Helpful hits wetsuit

Triathlon Forum
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Wetsuit tips and tricks

I have done some open water swimming over the years and thought I would give some tips and tricks that have worked for me - for athletes getting ready for their upcoming races.

There are many others that know wetsuits, wetsuit construction and have used them far longer than I have - so I’m sure we can gather some additional ideas as well as corrections to my post - but I thought some constructive use ideas might be helpful.

Practice swimming in your wetsuit once a week so you get used to it.

Products like Glide etc. don’t work well for me. It is very important that you can get the wetsuit up smoothly. Purchase a tub of coconut butter (looks like Crisco) at the local grocery market. This stuff works better than any other product I have tried and its cheap. It does not matter if you have a speed suit or bathing suit on under the wetsuit – put butter on your feet, lower legs, sides of hips, chest, shoulders and neck or (over the under garment). You will be amazed how easy the wet suit goes on.

Pull the wetsuit up high. When you think its high enough – pull it up some more. No sags in the crotch. This will take a ton of pressure off your shoulders, neck and chest. When its up high and fits correct its a great feeling to swim in it.

Keep the neck attached but loose.

Before you get in the water pour a bottle or two of tap water down into the suit through the neck. It will create a nice warm boundary layer and will help let new fresh water in to keep you cool as your body temps rise from exertion. This is not a dry suit – it’s a wetsuit – literally.

If you are going to wear a sports watch – take it off, put the suit on, roll back the sleeve and then put on the watch and roll the wetsuit back down over it. Much easier to get on and take off after the swim. Same for timing chip.

I have big feet so I also cut off about 4 inches from each leg so I can get the wetsuit on and off easier. Scissors work fine and no need to seal it – just a nice straight cut.

To save energy sighting (and if they are a good swimmer and they can sight) I try and just get on the hip of a slightly faster swimmer. It cuts my sighting by 75% and I get their cut through the water so I use less energy.

Foggy goggles. The only way to have them not fog is if they are new (it lasts about a week) or if you don’t mind a few drops of water inside. Nothing else works. Baby shampoo, spit all that don’t work for me…just a few drops of water. The differential in heat between your eyes and the water will make condensation – no getting around it. A few drops of water will continuously clear it.

At swim out take your time and pull off the arms and top down to your waist and run to your bike. At the bike pull it down – sit on the ground and pull off each leg. The coconut butter will make this really easy. You will not need to stomp on it and tear at it.

Good luck - I hope these idea help and hope others will chime in with what works for them :-).

Dan

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This post makes you appear soft

Just sayin’. 🤪😂

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Very…Very Very soft :slight_smile:
.

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I have some tips too.

Most companies have two different types of wetsuit. Thin and thick ones. For example, Xterra Volt is thinner than Vortex. Volt is more comfortable, but with less buoyancy. If you a type person who panics when you hit the water because your chest area is too tight, consider getting thin one.

If you live in fairly warm area and water is not that cold but still wetsuit legal, think about sleeveless. It’s more comfortable. I do have both sleeved and sleeveless wetsuits and pick depending on water temp.

Vaseline works great for my neck, so use it. It could be perfectly fine one day and you can get chafed badly on another day, so use it every time.

Wear wetsuit early and get used to it on the race day. Run a little or do jumping jacks to bring your heart rate up. You will feel better when you hit the water.

To prevent foggy goggles, I use a bottle of spray called ‘Spit.’ After the swim, I rinse my goggles, spray Spit and dry them. This works every single time for me. TYR, Arena and Speedo have anti-sprays too and I think they are all same.

If you use ear plugs or nose clip, remove them after you get to the bike. Don’t remove them while you are running.to T1. You can drop and lose them.

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Ok, for a serious tip… When putting the arms on, twist your arm slightly (very ) so that the natural pull of the rubber return to center will naturally help bring your arm forward with no effort during the recovery. It should not affect the catch and pull aspects

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Thanks for the coconut butter tip; I will use it next time instead of a petroleum product!

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Pull the wetsuit up high. When you think its high enough – pull it up some more. No sags in the crotch. This will take a ton of pressure off your shoulders, neck and chest. When its up high and fits correct its a great feeling to swim in it.

Dan

Hi Dan, this is good advice. What helps me a great deal is bending forward at the waist and then grabbing the rolls that form, and pulling them up towards the chest. When you stand back up the suit feels so much more relaxed in terms of not pulling down on the shoulders.

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Pull the wetsuit up high. When you think its high enough – pull it up some more. No sags in the crotch. This will take a ton of pressure off your shoulders, neck and chest. When its up high and fits correct its a great feeling to swim in it.

Dan

If you do that, your trikit rolls up too in thigh area. I put my hand and unroll it.
It’s much comfortable that way.

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Here’s another pro tip- don’t put your wetsuit on wrong-side out. I did that at my last race and I used so much energy struggling to get it on that it was like a fourth event. The embarrassment I felt when someone pointed it out just before the race didn’t help my mental state either. Don’t be me.

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Turn which way? Inward or outward?

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Each arm inward. So left arm, twist slightly to the right. You’ll feel when you turn that arm to the left, the rubber will want to pull it back right

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My favorite hint from Emilio was:
You know how your wetsuit always feels tight that first race of the season. It might not be all the offseason weight. The neoprene may have dried out a bit , and as such, shrunk.

Instead, a couple days before your race, fill up your tub, and soak (and rehydrate) your wetsuit for a while… and it should fit better.

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Here’s another pro tip- don’t put your wetsuit on wrong-side out. I did that at my last race and I used so much energy struggling to get it on that it was like a fourth event. The embarrassment I felt when someone pointed it out just before the race didn’t help my mental state either. Don’t be me.

This is impossible for me.
Inside of my Xterra wetsuit is blue, so I would look like a smurf among penguins if I do that.

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So I would imagine that coconut butter would work great as a wetsuit lubricant, but any issues with, over time, the oils in the coconut butter attacking/damaging the material of the wetsuit?

Greg @ dsw

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With the coconut butter, how oily/greasy would things be post swim in a race?

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This is all very helpful. I am going to try the coconut trick - one question though. THere is something called coconut butter that is sold in gourmet stores, etc. but the crisco-like stuff that is sold in supermarkets is called coconut oil - is that what you are referring to? They both look pretty similar. Thanks!

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The stuff I use is sold in Supermarkets.

I have used it with my TYR wet-suit for a few years and it has not done anything obvious to the material.

After Escape the Cape - I never even noticed it was on while on the bike, run or after. When i got home I notice some still on the neck line of the wet-suit both I just left it there.

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So I would imagine that coconut butter would work great as a wetsuit lubricant, but any issues with, over time, the oils in the coconut butter attacking/damaging the material of the wetsuit?

Greg @ dsw
All due respect to Dan Kennison, here’s my take. I worked in the wetsuit industry for a long time, and we saw some disgusting gloppy messes come in for wetsuit repair.
The greasy stuff, whether it’s petroleum based or not, on the wetsuit, doesn’t damage the neoprene as much as the seams. It gets inside the spongy neoprene and never comes out. Over time, this will get rancid and smelly. It may affect the glue in the seams as well, as it degrades the glue, then it’s hard to reglue them because the grease in the neoprene just keeps oozing out.
Because of the way I swim, or breathe, or something, no matter what suit I’m wearing or how much glop I put on my neck, I get chafed. Sometimes that happens. Water softens your skin, and persistent rubbing builds up heat and chafing happens. Over the years, I’ve tried to eliminate chafing in the wetsuits I designed, and it’s impossible (no matter how many marketing dollars have been spent saying otherwise…) The best solution I’ve come up w over the years is to put something between the suit and me, and it’s Tegaderm, a transparent bandage. You can buy sheets, patches, or in a pinch, the waterproof bandaids that have it. Then just pull it off after the swim…

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Good info, thanks!

But isn’t wetsuit neoprene closed cell, so that anything doesn’t really go deep inside the foam? But I have heard that nearly any oil based product will attack the neoprene, is that actually correct? Some companies (like blue seventy) seems to say vegetable oil is ok?

Great idea about the tape. One thing that I have tried and had good luck with as a wetsuit lubricant is hair conditioner. Water based but persistent enough to last for a race.

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I’ve always found putting a plastic bag over my arms & legs to be quite helpful when putting my wetsuit on.