After a couple of miscues last year I am reevaluating all aspects of my swim for the upcoming season. Along with working of the mental conditioning, I get in trouble when I start out too fast and when I get into cold water without acclimating myself first. I’ve read a lot about chest compression from the wetsuit; mine fits really tight which I know is the point, but could it be too tight and possibly contribute to anxiety and difficulty breathing?
Try it in a pool and warm up nicely then swim race pace. This should help you identify if the wetsuit is tight or it’s prerace jitters, cold water, starting off too hard. Then, if you can, swim some open water in it in non-race conditions - acclimate yourself really well, then swim race pace and see how you feel. Information from both swims should tell you all you need to figure your next move - bigger suit or better warm-up/acclimation & calmer start.
After a couple of miscues last year I am reevaluating all aspects of my swim for the upcoming season. Along with working of the mental conditioning, I get in trouble when I start out too fast and when I get into cold water without acclimating myself first. I’ve read a lot about chest compression from the wetsuit; mine fits really tight which I know is the point, but could it be too tight and possibly contribute to anxiety and difficulty breathing?
Ermm… yes!
I mean, it could be too tight if you buy the wrong size.
Isn’t this just logical?
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Thanks for sharing! I had a panic attack in the swim at Augusta last year and this makes sense.
Yes… The reason I know this is because I purchased one too tight, and then it crushes your nuts when you swim, every time your arm extends over your head you pinch your buddies. Worst swim ever.
Thanks for the advice - I’ll try it.
Can it be too tight? yes, absolutely. Each suit is made in a particular size that lends to the fitting of each individual person. The suit will stretch to accommodate what you try to put in it or how you inflate it. But in the end run, some people just have different fit in a suit.
That being said, it is quite possible that the ‘excited’ feeling an athlete feels on the start line is increased exponentially by an unfamiliarity of the wetsuit they are wearing.
Call it claustrophobia, panic, anxiety, or whatever you may, but a large majority of triathletes don’t put their wetsuit on to do much other than race. This is where that “nothing new on race day” can come in to play. You ride your bike and play with the fit to no end. You try new shoes until you find the right ones that allow you to perform at your best. Now why buy a wetsuit that is designed to fit you like a second skin, and not put it on until your heart is already pumping, your nerves are on edge, and you are about to take off like you were shot out of a cannon?
“Practice like you play” is what coaches of team sports always say. Why not lend a little bit of that towards your equipment. Put your wetsuit on. Don’t rely on how it fit last time. Get in the water and swim in it. Swim in it more than a couple of times. Become familiar with how it feels. Take the stress that the suit could possibly be causing out of the picture. The last thing anybody needs is to exacerbate start line feelings by putting on a wetsuit that feels very foreign.
There was an article posted on ST not too long ago about the hazards.
Practice in your suit. Take away some possible anxiety you may feel. Make your suit something you feel comfortable in. While it could be too tight, it could also be that you just haven’t adjusted to the feeling of how a suit feels fully.
jake
Yes a suit can be too tight. If it’s the case, you will feel claustrophobic & your stroke will be restricted.
One of the best pieces of advice I received early on in tri’s was that a wetsuit should feel mildly uncomfortable when standing up, and if that’s the case, then it should feel just right in the water.
When racing in a wetsuit, you should do two things.
- Give yourself plenty of time to put the suit on before the race. Get it sitting snugly in all the right places
- Warm up.
I couldn’t agree more about fit being individual and different for everyone. Size charts are a place to start but in no way the end all for sizing. It’s why I’m such a big believer in Xterra Wetsuits. They are the BEST hands down…I researched over 15 companies on this…at return policy. They WANT you to swim in to to check the size and they will absolutely refund or exchange without an additional fee if you aren’t satisfied with the fit. Every other company I looked at does not allow returns once the suit has been worn with the exception of trisports.com that advertises “1 free swim”. Why you would ever buy a wetsuit that you can’t try on first I don’t know but it’s why I like what Xterra is doing to make the sport affordable and aiding in the continued growth of this sport despite the high financial costs. You are welcome to use my pro discount price code of
SA-JPAUL which they just increased to 60% off and include free shipping for a short time.
Could it be too tight? Sure.
Is it too tight? Probably not.
Just sounds like you need to get accustomed to open water swimming more.
- Try the wetsuit on a few times (including inside the house). It will naturally expand a little bit. You should say to yourself, “wow this feels really tight. I wonder if I could actually sit down in this for extended periods”
- A stranger should be able to zip up the back without having to break a sweat. If they are unable, then you might be too tight.
- Are you making sure that there are no folds/excess in the legs/waist? You want as much room as possible in the shoulders
- Did you gain weight. You need to reassess your situation each year before the season started.