Triathlon Swimming Q&A: Incorporating Pull Buoys into Workouts

Q: How much should I be incorporating a pull buoy into my workouts?

A: None, if you can avoid it. A pull buoy is meant to prevent the legs from kicking so that all forward movement comes from the arms. It provides a great upper body workout and develops general strength. Swimmers use a pull buoy on occasion as a result. However, they spend an even greater time swimming without a pull buoy. Working only the arms is a small fraction of total practice time.

Triathletes have two other sports to train besides swimming. Therefore, they don’t have as much time for supplements as swimmers do. In addition, more strength, power and mass in the arms is a conflict of interest for triathletes. You may have more arm strength for swimming, but more mass to carry for running and cycling. Thus, there is little utility for triathletes to use a pull buoy unless it is an extreme minority of your workouts or for special occasions.

The only exception is if you really struggle with swimming and kicking in particular. If a pull buoy makes the difference between being able to swim and not, by all means use it. You should set a goal to gradually reduce the yardage you need that pull buoy over time, with the intent to eventually not use it at all. This way, you make the most of your limited training time.

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