[hlnx1]

Critical swim speed (CSS) is a field estimate of the pace you can sustain for a long effort in the pool, roughly comparable to a threshold pace. It is popular with triathletes for setting interval targets.

• A common protocol: swim a 400 m time trial and a 200 m time trial with recovery in between
• CSS per 100 m = (400 m time – 200 m time) / 2, in seconds
• Typical sets: 10×100 m at CSS pace with short rests (10-15 seconds) or 5×200 m with 20 seconds
• Retest every 6-8 weeks, as technique improvements change pace quickly in developing swimmers

Protocol: critical swim speed test and the 12-minute swim test.

Do you set your swim paces with CSS or something else?

[hlnx1]

Example: a 400 m in 7:40 (460 seconds) and a 200 m in 3:30 (210 seconds) gives (460 – 210) / 2 = 125 seconds, so CSS is about 2:05 per 100 m. A threshold set might be 8×100 m at 2:05 with 15 seconds rest.

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