Which Is Better – A Wetsuit Or A Swimskin?

By Author: Steve W
Total Articles: 2
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Triathlon competitors all have their preferences regarding wetsuits and swimskins, long suit and short john and their favorite brand. What are those preferences based upon?

Triathlon competitors all have their preferences regarding wetsuits and swimskins, long suit and short john and their favorite brand. What are those preferences based upon?

What’s the difference between a wetsuit and a swimskin?
• Both reduce a swimmer’s drag in the water, providing a hydrodynamic surface with much less resistance than human skin;
• A swimskin only reduces drag, while a wetsuit reduces drag, and adds buoyancy and warmth;
• A wetsuit is 4-5mm thick, making full-range limb movement more difficult. This can drain a swimmer’s strength. Skins are much thinner - about 1mm;
• The warmth of a wetsuit can be handy in cold water, but it can cause the swimmer to overheat in warmer water;
• The additional buoyancy of a wetsuit can help take 10-15 seconds off a swimmer’s 100 meter time;
• Swimskins can trim a 100 meter time by 1-2 seconds, so it should ...
... be easy to see the benefit of the buoyancy added by a wetsuit.

Which is better?

Many competitions prohibit the use of wetsuits in some races, but when they’re permitted, each swimmer has to decide which way to go, based upon his own preferences. Changing between phases of the competition can be a factor, since a swimskin can be slightly slower to get out of than a wetsuit.

Each competitor must decide which is “best” for their own performance. Comfort, mobility and results should be key factors in deciding which you prefer.

Which should I use - short john or long?

In Ironman competitions, there is no longer any choice. Since September of 2010, their requirements prohibit sleeves, long suits and polyurethane or neoprene materials.

Otherwise, it’s mostly a matter of personal performance. Long suits with sleeves reduce drag, but also both increase body temperature and restrict movement.

Many swimmers prefer sleeveless or short johns only because they once used a poorly fitted long suit and it restricted their movements. Ensuring a properly fitted suit, regardless of type or style, is crucial to successful competition.

How should my suit fit?

You shouldn’t feel limited by your suit, throughout your entire range of movement – ideally, you should feel as though you’re naked.

Getting "all the way" into your suit is crucial. Here are a few tips for getting it right:
• Pull it tight up into your crotch. When it’s as high as it will go, take it a little higher.
• Bury your arms deep into the sleeves. Work the material up into the armpits, in order to move all the slack into the space between your shoulder and your neck.
• Once you’ve managed to move all the slack in your suit, zip your suit and take a deep bow, keeping your upper body straight and parallel to the floor. Work the rolls of slack material you find in your groin area all the way up to your collarbone.
• Test your movement, moving your arms through the entire range of movement If you still feel restricted, your suit is probably either too short or too small for you.

It’s all too easy to spend $500 - $1400 on a quality wetsuit and swimskin for triathlon competition. That makes this your second greatest expense, after your bike. For that kind of money, you definitely want to get it right, so take your time and focus on the best possible fit, regardless of which way you choose to go. You’ll find that your performance will be notably better, when you have a good fit on your wetsuit or swimskin.
Resource: http://wetsuitoutlet.com/