic how fast she can swim with all the biking and running requirements as well.
This was the greatest race I have ever seen
That was good!!!!
90!!!!! Wohhhhhhh
Really wish I could come down and spend a month with you guys!
Who cares how she looks … she won !!! Go girl 👏
great
Hi, Lucy swims open water at our local lake, and when it comes to stroke count hers is quite normal for a shorter course, Standard and 70.3 at least. Females tend, shorter body, shorter arms and triathletes to swim around 90-94 at the start for the break or position, settle to 88 or 90 and finish a bit faster, some well known British stalwarts swam a bit faster. In the recent PTO Neom the lead female swimmer Beaugrand was at 90 for most of the individual endurance swim legs, with Lombardi's less open water style at 78, in fact many of the lead pack at the start of Kona were on 85-92 spm so far from being unusual it's really normal amongst triathlete swimmers, who are not natural pool swimmers IMHO. In competitive short course and even long course, being 2.4 seconds ahead over 100 is quite a feat, and over 3.8K that adds up, to around 1:30. Given the fact that you identified that she gunned it from the start, I'd say it was her tactics that contributed mostly to her performance, and the relative underperformance of the other strong swimmers, making around 10 to 15s early time gains, and holding it over the rest of the course meant she was around 2 seconds quicker per 100, I would think that most elite pros drafting could keep that pace given the benefits, smartly, she gave no one the chance to do that, and kept out of the melee and jostling for line. So a lot of good points but I think kudos to her race strategy for the swim
her wide catch and pull and the wide arm on entry and less rotation and high stroke rate... those all seem they could add stability for open water.. and would that also help make her swim more efficient?
Very good point. Its a similar action to paddling on a surfboard. Now thats given me an idea for a drill.......
@@temolindorjan2038Tennis ball drill, I think.
Lucy's great EVF uses her strong lats. The best!
dumb question: if the pull and power position starts with the power diamond, why must the swimmer reach far in front of him/her self? why recover to such a front forward postion if you're just waiting for arms to drift backwards to the pull-start position?
It appears that she starts her recovery slightly early. She trades the final finish of her stroke for faster turnover and more front quadrant pull. Amazing swim.
how do i maintain stability with a high stroke rate?
my body starts to lose balance and wiggle with high stroke rate making me slow
how do increase my stroke rate? i have the endurance to be at 65 stroke rate and i want to increase it but how do i do it?
anyways the analysis excellent!!
Rotate less?
see my earlier answer, commit to doing it over the off / shoulder season months, once you're sure that the rest of your stroke is so good that it can benefit for a faster stroke rate...most importantly nearly all triathletes and many swimmers don't accelerate their hand under the water, you want to go faster then you have pull faster, and ensure that your hand doesn't slip water, the reality is most will run or bike faster because they're in control in the water, no matter how confident you are, getting out of breath, swallowing the odd mouthful of water can make you feel unwilling to push the envelope...
She was a near olympic swimmer in her youth while most other triathletes just learned to swim for the sake of it. She obviously has an advantage in that.
To point one (fitness): I saw her in Roth in 2019 and I really was impressed by her broad back 💪🏻.
Common to a lot of swimmers who start young
She has very long straight clavicles, maybe this gives her more leverage especially with her wider shallower catch and pull.
Dude she's been doing this for 6 years, she crushes it every year 😎
The reason for her making the break was to drop Taylor Knibb 🤘
Also, for high stroke rate check out Jodie Swallow from about ten years ago. Not as fast as LCB but beautiful form and high rate.
I heard about Lucy was training swimming for Olympic before trying triathlon.
What kind of stroke rate do you think is achievable for a “competitive” (aspirations to podium) Ironman age grouper? (25-29)
I think around 60-70 is a good strokerate for a competitive agegrouper.
Everyone has a 'natural' tempo, what's fast for some is slow for others. Ideally a stroke ramp test would do it, you measure SPM, starting at probably 45-50, not cycles, each arm is one stroke, time over a set distance, 25 or 50, perceived effort and every 'go again' you increase the stroke rate by 3. Faster times usually come at an exertion cost, but if you can do a faster length at 78 for the same exertion as you did at 71 then there's an argument to say if you can keep it up that's your stroke rate. If the next stroke rate is quicker still, but you're at a 9 say rather than a 7, that's probably your cross over point. There will come a time when the stroke rate trades off too much distance per stroke. You need someone to do this for you deck side, or get yourself a pair of pricey Form goggles, which are brilliant, and you can analyse yourself post workout as they offer turnover, distance per stroke, speed, you just need to note how you felt at each ramp stage. I would say that for a podium athlete, I would be expecting a time of between 52 and 58 minutes for the 3.8, work that back to give you a time per 100 then what that is for your per pool length, 25/50 that would get you that time. At that level I would be expecting a sub 19/18s cruising threshold time for 25, and probably 16-18 strokes. 1.3-1.4 m per stroke, each arm. 72 seconds and 72 strokes. Once you've got your regular count over 100 then you just experiment a few times , is stroking faster going to improve your time, is your preferred recovery suitable for open water, a straight arm is quicker and better for the bun fight. Hope you take something from this. Remember that a wetsuit cuts 6-10 seconds off most swimmers 100 times if they go straight, the better the swimmer, the lower seconds saved generally, going straight is also super important, not something that many can do
I'd be lucky to make it 200m w/ that stroke rate!! Super impressive!
