How to use the finis tempo trainer to fix inconsistent freestyle cadence in masters swimmers

I started using the FINIS Tempo Trainer with my masters groups after noticing a recurring pattern: strong swimmers who could hold pace on dryland or in short sets would come unstuck when asked to hold a consistent cadence over longer reps. Inconsistent freestyle cadence shows up as uneven stroke timing, drifting splits, and a lot of frustration. Over several months I developed a simple, repeatable approach that helps masters swimmers find and keep an efficient rhythm — and I want to share it with you.

Why cadence matters for masters swimmers

Cadence (or stroke rate) is the heartbeat of your freestyle. It determines how often your hands enter the water and directly affects speed, efficiency, and endurance. Masters swimmers often have the physical capacity to swim fast in bursts but struggle to maintain an optimal cadence as fatigue, breathing patterns, or technique lapses creep in. That leads to either overstroking (too slow a cadence with long, inefficient glides) or 'spinning the wheels' (too fast, short strokes with low propulsion).

The FINIS Tempo Trainer is a small, waterproof metronome that beeps at a set beats-per-minute (BPM). When used properly, it becomes an objective way to teach and reinforce a target cadence, remove guesswork, and provide immediate auditory feedback — something especially useful for swimmers who are used to feel more than data.

Common questions I get

Before we dive into how I program sessions, here are the questions I hear most from masters swimmers and coaches:

What cadence should I aim for?

How do I integrate the Tempo Trainer without making sets boring?

What drills work well with auditory pacing?

How quickly will swimmers adapt?

I’ll answer these through practical steps and sample sessions below.

Choosing a target cadence

There’s no single “right” BPM for everyone — it depends on stroke length, fitness, and goals. My rule of thumb when working with masters is to first identify a swimmer’s comfortable race cadence (from a 50 or 100 test), then trial a cadence 4–8 BPM lower and 4–8 BPM higher to find the sweet spot where pace is efficient and sustainable.

Why this range? Dropping cadence slightly can encourage longer, more effective strokes for distance swimmers. Increasing cadence slightly can help sprinters reduce drag by shortening the stroke and adding turnover. The Tempo Trainer helps you experiment safely.

How I introduce the Tempo Trainer to a masters group

I introduce the device in three phases: familiarisation, targeted training, and transfer to free swimming.

Phase 1 — Familiarisation: 10–15 minutes at the start of a session. Swimmers wear paddles or a snorkel if needed and swim 25s listening to the beat. The goal is to feel the synchronization, not to chase pace. We use very short distances so focus stays on rhythm.

Phase 2 — Targeted training: 20–30 minutes that mix drills and controlled reps with the Tempo Trainer set to the chosen BPM. I use 50–100m repeats with consistent rest. Drills are selected to reinforce the timing cue the buzzer provides.

Phase 3 — Transfer: 10–20 minutes of free swimming without the device, asking swimmers to self-recreate the cadence they practiced. Then we test with a timed rep to see how well the rhythm holds.

Drills and sets I use

Below is a small table of drills, what they teach, and how to use the Tempo Trainer with them.

Drill	Purpose	Tempo Trainer use
Catch-up	Encourages full extension and timing between hands	Set a slower BPM to encourage long strokes; aim for one beep per stroke
Single arm freestyle	Isolates pull timing and breathing side	Use the beat to cue the catch and finish on the same side each stroke
3-3-3 (3 kicks/3 pulls/3 full)	Works balance and rhythm changes	Change BPM between phases to highlight rhythm contrast
Fingertip-drag	Promotes high elbow recovery and consistent entry	Match recovery cadence to the beep to keep entries uniform

Sample 1-hour masters session with Tempo Trainer

I share this session for adaptation — adjust distances/rest for your group.

Warm-up 400m mixed easy

Familiarisation: 4 x 25m @ tempo (easy) — BPM = target

Drill set: 4 x 50m (25 drill + 25 swim) — Tempo Trainer on for all swims — rest 20s

Main set: 6 x 100m @ target cadence — rest 30–45s — focus on even splits and stroke count

Tempo challenge: 4 x 50m negative split using the beat — first 25m at target BPM -4, second 25m at target BPM +4

Transfer: 6 x 50m free without Tempo Trainer — aim to reproduce cadence — rest 20s

Cooldown 200m easy

Tracking progress

I ask swimmers to record three things after tempo-focused sessions:

Perceived exertion (RPE) for the set

Stroke count for a 50m at target BPM

Time for a timed 100m or 200m

Over weeks you should see stroke counts stabilise, perceived effort for a given pace decrease, and more consistent splits. The Tempo Trainer gives you an objective anchor so improvements are easier to identify.

Troubleshooting common problems

Here are issues I’ve helped swimmers overcome and how:

“The beep feels mechanical and I lose feel.” — Reduce Tempo Trainer time during the set. Use it for the first half of each repeat, then swim the second half by feel to build autonomy.

“I can’t breathe at the beep.” — Adjust cadence so breathing aligns comfortably with the stroke; sometimes a half-beat shift (breath on every 3rd stroke vs 2nd) fixes it. Teach bilateral breathing drills to increase breathing options.

“My stroke gets longer but I slow down.” — That can mean over-gliding. Try increasing BPM slightly or adding short sprint 25s to remind them that power needs to match length.

“People get bored.” — Make tempo work varied: play with tempo changes, add relays, or pair swimmers to challenge each other on consistency.

How quickly will masters swimmers adapt?

Adaptation depends on practice frequency and variability. With once-a-week tempo-focused sessions, I usually see meaningful improvements within 4–6 weeks. With twice-weekly work, changes appear faster. The Tempo Trainer accelerates learning because it removes ambiguity — swimmers hear every missed beat and can correct in real time.

If you want, I can share a 6-week progression plan for a masters cohort, including downloadable BPM charts and a simple log you can hand out to your swimmers. Just tell me the typical fitness and meet goals of your group, and I’ll tailor it.