swimming with or without fins?

[60schld]

 Hi to all~ I am doing 3000 meters of long slow distance 3X per week.  I also have a previously injured left shoulder (from a fall 5 years ago) which acts up now and then.  So, I have been thinking of using fins for part of my workout.  I have been afraid this will aggravate my arthritic knee, but some say not necessarily.  Anyone out there have any opinions?  Thanks

[Kaputt_Knee]

I use soft fins as part of my strength training 60schld and they help me keep my legs straighter. This means I am working my quads and hamstrings more. My fins are called pool fins and have a slipper foot. Don't try stiffer diving fins as they will cause you problems, as I found out to my cost when I tried my normal scuba fins because I wanted to wear my bootees to keep my feet warm! Big mistake on my part - but I did swim faster 

Sue 

[60schld]

Thanks Sue for your reply.  Are your fins short or long?  We have something called Zoomers which are very popular here.  They are very short.    Carol

[Kaputt_Knee]

No they are standard length but do not have any stiffening longitudinally.

Mine are the soft slipper version of the Mares Avanti Quattro and are intended for training purposes only or for wimps in open water who don't want to fight against any currents 

Sue 

[BellaVega]

I've tried the long fins before and it seemed to make my knees worse. It was almost like I was putting more tension in my knee and of course my muscles. While I could swim faster with the fins, I preferred to not have them on and use my arms to pull me more than my legs.

[UK Girl !]

I use short fins.

[60schld]

I too use zip fins, which are short split fins for the last 20 minutes of my workout.  That seems to work fine.

[fire535]

Short . Stiff fins put the most stress on your knees.  I have had lateral release in both knees and have damage to the underside of the patella articular cartilage.

Long flexible fins help me strength my legs without putting to much stress on the joint.  I used zoomers for a bit but they definitely made my knees worse 

[Ingrid]

I have used the short blue zoomers fins for years.  They help me glide better in the water, but I do wonder if it's a better workout for your legs with or without fins?