Looking for anyone that has a vasa that can give me some advice. Due to time constraints I am seeing if the vasa could be a viable option instead of going to the pool. I am not against going to the pool just looking for a little more convenience for some 70.3’s I have planned in 2020.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Erica,
After moving to a new city where no pools were convenient enough, I lobbied my employer to get a Vasa. We got one six months ago.
I haven’t competed in triathlons this year, so it’s hard to say whether doing Vasa only would be enough, but it certainly feels positive.
A big plus for me is to be able to see the power output as I go. Also, I try to follow recommendations to keep good technique, chiefly with keeping elbows high.
Overall, I’m really happy I have one available.
@ericallenboyd Did you end up getting a Vasa? I’m in the same situation—looking for a convenient way to maximize dry land training as I prep for a few 70.3’s this year. Not sure I’ll be able to make pool swims as consistently as I’d like due to pool schedule and family commitments.
I’m on the hunt for a used Vasa SwimErg. It’d be a big financial commitment, but I’m hoping it’d be worth it.
Did not get one. Still on the fence as my pool is very close to me and the cost of the vasa is many years of pool membership.
Ok. Thanks for the update. Very valid point re: cost!
There was a guy on Slowtwitch that swore by his Vasa…went from a MOP swimmer to FOP, if I recall correctly.
Never used one, so can’t vouch for it, but seems like a viable alternative when you can’t get to the pool.
Think it was Sam Gyde - Sam Gyde and His VASA: Shut My Mouth - Slowtwitch.com
Pretty good endorsement - adult onset swimmer who does most of his swim training on the Vasa, is a Kona qualifier and AG winner at IM Texas.
I’ve looked at Vasa fairly seriously - my biggest issues with swimming are simply logistics and motivation. I have a low boredom threshold. Indoor cycling is fine as I can listen to or watch something. Outdoor cycling is fine as I’m either in a group or at least there’s scenery, traffic, climbs, corners, etc to occupy the mind. Running is fine as I just pop the headphones in. Going up and down the same 25m stretch of pool over and over? That sucks! Add in the fact that I have to pack my bag and drive or ride to the pool vs just running or riding straight out the door, and that’s enough to ensure that however good my intentions are I always end up losing motivation on swimming. I think a Vasa in my garage that I could just jump on for a quick workout, with music or podcast on (or maybe a tablet on the floor that I can watch with my face down?!) would be a game changer. Could see myself doing some kind of swim training nearly every day instead of a few times a week. It’s just the cost…
Thanks a lot for the link and feedback. I agree–with three young kids at home, my training schedule is rather tight (mostly early mornings) and doesn’t really work with local pool lap swim times at the moment. I could see this changing in a few years when my kids are older and I have more flexibility in my training schedule (hopefully), but I think the Vasa could be a great option for home training in early morning (or after kids are in bed) on a regular basis. I’m currently a BOP swimmer (mostly due to fact that I’m having trouble consistently getting to the pool)–hope the Vasa could help build my swim strength/endurance so that I could at least move to MOP. (I totally understand the best way to improve is actually swimming, but hope I could see some gains from consistently using the Vasa over a period of time).
I’m with you—the cost is super high, which is why I’m looking for a used one (still fairly costly though and shipping will be super pricey if not within driving distance).
I’ll plan to follow back up on this thread to report on my progress if I secure a used Vasa and start using it consistently.
No, it wasn’t Sam I was thinking of, but you’re right…pretty solid endorsement right there!! Dude is a stud!!
So I just purchased a Vasa Swim Erg used in San Diego. $300! What a deal! LOL so I thought. After getting it dropped off at a local UPS store to get it boxed up and shipped to Austin Tx. im now paying $300 to box it up and around $250 to ship it. It will also cost me $300 to get the new ANT+ setup to use trainer road software. So im at $1150 or so for a 2012 Vasa. I hope I dont regret it. Either way Ive been looking for a while and the either get sold super fast or the seller wont ship it so I jump on this one as fast as i could. AS for training with it. Im going to be getting up an hour early 5 days a week to get an hour workout in and one swim a week in the pool. Will see how it goes. There are a couple Teams for Vasa users but im finding out that they have to setup properly for you to be able to share workouts created. I did create a new group so that i can fix that issue going forward. Another issue with using Vasa trainer with TrainerRoad is that you will need two different FTP’s. One for swimming and another for the bike. Currently TrainerRoad doesnt have this option so you have to manually change it every time. I reached out to ask for this feature and was told I should start a new Thread requesting it and if they see enough need for it then they might add this option.
Thanks for the feedback. Yeah I’d talked to someone who shipped one and they said shipping was around the $350 range. However, they didn’t mention the boxing costs—I didn’t consider another few hundred dollars for boxing…
Let me know how your training ends up working out! I hadn’t finalized how I was going to train on it (use workouts recommended by Vasa or use with TR) yet.
I’m struggling hard to find a used Vasa Erg. I’ve posted on about 30 FB groups, slowtwitch, monitored Craigslist (nationally) daily too. If anyone has any leads on one, please let me know! (Found one on FB marketplace and can’t get a response from the seller 
)
I think I know the thread you’re thinking of. Or at least I remember a popular ST thread by Lightheir (I think? remembering arbitrary details from 10 ish years ago).
If I got back into triathlon I’d probably get one pretty quickly. I do miss swimming. I’m curious if it helps with technique. Sam appears to have a good high elbow catch - that took me forever to learn / recognize in the water.
I had one for a month. Did TR workouts on it. Disliked it quite a bit. I sent it back.
To me, it was nothing at all like swimming and there is way too much of a risk of poor form. I’m a solid MOP swimmer, but FOP bike (and almost FOP runner), and nothing will replace time in the water. I had the swimErg with ant+. Unfortunately, I lost $600 on the whole transaction due to the fact that it costs a fortune to ship the thing…
Yeah, I think that was it.
Thanks a lot for the feedback. I really do appreciate it. At this point, I’m willing to take a gamble on trying it out as I think it’s likely a good option for me based on time available/ability to get to pool on consistent basis. My hope would be to use the Vasa at least 2-3 times/week and still make it to the pool 1-2 times/week (as I know time in the water is important).
I know it’s a super heavy item, but I’m surprised you spent $600 on shipping. It looks like shipping is $100 when you purchase from Vasa’s site—was it a lot more expensive to return ship? (I have talked to someone who sold/shipped one in the secondary market and they said shipping was $350 one way.)
I think it was a little over $100 from them to me and then just under $450 for me to ship it back to them.
I don’t think the ANT+ is critical. I opted for it when buying the unit, but only have used it once. Just not important. Save your money if you still can.
My experience with the Vasa is that it is really hard, even on damper 1 setting. I am a FOP swimmer (not uber swimmer…like 29 minutes in a 70.3) and it is crazy hard to do more than 100’s for a few, then I’m down to 50s then 25s. If I can get a 1000m in, it is a lot. Spent. Can’t eat dinner tired.
Wow ok. I appreciate the heads up on that!
Do you use a fan when training on Vasa? Do you sweat a ton when using it? Trying to figure out if I’d need another Lasko fan and trainer mat🤔