Best Fins for Lap Swimming in 2024

Fins are a must have for all lap swimmers!

They add a ton of value to your training: Fins help strengthen your leg and core muscles, improve your ankle flexibility, and make swimming fun!

There are hundreds of different models, materials, and functions for fins. If you are looking to use a pair of fins, but do not know where to start, then read on.

Our Athlete Approved Team created a guide to the best fins for lap swimming including:

• The Best Overall Fins: Arena Powerfin Pro
• The Best Beginner Fins: Aqua Sphere Alpha Fins
• The Best Speed Fins: Finis Edge Fins
• The Best Fitness Building Fins: Finis Zoomers Gold Fins
• The Best Adjustable Fins: Laguna Swim Fins
• The Best Monofin: Finis Foil Monofin
• The Best Kid Fins: Finis Long Floating Fins
• The Best Budget Fins: Finis Positive Drive Fin
• Why You Should Use Fins
• Who Should Use Fins
• How to Use Fins

BEST OVERALL FINS FOR LAP SWIMMING: Arena Powerfin Pro

The Arena Powerfin Pro fins are our top overall pick for the best fins for lap swimming. In the world of swimming, Arena is a major player with these are one of their most popular training tools.

The comfort, performance, and look of this fins are second-to-none!

The silicon material of the Powerfin Pro deliver maximum comfort vs. traditional rubber fins. Our team has been using these for years and our feet are blister free.

The thrust of the fins gives you an even up and down kick. The toe-drain release ensures these fins stay on your feet.

They even help you gain ankle flexibility, which is one of the most important factors of having a strong and effective kick (if you have ever seen someone go backwards when kicking, check their ankle flexibility).

These functions make this fin the best option for competitive swimmers, fitness swimmers, beginner swimmers, and even body surfers.

This fin comes in a beautiful assortment of colors. We recommend sizing up if you are between sizes.

Pros:

• Comfort – Silicon material does not blister feet
• Thrust – Provides the ideal speed for training
• Design – Promotes ankle flexibility

Cons:

• Weight – Can be heavy for some beginner swimmers

Athlete Approved Note: We love DMC Swim Elite 1 Fins! Unfortunately, they are out of stock in almost all sizes.

BEST BEGINNER FINS FOR LAP SWIMMING: Aqua Sphere Alpha Fins

Our pick for the best swim fins for beginners is the Aqua Sphere Alpha Fins. They are made of closed-cell EVA foam. In other words, they are super buoyant, comfortable, and soft!

The most common thing beginner swimmers need to work on is their body position. It is important for swimmers to keep their head in-line with their body and resist the urge to look ahead.

The Aqua Sphere Alpha Swim Fins float to help you maintain that proper body alignment. That is also an added bonus should you drop them while open water swimming.

These fins are incredibly popular with triathletes!

Aqua Sphere Alpha Swim Fins come in blue and have a sea creature-like look to them.

Pros:

• Buoyancy – Helps beginners learn body position and these fins float
• UVA Foam – Made from soft and light material
• Triathletes Love These – Popular pick for triathlon swim training

Cons:

• After Care – Can deteriorate if stored outside in sun for very long periods of time

BEST SPEED FINS FOR LAP SWIMMING: Finis Edge Fins

Finis Edge Fins are fast! They are a must have for lap swimmers, body surfers, snorkelers, beach lifeguards, or anyone who wants to swim at top speeds.

These Finis fins have a unique design with side rails. This gives you max speed while building hamstring and quad muscles.

It takes power to use these fins and they will ensure you are kicking with proper technique both up and down.

The soft silicon based material on all these fins gives it a super comfortable fit. Over time, they will even get more comfortable as they mold to your foot for a custom fit!

Pros:

• Top Training Fin – A fast fin that builds strength
• Side Rails – Works up and down kick
• Open toe design – Allows for a comfortable fit and drainage

Cons:

• Snug Fit – Size up if between sizes

BEST FITNESS BUILDING FINS FOR LAP SWIMMING: Finis Zoomers Gold

The Finis Zoomers Gold Fins are designed to make you work hard! These short blade fins are intentionally made to be less propulsive compared to other fins.

