🔷 Swim. Tweak. Sleep. Repeat.
How to ensure you're training at the right level without having to re-test your CSS pace all the time!
Hey Swimmers,
Wishing all swimmers taking on the @rottoswim this weekend the very best of luck!
Whether you're racing solo, in a duo, or as part of a team, remember—every stroke brings you closer to that iconic finish on Rottnest Island. Stay strong, stay focused, and most importantly, enjoy the journey!
We’ve got over 100 Solos out there who’ve followed our Rotto program in the GURU, swum with the Squad here in Perth and/or have been attending our specialist 1-to-1 Video Analysis & Stroke Correction sessions, preparing their strokes and shoulders for the 19.7km that lies ahead!
We’ve also got a big contingent of Duo swimmers (including yours truly #611) and Team swimmers hitting the Indian Ocean in about 14hrs from now!
This is my 24th year coaching swimmers to cross the Rottnest Channel, and with ~3,500 swimmers in total, this event just keeps on getting bigger and better each year!
Again, weather conditions look “interesting” with unseasonably cold air temperatures (23ºC), very warm ocean temperatures (25.8ºC) and what looks to be quite a strong S / SE wind (~10-15kts) with likely up to 2m of swell, so lets see how this one pans out!
"Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing ❤️ " – Pelé
Remember, trust your training, embrace the challenge, and soak up the experience. You've got this!
Watch the livestream from 05:30am AWST Saturday 22 February 2025:
I’ll also be broadcasting on our @swimsmooth Instagram from our boat with updates on what it’s like out there and how myself an Chris are feeling. The Rottnest Swim App is also worth downloading as a tracking device.
Tag us in your race-day moments—we can't wait to celebrate your achievements! #RottoSwim #SwimSmooth
British Triathlon X Swim Smooth
I’m also excited and very proud to share this week that Swim Smooth is extending its long-standing partnership with British Triathlon to continue enhancing coach education and development. For over a decade, we've worked together to equip coaches with the best tools and methodologies for improving swimmers’ efficiency, technique, and performance.
Michelle Hayden, British Triathlon’s Head of Coach Development, emphasized how valuable this collaboration has been, noting that Swim Smooth’s expertise has played a key role in shaping their coaching framework and helping triathlon coaches refine their swim coaching skills. Michelle added:
”The integration of the Swim Smooth GURU into our coach education framework will provide coaches with a more structured and interactive learning experience. The introduction of Stroke Insights℗ through Garmin and Apple Watch will be a fantastic tool, enabling our athletes to refine their technique outside of traditional coaching sessions and receive high-quality feedback wherever they train.”
This renewed partnership reaffirms our shared commitment to raising the standard of coaching across the triathlon community and compliments the partnership with World Triathlon announced in June 2024.
Read the full article on the British Triathlon website here:
Want to become a Swim Smooth Coach? Next Course 24 May to 2 June, Mallorca 🇪🇸
And, if you’re a coach who’s keen to take your swim-specific coaching much further, why not consider applying to become a fully certified Swim Smooth Coach - our next course is 24 May to 2 June 2025 in Mallorca, Spain. Full details at the link below or simply reply to this email to start the conversation directly with Paul Newsome, Head Coach & Founder of Swim Smooth who will be leading the course directly.
🔷 Swim. Tweak. Sleep. Repeat.
How to ensure you're training at the right level without having to re-test your CSS pace all the time!
Last week, during our Training Peaks webinar1, the very first question we were asked in the Q&A section was:
"How often should I re-test my CSS pace?"
An excellent question, and one that gets asked a lot. The short answer? Far less often than you might think!
Too many swimmers fall into the trap of constantly re-testing their Critical Swim Speed (CSS), convinced they need to chase the perfect number before they can train properly. If the result feels too slow, they worry they’re not pushing themselves enough. If it feels too fast, every session becomes a grind. This leads to an endless cycle of testing, tweaking, and second-guessing—when what they should really be doing is… swimming!
The smarter approach? Swim. Tweak. Sleep. Repeat.
