FINIS Tempo Trainer User manual

www.finisinc.com • 888-33-FINIS (TOLL FREE) • Exclusive North American Distributor of LANE 4®
Tempo Trainer
“The Tempo Trainer radically
changed my team. We don’t
even use a stop watch in
warm up at meets anymore.
I think it’s going to be the
biggest change in training in
the last twenty years!”
-Clark Campbell
Head Swim Coach,
University of Kansas
[ eliminate the “lows” from your workout! ]
[control your pace ]
“Tempo Trainers are
required swim equipment
within all our swimmer's
gear bags.”
-Dr.Dave Salo,
Head Swim Coach,
Irvine Novaquatics
2003 USA Coach /
World Championship
Team
What is the Tempo Trainer?
The Tempo Trainer acts as a personal pace coach that elevates training and maximizes
performance. It is quickly becoming the standard training tool that elite coaches consistently
use to improve their athletes’ abilities. The Tempo Trainer is a small electronic device that
transmits an audible beep to help develop consistency of stroke and stroke cycle rate, as
well as to identify and distinguish between optimal training and race paces.
Why do I need the Tempo Trainer?
A smart race means a smart pace. Go out too fast, and you die all over the place. Too
slow, and you’re never in the race. The Tempo Trainer is the best available tool to help you
focus on achieving the optimum combination of stroke length and stroke rate, the two
most critical factors to swimming efficiently.
Today’s top coaches agree that maintaining a consistent pace is crucial to achieving
success in competition. Regardless of the event, working out with the Tempo Trainer is the
best method to achieve your optimum performance.
What does the Tempo Trainer give me?
Control Isolates two primary fundamentals for controlling speed: distance per
stroke and stroke rate
Consistency Teaches you to maintain speed through proper development of rhythm
Real-Time Feedback Alerts you immediately to any fade or breakdown in your workout
Muscle Memory Reinforces a consistent pace through fixed repetition
Motivation Allows you to set your own personal benchmark to gauge overall
performance and monitor improvements
Pace Regulates your pace from the beginning to the end of your workout,
eliminating risk of burnout

How do I operate the Tempo Trainer?
Instructions:
•To turn unit ON, press RIGHT button
•To turn unit OFF, hold down BOTH buttons at the same time
•To scroll time UP, press and hold RIGHT button
•To scroll time DOWN, press and hold LEFT button
•LCD times out after 5-10 seconds. Push any button to re-activate display at
current pace time.
Unit has two modes:
Mode 1: For monitoring and setting pace for single stroke and stroke cycles
•0.20 seconds to 9.99 seconds
•SINGLE audible beep
•Colon (:) does not flash
Mode 2: For monitoring and setting pace for laps, distance or intervals
•Hold right (UP) button after reaching 9.99 seconds
•9.99 seconds to 9.59 minutes
•THREE audible chirps
•Colon (:) flashes
Peter Reid’s Pro Set
1000 Warm Up
5 x 400 yds. (with 30-45 seconds
rest in between)
After each 400 yards, increase
the tempo trainer rate by 2 one-
hundredths. (ie: 1st 100 yds: Set
Tempo Trainer setting at .84; 2nd
100 yds: Set Tempo Trainer setting
at .82 and so on)
"I use my Tempo Trainer every swim
workout for any set over 400 yards."
-Peter Reid,
3X Ironman World Champion
Quick Tip:
If the colon on the LCD display is flashing, you’re in Stroke Mode 2. If not, Lap Mode 1.
Getting Started Tip
After you think you have a nice
distance per stroke setting, add a
pace clock to the equation. Swim
50 yards at 80% effort and note
time. While keeping up with the dis-
tance per stroke pace, try to take a
second off.
What you’ll find is that if you
continue to go faster and keep your
stroke long, you will have to kick
harder, pull through harder and
rotate more — in other words, ele-
vate the quality of your swimming.
*Submit your favorite or most creative sets to: [email protected]
How do I get started?
Set your Tempo Trainer to 1:00. The unit will beep once every second. Each alternate
hand should enter the water every time you hear a beep.
Swim 50 yards at this setting, exerting a very moderate effort. You will find that you
either can or cannot make your stroke longer at this setting and effort level.
Either speed the unit up or slow it down until you find your longest realistic stroke.
Realistic means the longest stroke without over-kicking (conceivably, you could take
one stroke per lap if you kicked really hard). When you find that setting, you’ve
determined your DPS (maximum distance per stroke).
Tempo Trainer
Distance per Cycle x Cycle Rate = Pace Time
Distance per Cycle Cycle Rate
Swim Distance per Stroke Time per Stroke
Bike Distance per Cycle (RPM) Time per Cycle (RPM)
Run Distance per Stride Time per Stride
Blue Green Red