Zoomer Gold Fins are best used to increase your cardiovascular capacity and quickly build leg strength. The short blade also encourages short and fast kicks, which is the proper technique to use when swimming.

They are perfect for swimmers looking for some extra propulsion, but not too much.

We also love these fins for their small compact size. They will easily fit into any swim bag!

Pros:

• Less Propulsion – Designed to make swimmers work harder
• Strength Building  – Great option to build leg stamina
• Compact – Lightweight and easy to store

Cons:

• Not Speedy – These fins are not super fast (on purpose)

BEST ADJUSTABLE FINS FOR LAP SWIMMING: Laguna Swim Fins

Made with an adjustable ankle strap, the Laguna Swim Fins are a great pair of fins. The ankle strap helps provide the perfect fit. They are perfect for sharing and children with growing feet.

These fins provide a comfortable, secure fit with an adjustable heel strap and hidden arch strap.

The hand-sewn neoprene foot pocket ensures maximum comfort, while the ultra responsive blade gives the power you need to increase leg strength.

The reinforced toe pocket resists water and wear, making these fins a great choice for both recreational and competitive swimmers.

These fins can be used for all four strokes, including breaststroke!

Laguna Swim Fins are also endorsed by Olympic Gold Medalist Kaitlin Sandeno.

Pros:

• Adjustable Ankle Strap – Allows for the perfect fit; great for sharing and growing feet
• Lightweight and Compact – Easy to carry, weighing in at 1.4 lbs
• Breaststroke Fins – They can be used for breaststroke kick

Cons:

• Short Blade – Provides less propulsion than the average fin

BEST MONOFIN FOR LAP SWIMMING: Finis Foil Monofin

No one does monofins (or snorkels) better than Finis! The Finis Foil Monofin is a light weight monofin that teaches swimmers how to properly kick butterfly.

Underwater butterfly kick is known as the “5th stroke”. A monofin can be used to perfect the even up and down kick thrust needed for an effective kick. Use this monofin for underwater streamline kick and butterfly.

The Foil Monofin is designed for technique and strength building. It will build up your core muscles to power butterfly kick and keep your legs together to kick evenly.

The rubber provides a soft, comfortable, and secure fit. It is also safer to use in a lane with shared swimmers compared to other monofins with sharp edges.

It is meant for lap swimming, but there is nothing wrong with having fun getting your mermaid on!

Pros:

• Dual Foot Pocket – Teaches how to kick butterfly
• Core Strength – Builds core muscles (try kicking fly in streamline on your back for a killer ab workout)
• Rubber – Material is soft and comfortable

Cons:

• Ankle Strap Durability – Can break over time; be sure to store them out of the sun

BEST KID’S FINS FOR LAP SWIMMING: Finis Long Floating Fins

Our pick for the best kid’s swim fins are the Finis Long Floating Fins. These fins are a great standard start up fin for children. Swimmers can use these for training and recreationally. They additionally are one of the lowest costing fins on the market.

The Long Floating Fins are designed with a long blade to provide buoyancy and propulsion. These will assist in learning how to kick from the hips, instead of the knee. They also float which will help learn proper body alignment.

If you are a swim coach working with young swimmers, the last thing you want to do is to waste time at practice sorting fins. To solve for that, these fins have a color combination associated for each size. That makes it quick and easy for teams to hand out shared equipment.

Finis makes these fins in ten sizes! They come in size XXXXS – XXL.

Pros:

• Colors – Color coded sizes helps coaches and swimmers find the right fin quickly
• Buoyancy  – These fins float to promote proper body position
• Material – Soft, natural rubber gives comfortable fit

Cons:

• Standard – A straightforward fin without extra features.

BEST BUDGET FINS FOR LAP SWIMMING: Finis Positive Drive Fins

The Positive Drive Fin is our top budget pick. Do not let the low price fool you. This is a great fin for multiple reasons.

