Open Water Sprint Circuit: 6x150m with Buoy Turns

Session Overview

This 60-minute open water session builds race-speed swim fitness with 6 x 150m high-intensity efforts, each finishing with a sharp buoy turn. It’s designed for triathletes in peak race season who need to sharpen their sprint-distance speed and buoy-turning technique simultaneously.

What You’ll Need

• Open water venue with a marked buoy or turning point at roughly 150m
• Wetsuit (if water temperature below 22°C)
• Safety buoy (recommended for solo swims)
• GPS watch or open water swim watch
• Spotter or swim partner (recommended)

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Swim 300–400m at easy Zone 2 effort, sighting every 6–8 strokes. Include two short 20m accelerations towards the end of your warm-up to prime your neuromuscular system. Take 2 minutes standing in the shallows before the main set.

Main Set

6 × 150m with 90 seconds rest between each interval. Each 150m starts from a standing entry, swims to the buoy, executes a sharp buoy turn, and returns. Target RPE 8–9 — this is race pace or slightly faster.

• Reps 1–2: Controlled hard pace, focus on clean buoy turn technique (wide approach, tight turn)
• Reps 3–4: Race pace — push your speed, nail the turn under fatigue
• Reps 5–6: All-out — simulate a race sprint start; fight for every second

Cool-Down (8 minutes)

200m easy backstroke or breaststroke, keeping your face out of the water to allow your heart rate to drop gradually. Focus on relaxed breathing and full extension each stroke.

Coaching Notes

• Approach each buoy wide — swing out 2–3 metres before turning so your arc is smooth, not jerky
• Don’t decelerate into the turn; maintain stroke rate through the apex
• To make easier: extend rest to 2 minutes; to make harder: reduce rest to 60 seconds
• Target RPE 8–9 on intervals; HR should be Zone 4–5 by the end of each effort