Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tempo Trainer Pro - A great upgrade!

I really enjoyed the old Finis Tempo Trainer.  The digital metronome had two major flaws:

  • the battery was not replaceable
  • if you were using the trainer for pacing, you could not reset it for the start of a rep.
The newest version addresses both of these flaws, and make the trainer much easier to use, and it increases it's lifespan.
The Tempo Trainer Pro has the familiar two button system below the readout.  The two buttons turn the trainer on/off, and allow you to adjust the metronome.  The top button is a reset button that restarts the metronome cycle.  Why would you want to do this?  For pace work.

My favorite use of the Tempo Trainer Pro is as a pacing device.  If you have a swimmer that needs to be pacing 50's at a :30.2 second pace, you can simply set the metronome at :15.1.  At the start of each 50, the swimmer can tap the reset button.  To stay on pace, the simply need to turn at/before the first tone, and then finish on the second tone.  I think this use is ideal for teaching a swimmer how to pace a middle distance to distance race.

Of course, the Tempo Trainer Pro can be used to work on stroke rates.  Set the metronome down to anything from .01 seconds on up.  The precision is great.

All in all, the upgrade is just what the coach ordered.  The price tag is a bit high at $49.99, but I expect the price will go down once it is available from vendors other than just the manufacturer.  For now, you can order yours at finisinc.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment