Find out the best way to fit your brand new performance swimming racesuit

Swimming Racesuit Fitting Guide - Kneeskins & Jammers

As a former swimmer myself for a number of years at club and university level I know that race suits need to be looked after in order to keep them in optimal condition to continue providing the best performance for each use. I also know that knowing whether a suit does fit can be tricky. Trying to find the balance between performance, comfort, durability and growing room can a tough balancing act. That is what I intend to layout and provide guidance for. When it comes to fitting and looking after your race suit there are few key points that can help correctly fit your suit and to look after it to prolong its useful life.

A racing suit is primarily designed for performance. It is supposed to be tight and compressive. These suits are not designed to be grown into. They are designed to be a tight fit. This is because the materials used are water repellent and hydrophobic. A badly fitting suit will cause drag in the water, which is not ideal.

MEASURING FOR A RACESUIT

When it comes to knowing if a suit is the right size for you, the staff at SwimPath are all experienced in the world of swimming and can help fit a race suit for anyone. But when fitting it yourself it is pertinent to know that a race suit should take at the very least, 10 minutes to put on but can regularly exceed 15 minutes. The next thing to look for is wrinkling and bubbling of the material across the body. The material should be smooth all over the body to ensure as little drag as possible. However, the suit should not be so tight as to restrict blood supply or range of motion. A good rule of thumb is to check the fit on the legs. If you can get 2 fingers underneath the material on the legs and pull slightly away from the skin but not too far then that is a pretty good fit. It should not be easy to pull it away from the skin, there should be some resistance and it should not be more than 2 fingers under the material. The overall feel of the suit should be tight and compressive but not restrictive.

FITTING THE RACESUIT

When putting the suit on it is important the swimmer is dry because the suit will stick to wet skin and it will be much more difficult to put on. It is important to remember to turn the rubber leg grippers out as to not stick to the legs when putting them on. It is recommended to roll the suit up before putting it on, then stepping into it and bringing it up above the knees while still rolled up. Once it is set in place above the knee the suit should be gradually unravelled bit by bit, evenly across both legs until has reached the hips. Continue adjusting until there are no wrinkles or bubbles and the swimmer is comfortable. 

CARING FOR THE RACESUIT

The first thing is that the water-resistant materials and chemicals in the suit are eroded by pool water and chlorine specifically. There is unfortunately no way of getting around this. In order to prolong the suits useable lifespan, it is recommended that these race suits only be worn for races at competitions. They should not be worn during meet warmups or training sessions. Otherwise, the material will be more quickly eroded and will need replacing much sooner.

The second thing to know, and perhaps the most important is how to look after your race suit. Race suits are expensive and are high quality performance focused pieces of equipment and should be looked after as such. With that in mind, once you have swum your race, hopefully a new personal best, the race suit should be removed as soon as possible. The suit will stretch as it dries on your body so removing it as soon as possible is strongly recommended. Once it has been removed it should be hand washed in cold tap water, with no soap or any other kind of cleaning product. Once rinsed through with the cold water the suit should be hung up and air dried.

Following these few simple tips can help to get the correct suit for you and to then prolong its useful life. For any further advice or support please contact one of the SwimPath team who will be happy to help.

Back to the SwimPath Pathway - A Comprehensive Guide to Swimming Racesuits & Training Equipment

arena Powerskin Primo elite performance racesuits

Elite Level Racesuit Guide

The final upgrade in race suit performance and technology is to some of the elite race suits on offer. These suits have the very best performance and new technology developed in order to give the swimmers the best possible advantages from their race suit. The suits in this bracket are the arena Powerskin Primo, TYR Venzo, arena Powerskin Carbon Core FX, the arena Powerskin Carbon Glide, and the Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Intent 2.0. Some of these suits talked about in this blog were worn by the Olympians in Paris. Specific details of each suit are explained below.

Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Intent LZR 2.0

The Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Intent LZR 2.0 is first and foremost a sprinters suit. It is designed to be strong with high levels of compression thanks to dual layering in key areas providing extra core stability and support. In addition, the textured fabric zones help to reduce drag in critical areas. The water resistance has also been improved thanks to technological developments from Lamoral ® Space Tech. This is great suit for sprinters and is shaped for the slightly shorter and more muscular swimmers but the wide range of sizes available from Speedo means that most people will fit into a speedo suit and the SwimPath team can help with sizing advice.

arena Powerskin Carbon Glide

The arena Powerskin Carbon Glide is a very popular suit for its targeted compression and lightweight flexibility. The Hydroglide fabric is completely smooth to the touch and will feel like you are gliding through the water with reduced drag and turbulence. The targeted compression is provided by the carbon cage structure and is designed to activate key muscle groups to assist with performance, particularly when the swimmer is tired. This also helps to keep the body in a level, supported and streamlined position.

arena Powerskin Carbon Core FX

Cut from Carbon Cage fabric, the unique material of the arena Powerskin Carbon Core FX works horizontally and vertically for long-lasting muscle compression and a locked-in feel. The twin-taping on the back of the legs has a lifting effect on the body, helping to stay high and horizontal in the water. The internal taping and lining intensify support and core stability while still allowing flexibility. This is the arena suit most designed for sprinters. The tight compression and rigid structure provide a secure feeling and optimal lift to improve body positioning and reduce drag for those all-important milliseconds over the sprint distance races.

arena Powerskin Primo

The arena Powerskin Primo is arena’s newest and most advanced race suit yet. It has an all new tensoelastic fabric. This means that the suit does not need to be stretched as far to get the same compression as other arena suits. This means there is less chance of ripping the suits and it should last a lot longer than any other arena suit. The elasticity ensures all over compression and optimal fit to each individual swimmer’s body. It should also be a lot quicker and easier to put on at the competition. This suit does not contain any carbon like other arena race suits. This means that there is an increased range of motion making it ideal for all race distances and strokes. The taping also helps with compression and activation of key muscles ensuring a high body position and buoyancy. The new channelling texture of the fabric increases the hydrodynamics and reduces drag. In addition, the suit contains a naturally hydrophobic material called TPU woven into the fabric itself and not coated on the outside like other race suits, which means the water resistance and beading effect should be much longer lasting than any other race suit on the market. Swimmers would be the same size in primo as they are in any other Arena Carbon race suit. All this means that the Arena Primo was the suit of choice for a lot of the swimmers at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

TYR Venzo - Coming Soon

The TYR Venzo uses smooth fibres threaded to a durable fabric designed to reduce drag and increase water resistance. Surface Lift technology prevents water permeating the suit allowing for a higher body position. Additionally, the compression cage structure provides support for the abdominals and the legs. The cage provides snapback assistance to trigger the muscles to keep on firing which comes in handy when the swimmer is getting tired. Furthermore, the seamless outer surface and bonded straps provide swimmers with high levels of stability and comfort. Coming soon to SwimPath!

For more information on how to fit your racesuit, check out our Racesuit Fitting Guide by clicking here.

Back to the SwimPath Pathway - A Comprehensive Guide to Swimming Racesuits & Training Equipment

Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Valor 2.0 advanced performance racesuits

Advanced Level Racesuit Guide

The next upgrade from the intermediate stitch and partially bonded suits is to the fully bonded advanced suits. The suits in this bracket are the arena Powerskin Carbon Air 2.0, Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Valor 2.0, FINIS Rival & Rival 2.0 and FINIS Vapor Pro. These suits have different materials and start to diverge a little bit in terms of shape and the events they are designed for and therefore who they fit best. They are still designed with comfort in mind but are more specialised in terms of strokes and race distance in order to help provide the best performance for those specific events. The suits in this bracket are designed to be tight and should almost feel like a second skin. The levels of water resistance and water proofing, buoyancy and compression are significantly higher than the suits in the intermediate bracket.

