Holiday Gift Guide for Swimmers

/ Train Daly/

Looking for the perfect gift for the swimmer in your life? I am grateful to work with these companies, and could not coach or train the way I do without them. Read why these four brands and products are indispensable in my training, and take advantage of some exclusive discounts as part of the Train Daly community. Happy Holidays!

Vasa Trainer played a big part in my dryland program in high school, as an aspiring collegiate athlete. For over 30 years, they have been helping aquatic athletes train smarter, and perform better with their line of products that fit a variety of training goals and budgets. I am proud to continue to work with them into my professional coaching and masters swimming career, training with their products, and creating the best content and training programs.

Swim Ergometer: The Ultimate Gift for Swimmers

The Swim Ergometer is the ultimate dryland conditioning tool. It’s my favorite training tool for improving stroke power. The power meter provides objective feedback on stroke power, setting baselines with test sets, and monitoring left to right asymmetries. It creates accountability as fatigue sets in, providing instant feedback on progress, stroke for stroke, with great carryover to the water.

As a young swimmer, I cut my teeth with the Vasa Trainer Pro. It’s a total body training tool for developing swim-specific endurance, strength and power, head to toe. In addition to stroke technique and conditioning, it can be used to perform an endless amount of traditional pushing, pulling, and lower body squatting patterns. It literally replaced my commercial gym in 2020, and I could not have trained without it. If you're looking for the perfect gift for swimmers, this versatile training tool is unmatched in its ability to improve swim performance both in and out of the water.

I do not go anywhere without a pair of bands in my gym bag. Dryland cords with hand paddles, are the easiest way to teach and reinforce technique on land, then hop right back in the water and apply it. They can be anchored to any door or pool ladder, making them the best investment for on deck dryland technique and muscular endurance work.

Save 10% OFF all Vasa Trainer products from the Ergometer, Trainer Pro, or Dryland bands with code DALY10 at checkout.

The Magic5 Custom Goggles

A historically low tech sport is slowly solving decades old pain points, starting with goggles. Gone are the days of leaky, foggy, dry rotted goggles, and rings around your eyes. Toss your old swedes and vanquishers, and check out The Magic 5. The Magic 5 uses facial scanning technology through your mobile device, to custom fit the gaskets and nose bridge specific to your face. Their first-class comfortable fit also come with first-class materials that do not fog, rot, or fall off.

Zygo Waterproof Headset

Swimming is a solitary activity. Unlike other individual sports, the water limits auditory motivation or immediate feedback. Now swimmers, get instant audible coaching feedback, while they swim, with Zygo’s wireless waterproof headset. I'm very excited to have a product that allows me to communicate and make stroke corrections immediately from the deck, while my swimmer’s faces are in the water. Zygo’s bone conduction technology and wireless walkie talkie are crystal clear, allowing my swimmers to get the feedback they need without having to stop. You can also stream your favorite playlist directly from your phone, swim with their app of guided workouts, or use the tempo trainer, making it practical whether you have a coach on deck or not.

Get your set and enjoy 10% OFF with checkout code DALY10!

Air Relax Recovery Boots

The best gear and training is only as good as the recovery. The best athletes know that adaptation from training stress occurs between workouts, with a smart sleep, nutrition, and recovery program. If you are already maximizing your sleep and nutrition strategies, it’s time to focus on some of the additional methods you can use to accelerate recovery between workouts, and increase training intensity.

Pneumatic compression devices have been show to decrease perceived soreness between workouts, particularly upper body compression, specific to upper body dominant sports, like swimming. They improve blood lactate clearing after particularly grueling anaerobic conditioning sets. Compression also combats physiological stressors associated with travel, important for athletes who may travel to events and sit for prolonged periods of time.

I have been using Air Relax compression boots for the last 3 years. It’s a relaxing way to finish a hard day of work and training, boosting a diminished ability to recovery as I age and continue to train and compete. I appreciate their competitive pricing in the space, outselling all other brands, with industry-leading quality and durability. They are a FDA approved medical device, providing twice the pressure of comparable devices.

If you are in the market for compression recovery, check out Air Relax .

Investigating the Use of an Intermittent Sequential Pneumatic Compression Arm Sleeve for Recovery After Upper-Body Exercise

Cranston, Adam W.1; Driller, Matthew W.1,2

Acute Effects of Peristaltic Pneumatic Compression on Repeated Anaerobic Exercise Performance and Blood Lactate Clearance

Martin, Jeffrey S.; Friedenreich, Zachary D.; Borges, Alexandra R.; Roberts, Michael D.

Effects of Sports Compression Socks on Performance, Physiological, and Hematological Alterations After Long-Haul Air Travel in Elite Female Volleyballers

Broatch, James R.1,2; Bishop, David J.1,3; Zadow, Emma K.4; Halson, Shona2,5