The Positive Drive Fin can be used for all four strokes. Yes, that includes breaststroke too! Since there are not many fins designed for breaststroke, these swim fins are great for IM work.

The ergonomic foot pocket gives it an easy fit. The adjustable heel strap keeps the fin stable. The adjustability of the strap is also a nice feature for kids with growing feet.

It is no surprise that a Finis fin makes yet another appearance on this list. They know swim equipment better than anyone.

Pros:

• Price – Budget friendly price
• Used For All Four Strokes – That includes breaststroke
• Heel Strap – Adjustable strap is great for kids with growing feet

Cons:

• Propulsion – Does not provide as much speed compared to other fins on our list.

Why You Should Use Fins for Lap Swimming

Fins build strength in your leg and core muscles

Similar to how paddles will focus on your upper body strength, fins will focus on your lower body strength.

It is healthy to diversify your training by working different parts of the body.

Wearing fins will give an extra burn in your legs. Try butterfly kick on your back with fins. It is one of the best core workouts ever.

Fins increase ankle flexibility

Often times new swimmers do not have flexible ankles. Many runners and triathletes also struggle with this.

Studies and real life experience within our team have shown that having flexible ankles is more important to kicking than actual leg strength.

If you are that swimmer who kicks and goes nowhere (or even backwards), you likely have poor ankle flexibility. Use fins to increase your range of motion.

Fins help you learn to kick evenly up and down

Too many swimmers focus solely on the down kick. They slowly bring their foot back up only to reload for the next down kick.

This kicking method could not be more incorrect. Learn to work both the down and up kick with fins to enhance the efficiency of your kick!

Fins make swimming fun

Have you ever wanted to feel like you were swimming at world record pace? Put a pair of fins on and go for it!

There are few better feelings than the feeling of water rushing by you while you are being propelled by a pair of fins. Swimming can get monotonous if you are doing the same old routine.

Adding fins mixes it up and helps to make lap swimming more fun!

Who Should Use Fins

Every beginner to advanced swimmer should use fins…

Fins are great for beginners. They can help you learn proper kicking technique. Learning the correct way from the start is crucial to making healthy technical habits.

When starting out, there is no shame in using fins to increase your speed. This will help you get into the proper body position needed for efficient swimming.

They will also assist you as weaker swimmer that would like to keep up with a group.

Advanced swimmers use fins all the time. They can be found in just about every competitive swimmer’s equipment bag. They help build leg strength and add variety to workouts.

Since they can be used for all four strokes (yes, that includes fins for breaststroke), veteran swimmers use fins regularly.

How to Use Fins for Lap Swimming

The first thing to consider is transportation. Fins can be on the larger side and take up a lot of room in your swim bag. We recommend the Speedo Teamster 2.0 Backpack, TYR Big Mesh Mummy Mesh Bag, or carrying them outside of your bag.

Once you get to the pool, work in fins periodically throughout your workout. You really cannot go wrong here. Some swimmers will wear them for a portion of warm up for kicking. Other swimmers will save them for the end of the workout to help them finish strong. For further guidance, read our Athlete Approved Guide to Creating Your Own Swim Workout.

Keep in mind the fast feeling you get when you put on fins will be opposite when you remove them. So try not to become too dependent on them.

Athlete Approved Tip: Walking backwards is the safest way to walk when wearing fins. #LessTumbles #MoreTumbleTurns!

When you finish up, maintenance of fins is minimal. Our main advice is to store them out of the sun to reduce long term sun deterioration.

Conclusion

Overall, fins are an amazing tool to use when swimming.

They can be used for speed, fitness building, and technique. And there is nothing wrong with putting on a pair of fins if you just want to go FAST!

Use our Athlete Approved fin guide to determine which fins are right for your next swim.

We would love to know if you have a pair to recommend to us. Let us know if you agree with our fin picks for lap swimming. Post in our comments and on social media!