Dean Farris

Setting the American record in the 200 freestyle was a thrilling experience. I don't remember much of the race as I was in so much pain during the last 50, but it was a great moment to be with my teammates and have them cheering me on afterwards.
 
Transcript: "What was it like to set the American record in the 200, freestyle, to be honest. It was just a blur. Is I let off the a, for Relay at the 2019 NCAA championships. I was really, really excited. And there was a lot of energy. So beforehand I was just really locked in and then honestly, during the race everything just kind of took over. So I don't really remember much of it. The only part I do remember is at the hundred wall. I was underwater. Daughter and I heard the announcer saying something. So I knew I was definitely out fast, but the last 50, I just remember being in so much pain. And once I touch the wall and finish and saw my time, it was all just kind of a blur. So but is a pretty crazy moment to be there with my teammates and a lot of pain and a lot of fun cheering them on afterwards. But yeah, I wish I remembered a little bit more but that was definitely a fun one."

My favorite exercise for power is toes-to-bar. I like doing sets of 4 rounds of 10 or 4 rounds of 16 (1 each side). This exercise works on the core and lats which are key for generating power in the water.
 
Transcript: "Hey Robert, that's a great question. My favorite exercise for power and I really love doing toes-to-bar. So hanging from a bar in the weight room and then lifting up, either both legs up the same time or rotating to each shoulder. I like doing sets of those like four rounds of 10 or for four rounds of 16. If I was doing one each side. I think that one works on the core which at the end of the day, that's going to drive your first hour back. Sure. Look. And secondly, I really think it works on the lats and feeling the connection from the top of your hand all the way down to your core. I think those two things, it's really key for keeping that power especially when you're in your catch on freestyle, backstroke."

I chose to enroll at Harvard because I connected with the team, coaches and vision of the Ivy League and wanted to bring a new standard to the program.
 
Transcript: "How did I come to enroll at Harvard as opposed to university from a top five student program? That's a good question. I think for me when I took visits, I really just connected with the Harvard team, the Harvard coaches, the vision of the Ivy League, and I wanted to make it a change and an impact. I wanted to bring the Ivy League to a new kind of a new standard from what they're used to. So that was my goal. That's what got me excited and that's why I chose to go there."

The form guy is cool and the use of technology in swimming is likely to increase, helping improve performance.
 
Transcript: "I think the form goggles are pretty cool. I personally have not actually worn them. I've seen people that have had them, but I think that's gonna just open up the door for technology in swimming. We've already seen it happen with fitness wearables, with trackers. So I think swimming's just gonna become even more and more technology focused and it's just only gonna help, I'm sure, in a few years. We're gonna see a lot of changes, hopefully, with the sport and I think all sports are going to more of that technical and using technology to help improve performance."

Excitement is usually the best energy supplement before a race, but if you need something more, try coffee or tea.
 
Transcript: "The best energy supplement before the race? Honestly, probably just getting excited. But if you really need to pick me up, it's the fourth day of a meet. I would say either coffee. I would drink tea sometimes because coffee made me too jittery. Just finding what works with you. Some people can do espresso shots, whatever it is. But I usually stuck with tea because I didn't need that much caffeine. I was usually pretty excited and I want to be able to sleep the night after the race. So that's what I went with. But I know a lot of people that did coffee and other things."

Developing the ability for underwater kicks requires a focus on ankle flexibility and hip mobility, such as through hip flexor stretches.
 
Transcript: "Some methods for developing mobility for underwater kicks. For me, the biggest thing is your ankle flexibility. So what I would do is I would just sit on my ankles, try and get them pretty flexible. The other thing is having your hips and everything else in line, right? So if you're low back and your back is really tight and your hips are tight, usually it's caused by that. It's gonna be hard for you to get that full dolphin motion. So I always really worked on my hip flexors. So doing hip flexor stretches, trying to get my back right, just so I have a really good mobility all the way through my body."