Best Wetsuit To Correct Sinking Legs

Triathlon Forum
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Hi all, I’m looking for recommendations on the best wetsuit to correct sinking legs. I think the ideal wetsuit for me would be one with stiff, buoyant legs and easy shoulder rotation, but given the numerous companies out there, I’m having trouble narrowing down my options.

I have a low quality, entry level full suit now, but as of my most recent race, it appears that I can move faster without the suit on. Given that I’m not a super experienced or fast swimmer, this shouldn’t be the case and leads me to believe that its time for a new suit. Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated!

Ps. Totally realize I should focus on fixing my swim form / kick to correct the sinking legs, and I am working on it in practice, but since I know my A race will be wetsuit legal it makes sense to pick a suit that will correct for my deficiencies in the meantime.

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Huub is marketing one that claims to do that.

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I don’t have one, but the Huub suits with the 3:5 ratio (3mm neoprene in the torso/5mm neoprene in the legs) are designed for leg-heavy swimmers in mind. They are not the only ones taking this approach, although I’m having a hard time remembering the others off the top of my head.

But, many folks here will probably point out that your body position is something that you can work on to alleviate the legs sinking. Keeping your head down, etc. I’m not a swim expert by any means, but hopefully some of the more advanced folks (tigerchik, realAlbertan, ericmulk, Slowman, and many more) can offer some pointers. Good luck!

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Your situation sounds very similar to me…I am new to the sport, poor swimmer with legs that sink. I had a full suit however it was really uncomfortable and a pain to get on. 3 weeks ago I got the 2 piece sleevelss suit from De Soto and I love it. I can put on JUST the bottoms and get lift in my legs yet still get to work on kick(which i wouldnt with a pull buoy). The sleeveless top allows for a comfortable range of motion and easier breathing than with the full suit. Its also very easy to get on and off. Definately take a look into the 2 piece suits.

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Things triathletes ask for $400 Alex
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I am very happy with the Huub I bought this spring - the 3:5 version. For me, I can feel the higher leg position as soon as I get in the water, which I don’t recall experiencing in the traditional wetsuit I used to swim in. The lighter top material is also much less constraining for your shoulders, and arm recovery was less fatiguing and that may be as big a factor in the quicker swims I have had this season. Peter

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I just stick a pull buoy in mine during all my races.
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My first suggestion is to look at a wetsuit as a tool to improve your body position and posture in the water, rather than relying on it to correct deficiencies.

From there, it is my belief that most suits will provide you with plenty of buoyancy in the legs with a 5mm leg panel. Positive and neutral buoyant suits can address body position for some swimmers. For example, if you have a very strong upper body and pull phase of your stroke, you may be better suited to have a less buoyant upper in the suit, so as, to not negatively affect your attitude in the water.

If you drag your legs, an increase in buoyancy in the legs can help get your legs up, but an improved body posture in the water can make an even better change. Stronger core muscles, and proper technique are surefire ways to improve your body posture.

In my opinion a full 5 or 4mm panel down the front of the suit, is still the best option for most. Especially for swimmers who may struggle a little bit in the water. The added buoyancy will help nearly everybody. That said, there are some swimmers that will benefit from less buoyancy in the upper body.

No suit is perfect for everybody.

Upper body flexibility is addressed in every suit, in a different way. Ultimately, (the phrase that I’m sure people are sick of hearing) the best fitting suit, will be a large determining factor in the flexibility of the suit.

Have you tried any other suits on?

jake

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I’m loving my Huub Archimedes 3:5 for this very reason

if you google reviews for this suit, it will bring up Dan’s review on the main page and he mentions the other suits that have a similar design profile
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I have a low quality, entry level full suit now, but as of my most recent race,** it appears that I can move faster without the suit on.** Given that I’m not a super experienced or fast swimmer, this shouldn’t be the case and leads me to believe that its time for a new suit. Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated!

With what are you comparing your times?

Triathlon OW swims are notoriously poorly measured and not known for their accuracy in time reporting. Even if they were, most people’s pace in OW is noticeably slower than their pool swims for a number of factors (contact/ meandering around other swimmers, not swimming in a straight line, acceleration off the walls taken away, sighting, etc). In general, even a cheap wetsuit will save you time in the swim versus the exact same swim without a wetsuit.

I guess what I’m saying is that I believe your woes are more related to a poor standard of comparison than a wetsuit issue. If your legs are dropping enough to seriously slow your swim, buying a better wetsuit isn’t going to make a significant dent in anything other than your pocket book. I’d advise sticking with your current suit and, as you said it, put more energy into your swim technique.

