FINIS, Inc., the worldwide leader in technical swimming innovation is very excited to announce the launch of the Iso strapless isolation paddles.   These simple and effective paddles will be known not only for their versatility but also specificity in training targeted muscle groups while swimming.

The original idea for the Iso paddles emerged when Cofounder and CEO John Mix was having a conversation with legendary former University of California-Berkeley Head Coach Nort Thornton.

“Nort and I talk regularly about swimming products and how to continue to develop products that will simplify swimming,” recalls Mix of the initial conversation, “Nort was telling me about how he had swimmers hold ping-pong balls to help isolate specific muscle groups while training.”

This simple, yet effective technique immediately sparked Mix’s interest – the longtime swimming inventor knew his team could create a paddle that would immediately change the way people look at swim paddles.

FINIS’ Industrial Design Team went to work in the Stroke Lab to develop a paddle that mimicked the same stroke engagement as Nort’s ping-pong balls but allowed the hand to stay in a relaxed, palm positive hand position. After two years of development with over 150 different prototypes and 1,500 hours of 3D printing time, FINIS is proud to introduce the Iso strapless isolation paddle.

The Iso strapless isolation paddles are designed to isolate specific muscle groups. Their asymmetrical design creates an imbalance in the catch phase of the stroke, forcing the swimmer to apply more pressure on either side of the paddle to maintain the correct stroke technique. By developing the paddle this way, the swimmer is forced to overcompensate using specific muscle groups, thus building stroke stability and strength.

“We had a lot of fun designing the Iso paddles.  Muscle isolation was a tough problem to solve – but that’s what we live for,” says Mix.

The imbalance also helps a swimmer build muscle memory in the proper stroke position. The variance in the stroke technique encourages swimmers to pay increased attention to the muscles that are engaged to optimize the stroke. The convex design of the paddle is designed to eliminate sweep tendencies prior to the catch in the stroke, making this paddles a safer alternative to larger full paddles.

One of the most innovative parts about the Iso paddles is its ability to be worn on either hand, thus creating a different muscular response per configuration. When the paddle is worn in the outer configuration it is devised to train the triceps and trapezius muscles. When switching the paddles to opposite hands, wearing them in the inner configuration, the swimmer trains the biceps, pectoral and deltoid muscles.

Through extensive testing with elite-level athletes such as former US Olympian Scott Weltz and Olympic medalist Milorad Cavic, FINIS recommends the outer configuration for long-axis strokes (freestyle and backstroke), and the inner configuration for short-axis strokes (breaststroke and butterfly).

The Iso paddles utilize FINIS’ award-winning strapless paddle design. FINIS first introduced this design with their Agility paddles, which took home several industrial design awards, including the coveted Red Dot Design Award. The strapless paddle design is what has helped make FINIS the market leader in competitive swimming paddles.

“Our company has been creating innovative swimming products for almost 25 years now,” says Mix, “The Iso paddles are a pretty incredible product that will go great on every single pool deck around the world. I can say confidently that these will make swimmers stronger and faster right away.”