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