Anyone who has done a cold water triathlon will be familiar with the benefits that come with wearing a wetsuit. As well as keeping you warm, the extra buoyancy that comes with a wetsuit can make swimming seem like a walk in the park, bringing with it sweet, easy speed. For me a wetsuit typically gains me about 10 seconds/100m. I love them, and you can easily understand why.
However, not everyone loves wetsuits. Lots of good swimmers I know don't really like them, not liking the feeling of the extra buoyancy and also feeling like the wetsuits restrict the movement of their shoulders. I also know people who aren't strong swimmers not liking them because they feel like the extra resistance of the wetsuit around the shoulders is causing them to fatigue early. I have seen quite a few people, both good and less good swimmers, attempt to avoid the above problems by choosing sleeveless wetsuits to avoid having neoprene cover their shoulders.
However, with most of these concerns, it is often not the wetsuit that is at fault, but rather the way that people are putting their wetsuits on.
I think I have lost count of the number of times I have seen people simply throw on a wetsuit with no real regard for what they are doing. Just go down to the start of any triathlon and you will see what I mean. These people then wonder why they don't feel comfortable and blame the neoprene. However, hand on heart I will quite willingly state a good wetsuit, that fits properly, should not feel restrictive if put on properly.
Why have I added some qualifiers to that statement? Well, for a couple of reasons.
I say a good wetsuit, because the simple truth is that the more expensive a wetsuit, the more flexible it is, particularly around the shoulders. More money buys fancier construction, which usually means higher quality, thinner neoprene around the shoulders. These more expensive wetsuits will feel less restrictive than cheaper ones. However, cheaper wetsuits don't have to feel like you are wearing a straight jacket if it is the right size and you put it on right.
So that brings me to my second qualifier, a wetsuit has to fit right. If a wetsuit is too tight it will be restrictive, no matter how good the neoprene is. The tricky thing is that you want it to be tight. A loose wetsuit might be easy to move in, but it will also be colder and slower as it floods with water. There is a reason that all wetsuit manufacturers recommend that people err on the small size when choosing a wetsuit size. So fit is a bit of a balancing act, they are supposed to feel tight, but you don't want them too tight. Choosing the right wetsuit size is probably an entire post on its own, but in brief, try it on before you buy it if you can. Trying on a wetsuit is the best way to know if it is going to fit you correctly or not. However, not everybody has the convenience of having a wetsuit shop nearby, so if you can't try it on before you buy it,have a good look at the manufacturers sizing recommendations on their website and perhaps read a forum or two. Following recommendations will usually see you right.
So assuming you have a decent wetsuit that fits you properly, how exactly do you put it on correctly. Well, I could spend a couple of pages trying to explain it, or I could simply show you using some movie magic and a couple of random strangers named Paul Newsome and Janine Willis.
How to put on a wetsuit
The way that Paul and Janine demonstrate putting on a wetsuit is pretty much exactly how I always put on my wetsuits too. About the only thing I would add is that I typically use some thin gardening gloves to protect the wetsuit from finger nails (you can get them from hardware stores). Also, while the clip shows Paul helping Janine put the wetsuit on, having a second person is not essential. What you are trying to achieve is getting lots of neoprene around your shoulders, doing that is easier with two people, but you can do it with one if you know what you are doing.
And that is about it. getting a good quality wetsuit that fits correctly and then following the simple instructions and tips given by Paul and Janine will ensure that you too will love your wetsuit and be swimming with free shoulders for years to come.
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