arena Powerskin Carbon Air 2.0

The arena Powerskin Carbon Air 2.0 is a very popular and reliable suit designed to be lightweight and comfortable while providing high levels of water repellence. The carbon fibre strands weaved throughout the single piece suit help to give it structure despite being such a lightweight suit. The lightweight flexible material allows for freedom of movement and comfort which makes it a very well-rounded suit that is suitable for all race distances but especially 200 metre and above races. The way the fabric of this suit is cut from a single piece reducing stitching and bonding is more favourable for taller and slimmer swimmers but the wide range of sizes should accommodate most swimmers. It is also available in a variety of colours.

Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Valor 2.0

The Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Valor 2.0 is another well rounded advanced suit designed to be lightweight and flexible making it an ideal choice for the longer distance races and multi-stroke and medley swimmers providing good range of motion and comfort. The panels in this suit allow for all over moderate compression. The double layered fabric around the abdominals and inner legs provides good core stability and muscle support. The water repellence is very long lasting and should be able to last multiple races before wearing out. The cut of this suit is more favourable to the shorter more muscular swimmers but again with a wide range of sizes most swimmers will be able to find one to fit them.

FINIS Rival

The FINIS Rival is an advanced racing suit designed using three main principles: compression, robust seam structure and fit. FINIS used these fundamentals to provide swimmers with a product that is backed up by research and innovation. The Rival is constructed using two fabrics: the one-way stretch fabric increases compression, while the two-way stretch fabric allows optimal range of motion. The combination of the two fabrics supports muscles. Seams are strategically placed to strengthen the bond between fabrics and enhance compression in adjacent areas. The innovative seam pattern wraps from the front of the hips to the back, locking the swimmer into optimal body position. The 3-panel system allows movement/breathing room while maintaining core compression while allowing swimmers to properly extend and contract in order to maintain muscle efficiency. A hydrophobic coating is applied and creates that cool "water beading effect" we all love.

FINIS Rival 2.0

FINIS Rival 2.0 racesuits are a great suit for shorter distance races with tight all over compression. Olympians Anthony Ervin, Olivia Smoliga and James Guy had a hand in designing and testing this suit. This is a rigid and well-structured fabric suit that is suited for sprint events. This suit has impressive water resistance. In the female suit, a vertical chest seam prevents air pockets and reinforces oblique and lower abdomen compression. The male suit features intense compression on the back of the legs to lift the legs to the surface. Both male and female suits feature single-layered panels on the inner thighs to increase comfort and range of motion in all four swim strokes.

FINIS Vapor

The FINIS Vapor Pro is FINIS’ answer to the Valor and Carbon Air 2. It is primarily designed to be lightweight and flexible allowing full range of motion for all strokes, especially in the longer distance events. The Vapor’s internal panel construction reduces muscle vibration and maintains core stability by compressing critical areas of the body. The welded and lay-flat seams create a compression fit to reduce friction and drag. The silicone water-tight panel edges provide a comfortable grip on the legs and waist. A hydrophobic coating is applied to increase water repellence and reducing drag. Select dual panelling on the back of legs provides lift and a better body position in the water.

If you're looking to upgrade your Advanced Racesuit, check out our Elite Racesuit Guide by clicking here.

For more information on how to fit your racesuit, check out our Racesuit Fitting Guide by clicking here.