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you mean one that band aids your poor technique/ankle flexibility. Huub 3/5 will help but if your ankles stay dorsi flexed they will still drag from a higher position. Any races ruled non wetsuit you will be SOL.

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Work on you formthen wet suit shopping is a bit easier
I have really big calfs for my build, so my legs are a bit sinky, but my coach has an astute eye for swim technique, and has alleviated most of that. I still have a bit of sinking legs, but it’s really not too bad now.

For my level of leg sinkyness, the Zone 3 Aspire does well to keep me gliding on top of the water, and on top of that, the suit is just phenomenal in value, fit, feel and is extremely easy to get on and off compared to everything else I’ve tried. It’s even faster in T1 then the Desoto and more comfortable for me.

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Obviously i will proclaim this a GREAT question :wink:

Not planted and not suggested at all , just in case it is suggested

Before i go on… nothing replaces great coaching, great tuition and guidance in your swim technique and training plans. The suits are here to help.

Huub is the only company who offer this differential in buoyancy profiles. 3mm upper body addresses perfectly the desire for more flexibility, while the stiffer and highly buoyant lower body 5mm is key in raising the legs while the 3mm chest and upper body allows this extra buoyancy to have a true effect on flattening the frontal profile due to allowing the chest to sink more than a 4 or 5mm chest panel.
What we have also done in our search for maximum buoyancy is research the buoyancy of all materials used in wetsuits today, and while many claims are made we discovered the “Golf ball types of neoprene” to be no more buoyant than standard neoprene (Which puzzled us too) but the real “True” increase in buoyancy was found in the multi-layer composites of Neoprene and NBR materials found in life jackets. So we used them…proven.

If you don’t have sinky legs then your choice of suits is vast, and some truly incredible designs from Huub,Orca, Aquasphere, 2xu blueseventy, Zone3 , Xterra,Roka, De-Soto, etc etc and many new suits are available, but should you like the majority not from a swimming background suffer with the sinky legs, then your choice is very few, but we do them very well, in our opinion.

Huub wishes everyone could swim flat, aligned and efficiently, but we have many swim styles among us. Visit www.swimtypes.com to discover if you are “Arnie, Kick-tastic, Over-Glider,Mr Smooth etc”

Yes, i am from Huub, and we are doing all we can to make great products for great swimmers, and aspiring swimmers alike.Sorry if this is a bit too much “sell” but i am proud of our different approach to wetsuits.

huubdesign.com

Oh, do contact beth@huubdesign.com she would love to assist in getting you a suit to try.

Deano
deano@huubdesign.com
The Huub Guy

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Posting right after Deano might make my response a bit sales pitchy, but I’m willing to say it.

I had similar problems with my swim (and my ankles aren’t dorsi flexed damnit!) and while I was taking steps to improve it, I found that the HUUB suits were working really well for me. I’m swimming in an Archimedes 3:5 that the UK team managed to get to me in time for Ironman UK 70.3, and have had great experiences with it.

While my body position has improved considerably already (to the point that I’m starting to consider moving to the 4:4 version of the Arch) the other part I found really attractive was the flexibility that the combination of design and 3mm neoprene gave me. I’d started swimming with a 5mm all over suit, that was just generally constricting me and slowing me down (though I’ve since tried a few other suits that were better fitting with that profile and they were a good middle ground improvement).

HUUB is worth checking out, they’ve been great to me and a few other people I race and train with. It might not be the perfect fit and suit, but it’s a place to at least start the search.

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Just a quick comment (sorry, not really answering your question) but sinking legs usually begins with bad hip position. Find a good wetsuit that fits YOU and continue working on your kick and keeping those hips stable.
Good luck!

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Hi all, I’m looking for recommendations on the best wetsuit to correct sinking legs.

I have a free option, learn how to float.

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Best wetsuit to correct sinking legs in PRACTICE:

No wetsuit + ankle band (make one out of a spare or punctured bike inner tube)

Learn to swim like this and you’ll never need a wetsuit to float your legs ever again. It’s also self correcting - you can’t really fake it - you either get the right body position or you sink.

Not for beginners, but I still think it’s one of the best ‘self-coaching’ tools/techniques that an intermediate swimmer can do to smooth out their form and get the legs high in the water.

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How are most folks finding the sizing of the Huub? If you are between sizes, are you going up or down?

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Absolutely the DeSoto First Wave. 5mm bibjohn bottoms and 3mm long sleeve top. Best of both worlds.

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Desoto speed tube -5mmm thickness
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