How to Use a Pull Buoy for a Water Workout

Refine your swimming form by training with a foam pull buoy.

Step 1: Suck in your gut for a straighter body line, which will increase your swim speed with less effort.
Step 2: Focus on all facets of your swimming: push-offs, streamlines, and breakouts. Take advantage of the extra float the pull buoy provides to improve your technique.
FACT: In 2010, a 42-year-old quadruple amputee swam across the English Channel in 13 1/2 hours using leg prostheses that had attached flippers.
Step 3: Point your toes to reduce drag and maximize pull power. Rotate freely, alternating rowing motions with your arms.
Step 4: Minimize resistance by keeping your head and torso low. Look down, a little forward, and roll in your sternum to keep your head and torso from riding up as you swim.
TIP: Turn the smaller side of the pull buoy toward the pool bottom.
Step 5: Begin your workout swimming freestyle while holding the pull buoy to strengthen your thighs.
Step 6: Clamp the pull buoy between your legs to shift the workload to your upper body. Wear it as high as possible to make it easier to hold.