I think it s a great advantage that she breathes both sides so easily !!! I always say that Spiros (greek) lost the Gold 10km,because he could not see his opponent reaching from the other side ....
This makes me wonder what Katie Ledecky's stroke rate is.... One big advantage Lucy has is that she is a swimmer who became a triathlete. What this does for her is that she knows how to kick. Most who are runners or bikers first and pick up swimming, they don't know how to kick. Yes, you use all the same muscles for swim kicking, biking, and running, but with swimming you use them in a much different way. Interesting that she uses about a 90 degree elbow bend in her stroke. Katie does that as well.... Interesting as well is that Katie swims 'gallop' style, and Lucy swims with a 2, 2, 3 breath cycle. Pretty much all the men swim breathing every other stroke. Finding your best rhythm for efficiency is crucial....
I am confused about 'Ironman' or 'Wonder Woman' (apologise if I am naïve and wrong)
50k per week? Thats more than my weekly run mileage 😂
She looks like she practices lots and lots and heaps of swimming with tight clasped tennis balls to me. It's such a great drill even if she does not do it. Thanks for the info.
Sam long asked for a criticism his swim! I likebto hear your opinion!
Wow. "Fitness" is important for an Ironman?!
Who knew.
So many videos say to look directly down. But you never see it in the pros, they’re looking slightly forward if not right forward. Why is this
Vertical ... Inline ... Training .... System ... 😮
... yes she's good, efficiency and effectiveness good for triathlon, but still not everything actually perfect - room for even more perfection 😎
Her stroke rate in the swim is faster than mine in the bike… what?!
One question: Why does she still breath every second stroke with this high stroke rate?
The Tri swimmers always look like thrashing machines in the open water. But they're still very fast Thrashing machines. Having to look and also breath without coping a wave means it's never going to look as good as a pool swim. Really need to train in open water to get ready for it.
Depends on the water conditions. Look at the 10km open water swim olympic champions from Rio where it was it was a light swell with no chop and they were both from a pool swimming background with long slow strokes.
«how did the lifetime swimmer win the Swim?»
The answer is she started swimming at the age of 9 and shes an olympic level swimmer.
her catch is waaaay away from what you are describing as perfect form on your analysis videos.
The 'title' of the relevant 'World Champs' may need to be amended! I am too small and inferior to make a voice. Hope you, all, can make it!
VITS - Quicker swim bike run - quicker win 😎
I've waited a long time to see you cover Lucy, let's face it, she looks awful, compared with say Lauren Brandon. I've always wondered why she moves so fast. I think you've made a good explanation here. But also, look at her shoulders :) I think they're about twice as wide as mine. Certainly interesting to see how little she rotates, I'm going to guess that she has a lot of flexibility in her shoulders, not just strength.
Do you think wetsuit buoyancy plays a part in her swim style?
Kona is a non-wetsuit swim
Not wetsuit allowed in Kona. They use to swim with a swimskin. The more good you are in swimming and the less the wetsuit helps😉
Non wetsuit swims are an advantage to strong swimmers like LCB
She was doing 50k because she had foot injury
I havent swam 50km in my lifetime let alone per week
She swims on her left side lol. 😊
Look at her left arm - it is going under the chest as she does not rotate!
All coaches advices with "high elbow" "rotation" "gliding" went to trash bin 🗑
Swimming 80k a week might have something to do with it
that stroke rate is ridiculous....does she have short arms relative to her shoulder width? If an elite distance swimmer has narrower shoulders and long arms it wouldn't be possible to do this rate she has a world class developed back and shoulders but if her arms are a bit shorter than usual maybe that's what going on here.
I don't know about her arm length but she has exceptionally wide shoulders
Sorry.... point two.
No...All pro triathletes know that first couple hundred metres is a shit fight....
Lucy is just a great swimmer.
🇦🇺😁🤙🙏🙏🙏
Nothing strange, they are the most heavily drugged 'athletes' on the planet, in fact there's no antidoping tests in the IronMan and the expenses to be sustained for the occasional random test are paid by the age group athletes.
Keep in mind i completed 4 and at my last IronMan in France, they took out Lance Armstrong right in front of my eyes so i know what i am talking about. 😉
Untrue, but even if it was it has nothing to do with technique, which is what the majority of the discussion was about.
Not sure what does technique have to do with what you're talking about... Also, not sure what's the point of your comment...
You're just making stuff up. That's not even remotely true.
Completed 4? 4 trips to the toilet?
Lol you could take double the drugs and still be nowhere near her level 😂 zero IQ humans make me laugh