Pull Buoy Tempo Set: 6×250m at CSS Pace

Session Overview

This 50-minute pull buoy tempo session removes the kick entirely to isolate your upper body catch and pull mechanics, letting you hold CSS pace with less oxygen cost. Six 250m repeats at Critical Swim Speed make it a strong aerobic threshold workout that also flags weaknesses in your stroke technique under fatigue.

What You’ll Need

• 25m or 50m pool
• Pull buoy
• Swim watch or pace clock
• Swim paddles (optional — add after first 2 reps once arms are warm)

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Swim 400m easy freestyle without the pull buoy to warm up shoulders and hips. Include 4 x 25m fingertip drag drills to prime a high elbow recovery. Take 15 seconds rest after each drill length. Then clip in the pull buoy and swim an easy 100m to settle into the floating sensation before the main set begins.

Main Set

All six 250m reps are swum with pull buoy only, targeting your CSS pace per 100m. Take 45 seconds rest between each rep. The goal is even splits across all six — if you fade significantly in reps 5–6, your CSS pacing is too ambitious. Total main set distance: 1,500m.

• Rep 1–2: 250m at CSS pace + 3 seconds per 100m (settling in)
• Rep 3–4: 250m at CSS pace (true threshold effort)
• Rep 5–6: 250m at CSS pace (hold it — these are where adaptation happens)

Cool-Down (5 minutes)

Remove the pull buoy and swim 200m easy full stroke, focusing on long, relaxed freestyle. Finish with gentle shoulder rolls and cross-chest stretches on the pool deck to release tension in the lats and rear deltoids after the sustained pulling effort.

Coaching Notes

• The pull buoy exaggerates hip position — if you feel your hips sinking, your core engagement needs work during normal swimming too
• Focus on a long, high-elbow pull-through: imagine pulling your hand past your hip, not stopping at your waist
• Adding paddles on reps 3–4 adds resistance and magnifies catch errors — only use them if your technique stays clean
• To make easier: extend rest to 60 seconds or reduce to 5 reps; to progress: add a 7th rep and cut rest to 30 seconds
• Target RPE 6–7 on reps 1–2, building to RPE 8 on reps 5–6