Swim Fitness Test

What is Critical Swim Speed (CSS)

Critical Swim Speed, or CSS, is the swim pace that you would swim a 1500 meters or yards race or time trial. Not like you will swim a 1500m/y race, but is a reliable metric to base your training.

How do you test your CSS ?

Is quite simple. In a nutshell, you will warm up, do a 200 (meters or yards) all out and record the time. You will rest for 5 minutes and do another all out 400 and record the time.

• Do 200 all out
• Rest 2 minutes
• Do 50 slow
• Rest 1 minute
• Do a 400 all out

Are you done ? now head to the Critical Swim Speed Calculator to enter your 200 and 400 times and get your CSS and training zones.