Courtesy of GMX7, a SwimSwam partner.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Despite his age and setbacks due to the pandemic, 12-time Olympic medalist, Ryan Lochte is setting new personal records as he prepares to solidify his legacy in the water at Summer Olympics in Tokyo this year.
To gain a competitive edge, Lochte teamed up with David McCagg, a 7-time gold medalist and former world record holding swimmer, who was working on a revolutionary training device for swimmers. McCagg developed the world’s first resistance trainer that travels the entire pool length with the swimmer. It is called the X1-PRO by GMX7, and Lochte, who holds the current world records in the short and long course individual medley began training with it in 2019.
“The gains I have been seeing by using the X1-PRO are absolutely unbelievable,” said Lochte. “It’s undoubtedly helping me achieve the best times in my career, which at my age, are rather unprecedented.”
The X1-PRO is a small, 6-inch-long, resistance training device that weighs less than 4 pounds and clips into the end-point connections for a pool’s lane lines. It can then be connected to the swimmer via a leash and travels on a line back and forth up to 50 meters in length at the adjustable resistance the swimmer desires.
“The versatility and functionality of the X1-PRO has proven to be the difference maker,” said Lochte. “It really has helped our entire team prepare for the global stage in Tokyo.”
Lochte, who is now married and a proud father of two, has been training near their home in Gainesville. This is where he met McCagg in 2018 and where the X1-PRO was originally tested.
“Ryan approached me, asked what it was and offered to give it a try,” said McCagg, co-founder of GMX7. “Since then, we can’t keep him away from it. Between his work ethic, and mental fortitude, it’s really no surprise that Ryan is the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history. There is no doubt in my mind that he’s going to do something special at trials and in the games this summer.”
Lochte isn’t the only Olympian training on the X1-PRO. Currently, more than 75 anticipated Olympians from 15 countries across the world are training on the X1-PRO in hopes of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics with more to come.
The X1-PRO is assembled in the USA by GMX7, and has quickly become a necessity for all levels of competitive swim, especially those collegiate swimmers working so hard to get to the very top of their sport.
Development of the X1-PRO began in 2018, and it was tested extensively at the University of Florida prior to becoming available to the general public earlier last year.
