I've run into this to. I thought for sure it was the wetsuit. And would be baffled as to why I could swim IM distance without being sore but Olympic would feel like I lifted weights.

Long story short, for me it turned out that it was about the warm-up and intensity. I simply wasn't warming up at all for shorter races (Why should I?!? It's just a mile!) Expecting high intensity from a cold start resulted in sore muscles the next day.

YMMV but that was the case for me.

Most likely you did not have the wetsuit on properly or it is of improper size. For most it takes a good 10 minutes to get the suit on right and assistance from a helper often works best. Those plastic shopping bags you get at the supermarket are your friends there are also some products like "Trislide" that help things move a bit better. Place them on your hands and feet to help slide each limb into the suit. You should be working the suit on high in the crotch and high into the axillary armpit region. There should be no tension or restrictions to Range of Motion when the wetsuit is up. I also like to grab the collar and bend forward at the waste pulling the entire back of the suit up as high as possible. If the suit is too low you will get restriction in the arms (DOMS 24-36hrs after) and may even increase likely hood of developing a rash on the neck from breathing. Occasional pool work is fine just be sure to take it into the showers with you after and flush well with hot water.

Best In Health,

Scott Proscia, BS ATC M.Ed ACSM CPT
IRONMAN Certified Coach
Head Performance Coach
IREP Athletics / The Training Plan Source
Coaching - http://www.irepathletics.com
Training Plans - http://www.TheTrainingPlanSource.com
coach@thetrainingplansource.com

---

---

Dynamic Athlete ProgrammingVIP Endurance Racing | Like us on Facebook Get Your Training Plan Here

Why is this issue restricted to your wetsuit? I'll bet if you get a tether & swim in 1 place for an hour, your shoulders will be equally as sore as swimming in open water.

Last year I got a sore shoulder after I did my training in a wetsuit in the pool (the same training as I used to do in speedo).
In the next week it was so sore that I could hardly held up my arm after swimming (also without wetsuit) such that I decided to pause swimming for a couple of weeks. Well the wetsuit could have been a coincidence: a doctor told me once I could have an impingement syndrome.
Anyway, I do exercises with my shoulder now and take care not to train too much. I also bought a new wetsuit (the newer ones have better shoulder flexibility.