Shouts From The Stands: Swim Training With Digital Health Technology

SwimSwam welcomes reader submissions about all topics aquatic, and if it’s well-written and well-thought, we might just post it under our “Shouts from the Stands” series. We don’t necessarily endorse the content of the Shouts from the Stands posts, and the opinions remain those of their authors. If you have thoughts to share, please send [email protected].

This “Shouts from the Stands” submission comes from Siphiwe Baleka:

*Disclaimer – neither Baleka or SwimSwam were compensated to endorse any of the products in this article.

Vielight 333 First Use Test

I had a very disappointing experience in Budapest for the 17th FINA Masters World Championships. I was seeded first, second, third or fourth in all of my events and my goal was to become a world champion and maybe break a world record. I ended up with four silver medals, a USMS national record, a collapse and trip to the medical tent and a marriage proposal.  

While getting a silver medal is a rewarding accomplishment, I dedicated two years of focused training to become world champion and I did not achieve that. I was disappointed.

Since my return, I have continued swimming, but I have not committed to any particular goal yet. I’m just swimming because that is what I do. I’m not motivated to train as long or as hard, so I decided to experiment with my training.

Last week I received my Vielight 633 device and wore it a few times. Basically, the device emits red light which is absorbed by the mitochondria in the blood vessels of the nose. The red light contains photonic energy which is then converted in the mitochondria to ATP which is then used to produce energy. As a result, I should be able to train better, swim faster, and recover sooner due to the increased oxygenation of the blood. That’s the theory anyway.

This morning, for the first time, I used the Vielight 633 just before morning practice. I followed my normal protocol before practice which includes, waking up, measuring my heart rate variability to determine my workout readiness, measuring my bioenergy status, drinking my pre-workout supplement, using resistance bands to activate my scapular muscles, and then start warmup. Only this morning, I used the Vielight 633 for the full 25-minute cycle immediately before the workout.

According to my heart rate variability, I am in good shape but likely recovering. My heart rate variability (Vscore) was below my trend, so it was recommended that I train light this morning. My resting heart rate was 59 bpm, which is right around my monthly average of 58, so I wasn’t overly fatigued.

Courtesy of ZoomHRV app

On Monday I did 3,500 yards in 60 minutes and the following day I did 3,300 yards. For me, as a 46-year-old masters swimmer, that’s good training. Monday is kind of a long aerobic day and Tuesday is an aerobic or threshold day.

Courtesy of Skimble Workout Trainer app

Usually, by Wednesday, I am feeling fatigued and Wednesday morning becomes a recovery workout. The previous week, my energy output when waking was 63 joules on Monday, 64 joules on Tuesday, and 58 Joules on Wednesday. I was so fatigued on Wednesday that I did not go to morning practice and slept until about 7:45 am at which point I took the energy reading with an extra three hours of sleep and it was still very low.

Courtesy of Bio Well software

This Monday my energy output was 65 joules, on Tuesday it was 64 joules, and this morning it was 59 joules. So, I felt my usual fatigue this morning and because of all this data and how I was feeling, I planned to do a recovery workout and not push myself too hard. However, I decided to use the Vielight 633 to see if it would make a difference.

Like most swimmers, as soon as I jump in the water and begin swimming, I assess how I feel. Do I feel stiff? Loose? Is my swimming smooth or labored? Do I feel fast or fatigued? To my surprise this morning, immediately I felt loose and smooth. My immediate thought was, “Hey, maybe there is something to this photobiomodulation technology!” I kept waiting for that good feeling to go away but it didn’t. Was something happening? Was this just a placebo effect? I wasn’t sure, but, I was enjoying practice this morning!

Then, the coach put the main set on the board. We did some swimming with socks and “best average”, but for me, the most important part was the last set: 8 x 50’s alternating one easy and one fast. On a set like that, feeling fatigued, a normal time for me for breaststroke would be about 32 to 33 seconds and a good time would be 32 to 31 seconds. During taper, this would drop to 30 to 29 seconds. For the first two fast 50’s I went 31.0 and 31.0. Moreover, it felt easy! For the second two fast 50’s, I did freestyle. Again, a normal time feeling fatigued at the end of a workout would be 26 to 25 seconds. A good time would be 25 to 24 seconds. This morning, I went 24 seconds on the first one and 23.7 on the second. It felt loose and instead of feeling completely “Spent”, I felt like I had more in me.

Courtesy of Skimble Workout Trainer app

My heart rate data from the workout was surprising, too. My max heart rate was only 171 bpm. That means I was swimming fast without swimming as hard as I normally do when sprinting. It is not uncommon for my heart rate to reach anywhere from 185 bpm to 205 bpm swimming all-out! Here I was hitting fast times with lower heart rates and that’s what I mean about feeling good.

So, what effect did the Vielight have? Without directly measuring my blood somehow, I can’t directly measure or determine the physiological effect. By theory, the increased ATP in the mitochondria should have increased the available amount of energy to perform the workout. However, here are some facts:

1. I felt better in the water.
2. I performed better than normal under similar circumstances
3. The effect of #1 and #2 continued through the workout which produced greater enjoyment and motivation.

So, even if there was only a “placebo” effect, it was an effect nonetheless. Not bad for a first use test. Hopefully, I will generate some good data over time, improve my training, and swim personal bests this short course season.