Why Re-Testing Isn’t Necessarily the Answer
The 400m/200m CSS test is a great benchmark, but it’s far from perfect. There are plenty of things that can throw off your result2:
❌ Pacing errors – Did you go out too hard on the 400m and fade? Did you sandbag the 200m to make the calculation more favorable?
❌ Fatigue levels – Were you carrying fatigue from previous training, affecting your true potential?
❌ Rest periods – Did you get the right amount of rest between the two efforts?
It’s no wonder that so many swimmers walk away from their test feeling uncertain about their CSS pace. But rather than re-testing over and over again, a much smarter approach is to test once, train, and then fine-tune your CSS pace based on actual swim performance.
This is where the CSS Tweaker inside the Swim Smooth GURU comes in.
How the CSS Tweaker Works
Instead of making drastic changes—like adjusting by 1-2 seconds per 100m—the CSS Tweaker allows for three levels of micro-adjustment in either direction:
✅ Slight tweak – A tiny shift, almost imperceptible, for when you’re right on the edge of your ideal pace.
✅ Medium tweak – A more noticeable change, useful if your training sessions feel slightly off.
✅ Strong tweak – The biggest adjustment (still less than 1 second per 100m) for those who know their CSS pace isn’t quite right.
And the best part? You can tweak multiple times rather than relying on another all-out CSS test.
When to Use the CSS Tweaker
After a CSS-paced session, take a moment to reflect:
Was it too hard to sustain? Adjust up slightly so you're not redlining every session.
Did it feel too easy? Nudge it down for a greater challenge.
Was it just right? Perfect! Stay the course and tweak again in a few weeks if needed.
This method ensures you’re always training at the right pace without the mental and physical stress of frequent re-testing.
The Smart Approach: Swim. Tweak. Sleep. Repeat.
Here’s the winning formula:
1️⃣ Test once – A solid effort, but no need to chase perfection.
2️⃣ Swim a CSS session – Feel how your pace plays out in real training.
3️⃣ Reflect – Was it too hard, too easy, or spot on?
4️⃣ Use the CSS Tweaker – Fine-tune in small, precise steps.
5️⃣ Repeat the process – Keep tweaking as needed, without the stress of constant re-testing.
A Personal Experiment in CSS Tweaking
Last Thursday, after four weeks of diligently chipping away at my CSS pace (which had dropped significantly after a bout of pneumonia in Canada over Christmas), I arrived at one of our CSS sessions ready to base off 1:16/100m. Earlier in the week, I’d done my go-to “field test” of 10x400, comfortably holding 1:17/100m, so I was feeling good about the planned pace.
But then, during the warm-up, I found myself having some banter with three young elite junior/U23 triathletes. Feeling a bit buoyed up by their youthful competitiveness, I jokingly threw out:
"You know what? Let’s go off 1:15/100m tonight."
Without hesitation, they jumped at the challenge—which meant, of course, I couldn’t back down! Suddenly, I was staring down a session that was already 2 seconds per 100m quicker than I’d planned just a few days ago.
"Hey-ho," I thought. "Let’s give it a go—what’s the worst that could happen?"
I often set stretch goals for swimmers in my squad when I know they’ve had good, consistent training, but they still look at me like I’m crazy. Now, here I was, throwing down the same challenge to myself.
The result? I surprised myself!
🔥 6 x 200m holding 1:14/100m with 15-20s rest
🔥 8 x 100m holding 1:13/100m with 10-15s rest
Sometimes, you just need to put yourself in the fire and see what happens.
The takeaway? Don’t be afraid to test your limits—you might just surprise yourself. And if it doesn’t work out? No big deal, tweak and try again!
Your Coach,
Paul
Strange CSS Results And Gaming The System...
At Swim Smooth, one of the things we're most pleased about is how many people are using CSS to improve the training side of their swimming preparation*. We've heard from so many of you about how you've taken 5 or 10 seconds per 100m off your swim times after just a couple of months of CSS training - which is fantastic!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Weekly Blog by Swim Smooth to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.