Libsyn Directory

#413 : How I qualified for the Nationals (at 38 years old) with Brenton Ford

Release Date: 01/15/2026

#423 : Why You've Been Taught To Over-Rotate with Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

One of the most common things I see in newer swimmers… is how flat they are in the water. Their hips are flat, their shoulders are flat — and what ends up happening is they just spin their wheels. They’re putting in a lot of effort with the arms, kicking hard with the legs… but nothing is really connecting. It feels like hard work — but it doesn’t translate into speed. So in today’s episode, we’re going to break down why swimming flat is holding you back… and how to start linking everything together so your stroke actually works as one powerful, efficient system.

#422 : Why You’re Not Faster After Working On Your Catch with Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

You’ve probably heard it before — your freestyle catch is everything. And maybe you’ve been working on it. You’ve improved the position, you feel stronger in the water, and technically… it looks better. But here’s the frustrating part — you’re still not getting any faster. So what’s going on? Today, we’re breaking down exactly why improving your catch doesn’t always translate into speed… and what you need to do to actually get the benefit from it. Because recently, I worked with a swimmer who had done everything right. He sent in underwater footage, we reviewed it...

#421 : How This Swimmer Got Faster, Without Working Harder with Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

If you feel like getting faster in the water means you just have to work harder… push more… suffer more… there’s a good chance you’re taking the wrong approach. Because here’s what most swimmers think: if you’re stuck swimming 1:45 or 1:50 per 100 freestyle, and you’re aiming for 1:30… the only way to get there is by getting fitter, stronger, and grinding harder every single session. But what if that’s not true? What if the real reason you’re not getting faster isn’t about effort at all… but about how you’re swimming? Today, we’re breaking down the biggest...

#420 : The Real Reason You Are Out Of Breathe with Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

#419 : Only 6 Swimmers In History Have Done This with Sam Short

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

So what does he do that 99.999% of swimmers don’t? How is he able to swim this fast? I’ve spent my career analyzing the best swimmers in the world, but watching Sam swim up close is a completely different experience. I’ve never seen anyone hold as much water as he does, even at world-record pace. What stands out the most isn’t just the speed. It’s the relaxation. His recovery looks effortless, and the way he reaches forward into the catch is incredibly fluid—almost calm—despite the intensity of the pace he’s holding. When Sam shared some of his training with me, one thing...

#418 : I'm Now 8 Seconds Quicker Per 100m with Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

Six months of consistent training. You’re showing up to the pool. You’re doing the sets. You’re putting in the work. But your times… haven’t moved. You’re still sitting at 1:50, maybe two minutes per hundred, and no matter how hard you train, it just doesn’t seem to change. And that can be one of the most frustrating places to be as a swimmer or triathlete. Because it feels like you’re doing everything right. You’re consistent. You’re committed. You’re following the program. But you’re not getting faster. So what’s actually going on? In this episode, I’m going to...

#417 : If Your Arm Collapses When You Breathe, Do This with Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

Last month, a 39-year-old swimmer joined our weekly coaching members call. She was training for her first Ironman. She’d been swimming for about a year—consistent, disciplined, three sessions a week, following her program exactly as written. But there was a problem. She was exhausted after every session. And her pace hadn’t improved in four months. In this episode, we unpack what was really going on—because when you’re doing all the “right” things but not getting faster, it’s rarely about working harder. It’s about working smarter. We’ll talk about why consistency alone...

#416 : Don’t Be Prey: The 10-Year Battle to Reclaim a Life with Mark Sowerby

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

What would drive someone to voluntarily swim through the most dangerous ocean channels on the planet — no wetsuit, no cage, no way out except forward? In this episode, we sit down with Mark Sowerby, one of the few athletes in the world to complete the Ocean’s Seven — often described as the Everest of open water swimming — a feat achieved by just 36 swimmers. His new film, Don’t Be Prey, captures a decade-long pursuit across five continents and seven of the most brutal channels on Earth. From the freezing Irish Sea to the shark-patrolled waters of Hawaii, it’s raw, unfiltered man...

#415 : The Catch Timing Secret Olympians Use with Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

There’s a timing pattern that separates fast swimmers from slow swimmers—and most people never see it. You can watch someone swim in real time and miss it completely. But slow the video down, frame by frame, and suddenly it’s obvious. Every fast swimmer has this. A lot of slower swimmers don’t. And when you fix this one timing detail, it doesn’t just make you smoother—it feels like someone just switched the engine on in your stroke. In today’s episode, I’m going to break down exactly what that timing pattern is, why it matters so much, and most importantly, how you can actually...

#414 : The Breathing Fix That Dropped My Time 12 Seconds with Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

I watched a swimmer fix one breathing mistake and drop 12 seconds per 100 meters—not in four months, but in four weeks. No extra fitness. No added training volume. Just one specific change in how she breathed. That single adjustment took her from 1:48 per 100 down to 1:36 per 100. In this episode, I break down exactly what she changed, why it worked so fast, and how you can apply the same breathing fix in your very next swim—whether you’re training for endurance, speed, or just want to stop feeling rushed every time you turn your head to breathe. If your breathing feels like the limiter...

More Episodes

At 20 years old, I missed qualifying for the National Championships by three hundredths of a second in the 50 backstroke. Fast-forward 18 years, and at 38, I qualified for Nationals in the five-kilometer open-water swim—training mostly just three times a week.

In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly how I did it in my late thirties: the one thing an Olympic gold medalist taught me that helped me generate more power with less effort, why getting injured before the race actually worked in my favor, how just five minutes with one coach changed my technique in the final two months, and the single workout I repeated every week that built my endurance and helped me finish fast.

01:19 Missed Out Again
01:53 Stroke Analysis
3:41 Olympic Gold Medalist Secret
5:48 Swimming Workout
7:17 Injured
8:22 Race Day
8:48 The Best Anti-Fog Goggles
9:42 My 5km Time (Qualified)

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