Someone tell me that these swim trunks are as good as advertised before I go out in public looking like I’ve just put on some hot pants on my way to the gay disco. Holy crap.
NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!
Since the whole idea is to create a drag that is more than a normal racing style suit, I think that you would get roughly the same effect from standard beach swim trunks.
Or, try swimming with a t shirt, tank top, or cut off t shirt.
I’ve put in limited time with them but they have held up well so far! There is some uncomfortableness though initially. Not physically of course, it’s all mental!
Not to mention that I have a hell of a bike shorts tan line. Think really tanned legs, then 8 inches of pasty white legs, then the poly mesh shorts. It’s really, Really, REALLY not a good look.
I don’t need help swimming slower ;P.
Just go with surf trunks; you can always take them on/off mid workout sans weird looks.
I’ve got a pair that I’ve been using since 2006. I never wash them, leave them wrapped in a towel after 20% of my swims and still they are like new.
What’s the point of using these things?
What’s the point of using these things?
The official answer is that it creates a bit of drag in the water making the swim workout harder.
The unofficial answer is so the wearer of the suit looks like a complete asshole. You should really see how ridiculous these things look. I think I may return them and get another pair of endurance jammers.
What’s the point of using these things?
The official answer is that it creates a bit of drag in the water making the swim workout harder.
Uh, swim harder instead? All it does is slow you down. How hard your workout is depends on how hard you make it. If it makes it harder to make the interval, then just shorten the interval yourself.
Just not seeing it.
Uh, swim harder instead? All it does is slow you down.
And in order to swim faster, you have to work harder. Think of it as swinging two bats in the on-deck circle. Kind of like added resistance.
I’m not saying it works, that’s what the theory behind it is. I mainly got 'em because I heard they were indestructible. It ain’t that important. 
I have a pair and wear them for most workouts. FWIW, I am not a great swimmer. However, I swim in a pool with high school national champion and future D1 swimmers, and most of the guys wear drag suits for workouts. Just saying, if their coach has them wearing them, there is a good reason, and he is getting results. Like olympic talent results.
Oh, and they are indestructible. Also, when I do a TT, and I wear my jams or speedo, I am faster than I think, so there is the psychological benefit similar to race wheels, but without the fear of cracked carbon…
I bought a pair, slipped them on and my girlfriend said absolutely not…take them off and never go in public with those on…they were relegated to the back of the closet…it was a different look then I expected. I will say that one of the fastest swimmers at my masters swim clinic swims in board shorts.
What’s the point of using these things?
Indestructible and the pools here won’t let me swim naked. the sun in the summer is too intense even if I could. I’d get wanker sunburn swimming backstroke and crack burn swimming freestyle.
I’ve heard crack burn is not as bad as wanker burn but I prefer to stay sunburn free.
Same. Never wash it going on third season. The only damage is the elastic band is starting to go.
The next time I swim in jammers will be the first time. No thanks…
From my experience, the wearer of JAMMERS in the pool for workouts looks sillier, and that is a general agreement of long-time swimmers. Long-time swimmers almost uniformly wear speedos or square-bottom suits, the ones that look like 1950’s suits. Every single college coach I know of absolutely forbids jammers in practice, if the guys haven’t already themselves decided against them. High-tech jammers are saved for the big meets. The trouble is finding those solid nylon or poly suits, so the next best thing is the mesh suit, with a small speedo underneath for modesty. In truth, the mesh doesn’t make much difference at all.
Back to speedos (or square-bottoms) vs jammers in the water. The guy wearing the jammers and the big navy seal goggles or similar stands out right away, and masters swimmers usually get a good laugh (initially) at these guys as “not real swimmers” who don’t know the rules of swimming (ie, how to flip turn, how to swim on one side of the lane, how to swim something else besides freestyle, how to kick with a board, etc). I’m NOT saying this is right, but it’s the same thing that happens when a tri biker joins in a club ride or is seen on the road by the roadies. The roadies want things to go by their rules (no aero helmets, no riding in the aero bars, know how to pull and draft in a group, call out the potholes ahead, etc). Or when the tri-runner hits the road wearing bike-run shorts and a tri singlet. The tri guys get looks and smirks. It’s the same thing in the pool vis-a-vis jammers.
The hard thing for a triathlete to do is to juggle all the sports and the so-called “rules” and expectations. But, if you are going to swim in the masters group, generally, it’s advisable to wear the square-bottom and smaller goggles. In truth, these things, because they are baggier by design, are MORE modest and LESS exposing than jammers (in jammers, you can usually “tell what religion someone is”).
For better or worse, the “fashion rules” are the rules. And this is generational. Back when I was swimming in club swimming, we usually wore 2-3 small speedos in practice, taking pride usually that the outer one was frayed and worn and knotted together. Thank God the “rules” changed to the square-bottom by the time I was in college.
Let me get this straight:
Your girl friend tells you what to wear?
Doesn’t mesh with you racing/riding around your neighborhood in tight spandex on a Sunday morning when every other self-respecting citizen goes to church or is modestly dressed?
Seriously,
The only explanation I have is that you either are the guy who races in mountain bike shorts and a T-shirt (nothing wrong with that) or that you forgot the pink font.
If not, I’d suggest ditching the GF.