200m Threshold Pyramid Swim: Advanced Speed Session for Triathletes

Session Overview

This advanced 60-minute session uses a classic pyramid structure to build swim speed at and above your lactate threshold. By progressively reducing rest intervals across five 200m efforts before building them back up, you train your body to sustain fast swimming under increasing fatigue — exactly the challenge you face when trying to hold pace in the back half of an open water race.

What You’ll Need

• 25m or 50m pool
• Swim watch with interval timer
• Knowledge of your CSS (Critical Swim Speed) pace

Warm-Up (12 minutes)

400m easy freestyle, focusing on a long stroke and relaxed breathing. Then 4x50m as 25m build/25m easy, 10 seconds rest. Finally, 100m at CSS pace to prime the body for threshold effort.

Main Set

Complete the following pyramid. All 200m efforts at CSS to 5 seconds per 100m faster than CSS. The decreasing rest on the way up forces you to recover less; the increasing rest on the way down rewards you for holding pace.

• 200m at CSS + 3 per 100m — 45 seconds rest
• 200m at CSS + 1 per 100m — 35 seconds rest
• 200m at CSS pace — 25 seconds rest (hardest rest)
• 200m at CSS + 1 per 100m — 35 seconds rest
• 200m at CSS + 3 per 100m — 45 seconds rest
• Rest 90 seconds, then repeat the full pyramid once more

Cool-Down (8 minutes)

400m easy mixed-stroke recovery swimming. Alternate 25m backstroke with 25m easy freestyle. Let the heart rate drop fully before exiting.

Coaching Notes

• If you do not know your CSS, estimate it as the pace you can hold for a 400m time trial
• Do not go out too fast on rep 1 — the middle of the pyramid is the hardest point
• Make it easier: extend all rest intervals by 15 seconds and only complete one pyramid
• Make it harder: target 3 seconds per 100m faster than CSS for reps 2 and 4
• RPE guide: rep 3 (shortest rest) should feel like an 8 out of 10 effort