How tight is a wetsuit supposed to be?

I started competing in triathlons last summer and completed four, the longest was an Olympic distance, and have done one sprint so far this year.

I wear a sleeveless shorty suit called Tri-Max made by Performace that was a handed down to me from my father. He started racing He bought it three or four years ago, but only wore it once because it was too tight around his chest. It fits me well, as I am thinner than he his. This suit was cheap when he bought it, less than $100, but that company doesn’t make wet suits any more.

As a triathlete, the main reason to wear a wetsuit is to go faster. Every swimmer, except for the most elite with perfect form, gain speed due to the increased bouyancy which let them ride higher in the water. The full length suits will hold your legs up so that you don’t need to kick, saving your legs for the bike and run. Triathlon wetsuits will be made differently that suits made for diving or waterskiing with more room in the shoulders. A couple of my coworkers started doing triathlons last year too, and they picked up wetsuits that were made for jetskiing for our first race. They both had problems swimming as their shoulders were restricted.

The grease the other posters mentioned for aiding wetsuit removal is called BodyGlide. It is also good for preventing chafing around the edges of the suit. I usually put some around my neck because turning your head can rub around the collar. The people that wear full length suits will put it on their ankles and feet to aid suit removal in the first transition. I’ve also heard some put it on their ankles so that if another swimmer tries to grab their ankle to swim over them, the hand will slip off. Some people use vaseline since it’s cheaper, but that may damage your suit. The time that it takes to damage it vs. the money you spend on BodyGlide probably evens out.

At the races I’ve been to, the popular triathlon wetsuits are Orcas and Ironman brand. One of the coworkers I mentioned before that tried to wear jetskiing suit just bought a Pro Motion suit from www.wetsuit.com and is happy with it. They also have a really good FAQ about triathlon wetsuits. Nobody wears suits with hoods, swim caps provided by the organizer are worn on your head, usually color coded depending on what wave you are in.

If the race you are doing is USA Triathlon sactioned, you can go here to see their rules regarding wetsuits and swimmimg. Remember that drafting is illegal on the bike, but not in the swim. Swimming in someone’s wake will enable you to swim faster with less effort.

Have fun at your race!

and another article on triathlon wetsuits

We have a P.G. Triathlon & you can buy wetsuits then, so maybe you can buy one at the Triathllon.

My brother gave me a really big one & it seems to fit but when going under a wave a huge amount of water comes through the holes.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, all. Great tips and great sites. Very helpful! Not to say you can’t add more…I’ll still check. My (first) triathlon is a sprint tri on July 12.