Back to the SwimPath Pathway - A Comprehensive Guide to Swimming Racesuits & Training Equipment

Speedo Fastskin LZR Ignite intermediate performance racesuits

Intermediate Level Racesuit Guide

The step up from the stitched suits on offer from arena and FINIS is to partially stitched, partially bonded suits and in some cases fully bonded suits. These suits are a step up in the quality of the materials used, featuring materials that have more water repellence than the stitched suits and provide greater levels of buoyancy and compression while still allowing comfort and good value. The suits that fit into this bracket are the arena Powerskin Impulso, and the FINIS Fuse.

arena Powerskin Impulso

arena’s newest racing suit, the arena Powerskin Impulso is a step up from the previously discussed ST Next with a lighter fabric and greater water repellence. Made from a high-quality woven fabric utilising new flatlock stitching to reduce drag and improve durability. This suit provides moderate compression and muscle support while still allowing full range of motion and accommodates a growing body making it ideal for young swimmers. The hydrophobic coating reduces drag in the water improving performance. The quick drying fabric means the Impulso is an excellent choice for the swimmers with a busy programme of racing.

FINIS Fuse

FINIS Fuse suits are a well-balanced entry level bonded or glued suit. This is a good introduction to bonded suits and provides increased levels of streamlining, compression, buoyancy and water resistance, while still prioritising comfort and flexibility. The bonding is both durable and flexible. It is an affordable option for a reliable bonded suit with a universal fit. The hydro-reflective panels ensure increased levels of performance reducing drag. Ideal for the young swimmer looking for an affordable yet high quality race suit looking to take their performance to the next level.

If you're looking to upgrade your Intermediate Racesuit, check out our Advanced Racesuit Guide by clicking here.

For more information on how to fit your racesuit, check out our Racesuit Fitting Guide by clicking here.

Back to the SwimPath Pathway - A Comprehensive Guide to Swimming Racesuits & Training Equipment

arena Powerskin ST NEXT entry-level performance racesuits

Entry-Level Racesuit Guide

So, you are going racing! Congratulations! This is the first step on your swimming journey, but before you start you are going to need a racing suit. A tight, well-fitting race suit with a water repellent coating not only helps with performance but also swimmers’ confidence and mindset when it comes to racing. A well-fitting race suit provides some compression, buoyancy and the water-resistant materials ensures optimal performance whilst swimming. With so much choice and so many different sizes and styles of suit with numerous different qualities and characteristics how do you know which one is right for you? This is a guide to help choose your first race suit.

A swimmer’s first race suit is typically bought at about 10 years old, when they start racing for the first time. At this stage your first race suit is likely to be a stitched seam lines, rather than the more hydrodynamic glued, bonded seam lines. SwimPath offer both the arena Powerskin ST NEXT and the Speedo Endurance+. Both of these suits are very good entry level skins that offer an introduction to knee length racing suits which are easy to use for first time racers. The characteristics of each suit will be briefly explained below.

Speedo Fastskin Endurance+

The Speedo Endurance+ range of junior kneeskins and jammers promote comfort and good value above all else. This is designed to be the very first race suit for young swimmers just starting to swim in gala competitions. They come in a range of bright colours and patterns, meaning the swimmer is easily visible in competitions and a variety of sizes to fit to the swimmer’s body. It is 100% chlorine resistant which helps to prolong its lifespan and ensure durability to withstand a busy day at a swim competition. It is a knee length suit which has a FINA approved accreditation.

arena Powerskin ST NEXT

arena ST NEXT racesuits provide both compression and comfort at its forefront. The ST in its name refers to the stitching of its panels - which is both durable and flexible allowing comfort and reliable performance. The double layered woven fabric comes in a range of colours and has a number of Limited Edition colours released throughout the year. Suits are available in both junior and adult sizes allowing older swimmers to still get a good quality race suit at a reasonable price. The fabric coating of this suit is water repellent meaning water will bead and slide straight off, reducing drag in the water and helps to provide buoyancy and mild compression. This suit is FINA approved and accredited, meaning this is a fully legal and compliant suit for any level of competition.

If you're looking to upgrade your Entry-Level Racesuit, check out our Intermediate Racesuit Guide by clicking here.

For more information on how to fit your racesuit, check out our Racesuit Fitting Guide by clicking here.

Back to the SwimPath Pathway - A Comprehensive Guide to Swimming Racesuits & Training Equipment