The Effortless Swimming Podcast

In today’s episode, I’m sharing 10 things I wish I knew when I first started swimming. Whether you’re just beginning or have been in the water for a while, these lessons can help you take your swimming to the next level.

Let’s face it—most beginners train too hard, focus on the wrong details, and waste a lot of time and energy. That not only slows progress but can lead to frustrating plateaus or even injuries like shoulder pain.

These 10 key insights will help you avoid those common mistakes. We’ll break down what truly matters when it comes to gear, technique, training, and mindset—so you can swim smarter, stay injury-free, and start seeing real improvement in the pool.

2:00 Essential gear only
3:24 Basics first
4:56 Training
6:40 Open-water challenges
8:09 Interval training works
11:56 More Than The Pool
12:56 Drills Equals Fast Swimming
13:57 Staying Consistent
15:02 Persistence pays off
16:13 The Real Reward

In this episode, we’ll break down that key insight—how chasing speed can hold you back, why real progress comes from subtle adjustments, and the shift in perspective that turns resistance into flow. If your stroke has ever felt more like a struggle than a rhythm, this episode is for you.

1:10 Progress Isn't Linear
2:18 Video Yourself Early
3:12 Control The Mental Side
4:23 Consistency
5:52 The Clock
6:49 Your Stroke Does Not Have To Look Like The Pros
9:26 Comfortable Gear Matters More Than Fancy Gear
10:24 Have A Goal Even A Small One
12:05 How To Stay Calm In the Chaos
13:37 Swimming Beyond The Pool

In this episode, I'll give you the exact issues that hold swimmers back at each pace from beginner swimmers at two 30 per hundred or slower, all the way to advanced swimmers at one 15 per hundred for a kilometer.
And I'll also give you actionable drills and strategies to help you progress to the next level.

02:10 – Drill 1: Horizontal body posture
03:30 – Drill 2: Balanced tempo
05:00 – Drill 3: Efficient breathing
06:20 – Drill 4: Catch & pull mechanics
08:00 – Kit/gear suggestions
09:30 – Putting it all together
11:00 – Programming & progression
12:30 – Real-life example
14:00 – Summary & tips to keep improving

Hey, Brenton here. If you ever find yourself uncomfortable in the open water and not feeling that calm when you've got other people around and not knowing where to sit or where to draft off people to be most effective at it. This episode's for you. I joined the Low Tide Boys, Chip and Chris on a podcast, and they asked me all about the science of drafting.

So on this episode, I get stuck into that so you know exactly where to sit. In a pack or with other people around to maximize the draft, as well as how to prepare for this stuff if you don't have much access to the open water. So I hope you enjoy this episode. There's a lot of value for anyone who's training for open water swims or doing any sort of triathlon racing.

This episode is filled with things that will help you maximize your next open water race. Just to give you a heads up, we've added some dates for our 2026 camps for the Maldives and also for Thailand. I haven't released this anywhere else yet, but I'm just giving you the heads up on the podcast. If you wanna join me next year on one of those camps to work on your swimming, then there's a few dates that we've added@effortlessswimming.com slash camps.

02:57 General Consideration Around Open water Swimming
05:58 Sighting In Open water
12:58 Optimal Way To Draft
18:06 The Closer The Better
21:01 Keep It Tidy
22:16 Mindset For People Who Is Leading The Swim
29:03 Overtaking In Open water
33:11 Surging In Open water
36:59 Gears When Swimming

Have you ever realized you’re spending thousands on supplements that do little more than clutter your cabinet? One athlete was on the hook for $6,500 a year—until Taryn Richardson helped her strip it back to what truly makes a difference. In this episode, Taryn breaks down how to use simple blood tests to guide your choices, and spot the supplements worth keeping (and those you can dump). Stick around—you’ll finish this show knowing exactly which pills, powders and potions deserve a place in your daily routine.

00:00 The Supplement Dilemma: What's Worth It?
03:06 Blood Tests: A Key to Personalized Nutrition
07:07 Iron and Vitamin D: Essential Nutrients for Athletes
11:25 Creatine and Protein Powders: The New Norm?
15:26 The Multivitamin Myth: Are They Really Necessary?
19:11 Electrolytes and BCAAs: When to Use Them?
21:11 The Strategic Approach to Supplements

Taryn Richardson
https://www.dietitianapproved.com/academy

Want to really transform your swimming? Join us on a swim camp in 2025 in the Maldives, Galapagos Islands, or Thailand: https://effortlessswimming.com/camps/

Change your technique and swim a smoother, easier freestyle with the Effortless Swimming membership:
https://effortlessswimming.com/training-and-membership-plans/?el=blog