Let me first say that i am a HORRIBLE swimmer. Have been swimming for only about a year now and feel very comfortable in both the pool and open water. however everytime i race (only have done 5 tris; 2 sprints, 1 oly and 2 HIMs) i dont feel comforatble in the wetsuit. I am using a full suit and am currently using a zoot and have used a blue seventy for my first. I have a wrestlers style build with larger shoulders and back, so not your typical tri body. could a full suit inhibit my shoulder/arm movement and actually slow me down? the suit feels good but that probably doesnt mean squat. or do i just suck…probably that…good thing im a good biker and runner, i usually catch those 2-3 mins better in the swim and bike on the run leg.
walter
an ill-fitted wetsuit can slow you down…
“suit inhbit my shoulder/arm movement and actually slow me down?”
You have already admitted that you are a HORRIBLE swimmer… Stop looking for execuses and get into the pool with a coach and masters group;-)
Seriously, I guess it could be possible but you would be the only person to be able to determine that by your own tests…
Go do an open water swim which you can messure, do it with a wetsuit and sans a wetsuit. Which one was slower?
could a full suit inhibit my shoulder/arm movement and actually slow me down?
What are your times in the pool when you wear a wetsuit compared to when you do not?
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Yes, a poorly fitting suit can slow you down and wear you out excessively.
I highly recommend the Desoto T1. It’s a two piece so you can get a larger top which it sounds like you’ll need. I have another friend with a “wrestler’s” build who just got a T1 and he was blown away by how comfortable it was. Email Emilio himself, and he’ll tell you all about it. Also, don’t worry about a two piece being slower to take off in transition. It isn’t - it’s actually faster.
In Reply ToLet me first say that i am a HORRIBLE swimmer. Have been swimming for only about a year now and feel very comfortable in both the pool and open water. however everytime i race (only have done 5 tris; 2 sprints, 1 oly and 2 HIMs) i dont feel comforatble in the wetsuit. I am using a full suit and am currently using a zoot and have used a blue seventy for my first. I have a wrestlers style build with larger shoulders and back, so not your typical tri body. could a full suit inhibit my shoulder/arm movement and actually slow me down? the suit feels good but that probably doesnt mean squat. or do i just suck…probably that…good thing im a good biker and runner, i usually catch those 2-3 mins better in the swim and bike on the run leg.
walter
“Can a bad wetsuit slow you down?”
The quick answer to this question is, “Yes”.
However, it’s important to know why it’s bad. Is it a triathlon specific wetsuit? Are you in a brand that fits you best? Are you in the right size for you? Has the wetsuit been fitted properly to you before you swim in it?
These are all important issues.
The bottom line is that when you are wearing a wetsuit that is the right brand for you, that is the right size for you and has been fitted to you properly prior to swimming, it should feel like you are swimming with no wetsuit on!! - AND you should be quite a bit faster in the water (typically 5 - 10 sec. faster per hundred meters)
Hope this helps.
I would have to agree that only a poorly fitted wetsuit will slow you down. I had a Desoto two piece wetsuit well i bought one a size too small since i was loosing weight. well needless to say i didn’t lose enough weight. I didn’t realize this for a while. i was wondering why i was barely out swimming people in races that i would smoke in the pool. i thought maybe i was training at a harder pace than they did. until one day i decided to borrow a friends wetsuit that fit me. and that made all the difference. i now have an Xterra suit. but it was the fitting that was off and not the brand. i realized that because the top was too tight, it restricted my movement but more than anything it made my back and arms fatigue much faster.
Not to hijack the thread, but what about a suit that may have gotten a little big? I ordered mine last year, and it worked out fairly well. It does get on quite easily, though, and is a little long in legs and arms. How much does that hurt the swim?
I also tried one too big and i felt the water just rushing in to my arms as i extended and tried to be long in the water. i think a big suit will also slow you down. it has to fit like a glove.