I was wondering when we’d see one of these pop up! Hit us up and let us know if there are any more!

[H/T: Gus]

ETA: Swim Aid fave, Spin Beck, sent us a link to one she and her Texas teammates did. Also hilarious!

BTW, The bottom module stirs under the educational group.

You know what would be cool? If we could have a little fun with predicting the outcome of certain races, at the Olympics, without delving into the world of betting. I love reading all the pre-race stories and speculation among the swimming faithful when it comes to big meets. It’s fun and perfectly healthy because it won’t set you back your first born.

I think this is where a site like PredictsThat.com could come in handy. It allows users to sign in using their Twitter or Facebook accounts, and from there, they can go on record about absolutely whatever is on their mind; from politics, to sports, to movies. You name it, you can predict it!

Say, for instance, you think Michael Phelps is going to beast again, in London. You can login right now and state how many medals you think he’ll win. Or break it down to a specific race, if you want. It’s up to you! Other site members can then see what you’ve predicted, comment on them, and even vote on your visions when the event window closes. It’s like a social network to talk trash and potentially gloat. What’s not to like? I think we could have some fun with this!

So, if you want to get your prediction on, check out PredictsThat.com! We looked into our Magic 8-ball and feel strongly that one Olympic outcome. (Yea, we know. Really went out on a limb there lol.)

Hey, a swimmer’s hair is a top priority! All that chlorine has got to do some serious damage, so who better for a hair/shampoo company to sign to a sponsorship deal than a swimmer? Exactlyyyyy.

That’s what Pantene thought as well as Natalie Coughlin announced her deal with them today.

I’m not sure I can even think of a swimmer/hair partnership in recent years. Can you? I’m sure UltraSwim hooks up some athletes, but what about the big name companies? Head & Shoulders seems to have thrown themselves completely into the NFL/MLB arena.

These companies now have their pick of spokespersons throughout the Olympic season. Who’s next?

Watch a behind-the-scenes video of Nat’s Pantene shoot below… Continue Reading »

Matt Grevers has joined Twitter. The Swim Aids have a soft spot for him, dating back to his Northwestern days where we got to see him compete regularly. (Ahh, the good ol days!) And how could we forget his ginormous TYR ad in Omaha for the 2008 Olympic Trials? Awesomesauce. That was a Swim Aid pleaser. Also, he has the distinction of being the only person on the planet that I’ve ever had to get on tip toe in order to hug. He is that tall.

So follow him, and some junk. Ok?

S/O: Is Davis Tarwater on Twitter? I honestly feel a social network like Twitter was made for him. There isn’t a wittier human being on the planet. For real. (Read his 20 Question Tuesday from last week if you don’t believe me. We go way back, though. T-DUB!!)

It’s been pretty routinely documented that swimmers do more than just train in a pool. Not that I can speak from experience, but I do read a lot! Even without the extra curricular training, I feel like swimmers are the most fit athletes in the world, so what they do to add to their overall fitness interests me!

Personally, I stick to stuff like running (in warm weather months) or a healthy rotation of 90-120 day Extreme Body Workout programs like P90x, Insanity, TurboFire, or ChaLEAN Extreme. Yes, I’m a big fan of Beach Body programs. They’re probably not as intense as what elite swimmers are doing, but I’ve always wondered if they did do programs like that to shake up their routines or burst out of plateau.

I’ll not insult swimmers by comparing my fitness routines to theirs (lol), but I find when I do the long/structured workout programs, my cardio endurance is much improved. It’s especially true once I start my 5k/10k run training each year. I don’t want to make too many assumptions, but I wonder if the results would be similar for the aquatic-inclined. Seems like a great fit. (A quick Google search confirms as much)

We’ve famously heard about celebrities, including some pro athletes using programs like P90x. The second I heard NBA superstar Ray Allen had used it, I was impressed. I’m not sure if anyone in that league is in better shape on a year-to-year basis. So all that made me wonder how many in the swimming community had given it — or a comparable program — a shot to shake up their dryland training. This includes National Team members. I’m truly intrigued! I would love to hear more about it! (90 Day Review has a great selection of equipment and supplements for P90x.)

This is a guest post provided by Fitness Alliance

“Reunited and it feels so gooooodddd!”

It’s no secret that The Swim Aids were absolutely heartbroken when we learned of the Yetter/Hoff breakup of 2008. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves because there does not exist a word to describe how much we love Paul. No, really. We’ve combed the dictionary, and such a word does not exist. Simply put, Paul Yetter > everything. And we will fight anyone who says otherwise.

Anyway, Swimming World Magazine broke the news that The Hoff would be leaving FAST, moving cross country and down to Naples (FL), to reunite with her old coach.

Maybe now would be a good time for Paul to bust out that t-shirt we got him a few years back. Don’t worry, he knows the one.

In closing, this is how we really feel about this news:

Note: Since “The Man” conspired against our main YouTube account and deleted years worth of great video, I decided to start up a “Throwback Thursday” post ritual right here on the blog! Should be some good stuff; maybe even some stuff you’ve never seen or haven’t seen in a while! Remember, I have the entire video archives from MrPhelps.com and SwimStars.org!