Would also be very intersted in hearing people's thoughts on this. I am no fish, but in the pool I am a quite competant swimmer and regularly touch the wall in front of training partners.

However, I seem to struggle with the wetsuit on. I don't seem to get any of the buoyancy benefits and the times tend to be quite a bit slower. Although my left is my preferred side, I can breathe to both sides. However breathing on my right in a wetsuit feels "restricting" when compared to the other side.

I have a sneaking suspicion that flaws in my stroke are being found out when I get the wetsuit on.....

A wetsuit helps positioning in the water - assists keeping the legs up. Good swimmers don't need this help, bad swimmers do. Good swimmers have a long reach (might be limited by the wetsuit), bad swimmers have shorter reach (will not be that limited). Conclusion: Wetsuits reduces the difference between good and bad swimmers.

A high quality, proper size wetsuit does not restrict the movement and breathing significant. But there are differences - time for a new one or to get assistance to get it perfectly fitted ?

Thanks for that - have an Orca Predator which is quite new and was properly sized at the time. The wetsuit feel tight on dryland without being contricting. Maybe I need to get a lesson in putting the thing on properly - maybe not pulling it up into the armpit and crotch enough etc?

Hmmmm...

Shouldn't be anything wrong with the suit if it's correct fit. (My older Orca is very comfortable, the Predator should be better). It is indeed very important to pull it completely up in croatch and armpit. Use very long time when you put it on - 5-10 minutes to be shure it's perfect.

Maybe your team mates are benifiting more from the wetsuit than you are. If they are dragging their legs without a suit in practice and then are more streamlined for the race with a suit they will be much faster than before. If you have much better form and keep you legs high in the water during practice the wetsuit might not help you as much as it does for them.

Maybe recording times swimming known distances in a lake first without a suit and then with one will tell you which one is faster.

Just my theory.

jaretj

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While I am not a good swimmer (far from this), I still had the same problem, getting worse results with wetsuit than without. Actually some friends that are slower than me in the pool beat me everytime there was a wetsuit swim.

This will change, however. I just bought a long John wetsuit (sleeveless, Orca predator sleeveless) and it makes all the difference. My technique is with very slow turnover and long reach, and a full wetsuit did restrict me too much for this, plus I'm not flexible at all.

I can already tell the difference (did a pool swim with my new sleeveless) and it is amazing. THis may work for you (even if Dan and most studies indicate that a full is faster, they don't take into consideration the ease you feel or not).

I agree with jeretj. You are making the assumption that you are slower. I think it is more likely that others just benefit more. Usually better swimmers benefit more-but I think it is more complicated than that. I am a decent swimmer but tend to undertrain. I have found that a wetsuit benefits me more than slightly lesser swimmers who are in better shape than I am. As jeretj indicated it also depends on what specific swim traits can be assisted by a wetsuit.

Wetsuit fit is paramount! I first swam in a suit that was noticeably too short from shoulders to crotch. It was very constricting in my shoulders, and was miserable to swim in. I switched to a 2 Piece suit that was sized properly, and also made of thinner and more flexible material, and it immediately made a world of difference. I also spend up to 10 minutes putting my suit on, focusing on two main areas. That the crotch of the suit is high enough, and that the arms of the suit are pulled far enough on to allow the most shoulder flexibility.

I also think that you need to put in some time training in your suit. You can't do all your training in the pool and then throw on your suit come race day and expect to feel good in it. I think you should do some timed swims in your wetsuit as a previous poster recommended, to not only convince yourself it's faster, but to also build your confidence. It is faster, just ask Slowman.

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"The more you sweat today, the less you bleed tomorrow"

I have not yet raced in a wetsuit (I actually just received my first wetsuit from DeSoto a couple days ago) but I have noticed a difference in performance between pool and open water. I swam in high school and a little in college. Compared to other triathletes I'm pretty fast in the pool, fast enough that I should be getting out of the water top 10 in just about all races that I enter. In reality, as soon as I get in open water I finish in the middle of the pack. I think it may have something to do with having great flip turns and gliding off the wall in the pool. There is a big difference between open water swimming and pool swimming even when the open water is mirror smooth.

>>While I am not a good swimmer (far from this), I still had the same problem, getting worse results with wetsuit than without.<<

Same here. Five Half Vineman races and my swim PR (by far) was the one year the water was too warm and the no-wetsuit rule was invoked.

I hate swimming with one as it totally changes my position in the water and gives me a sore back every time. I also like to "feel" the water, which you can't do in a wetsuit. And yes, I've been fit by the best (Erica of Ironman Wetsuits in NZ) and she showed me how to actually put one on correctly. And, I have a full suit and a sleeveless. I don't like either.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Thanks for all the ideas....

Here is what I am thinking now: I have a 'relatively' slow stroke rate, especially compared to my team mates, and I think the wettie makes it even slower - and maybe it gets to the point where it is too slow for optimal performance.

totally agree with Cathy. I have an Orca Speedsuit that was properly fitted but just never felt quite "right." after moving to socal i bought a quicksilver "shorty" for playing in the ocean and have ended up racing in it ever since with much better results than the full Orca. bare arms and bare legs with just enough buoyancy.

i get lots of strange looks at the start in that it seems like virtually every age grouper from the newest newbie to the cagiest veteran has a full suit, but what the hell it works for me.