Triathlon Training

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Discussion: Wet Suit
Subject: Wet Suit
By: Dan Hassett
Written on: 2005-03-08 18:02:16
Message: what is a good entry level wet suit for a first timer? is there a huge difference between different types of suits?
Subject: RE: Wet Suit
By: John Day
Written on: 2005-03-14 00:15:17
Message: Don't sink tons of money into it until you have raced a year and are addicted. No sense spending the cash if you hate the sport in 6 months. If you are a first timer, the wetsuit isn't going to matter much. It's like a newbie with $1000 disc wheels- what a waste.

I recommend spending as little as possible at first and saving the money for more races/ a better bike, lane fees at the pool/etc. But if you must part with your cash, then yes spend $300 on any one of those fancy suits you see online. I recommend you rent one first to see if it tears you up. Some will rip your neck- I did a half ironman 2 years ago in a rental and spent the entire time on the bike rubbing salt out of my raw torn up neck. That's all I remember about the bike. It would've been a bummer had I bought the thing.

Have fun!
Subject: RE: Wet Suit
By: Jamie Boward
Written on: 2005-03-14 10:51:55
Message: I have to disagree there!! A wetsuit not only lets you swim faster because it makes you more buoyant it also lowers your heart rate during the swim making it easier on your body for the other two events. If you know how to use the wetsuit properly then you won't be rubbing salt from a torn up neck.
A good begginers wetsuit will be around 175-225 but it is worth the investment on anything Olympic distance and over or if you are swimming in water that is lower than 72 degrees. That is where the body uses more energy to heat up the core causing you to burn prescious calories more on the swim. This is a good time of year to buy a suit because a lot of places have closeouts on last years stock. At 200 dollars most suits are the same but the fit is the big thing!! You would most likely want to get fitted a tri shop because if it is too small then your reach is going to be restricted and it will be uncomfortable and a waste of money
As for what John said about the torn up neck. I have done 6 mile open water swims that have lasted well over two hours in length and I have never had any problems. The main thing is you have to lubricate the spots where it will rub your body the most. In this case I think he might have gotten bogus info from the place he rented the suit from which could have caused some problems. I use plain old vaseline for longer stuff like Ironmans and open water swim races. For shorter stuff I use spray on Pam (yup the same stuff you cook with!). They claim they will casue damage to your suit but the key is after the race take it down to the water and wash it out good (from the inside out) and make sure all the junk is off it and make sure you hang it up properly and it will be fine. I have been doing this for 5 years with the same suit and other than fold marks at the elbows the collars and sleves all are still new. The other places you want to lube are your wrists and ankles so it is easier to get the suit off and sometimes the crotch area if you notice rubbing during practice. The main thing like anything in triathlon is you have to practice with it to get the full benefits.
Just a quick blurp but there was a study in swim fitness magazine about 4 or 5 months back and it compared the average heart rates and times of people who wore wetsuits to people who didn't over a 1 mile swim and it was quite amazing! The times were on average 2:50 seconds faster with heart rates over 10 beats per minute less and a lot of it was due to the fact that the suits made them more buoyant thus making it easier for the body to go forward and not sink.
I don't know any other device in racing that can add that much time to your even. Yes I have wheels that cost over 2000 dollars on a bike that is well over 8000 and I haven't noticed a time gain as much with any of that equipment as I did with a wetsuit!! I would suggest a wetsuit over anything but a good bike even race wheels!! I am in the 10:40 range for Ironman and the wheels still didn't give me as much of a time gain as a wetsuit. Like I said you still must practice it to make it work!
jamie
Subject: RE: Wet Suit
By: Dan Hassett
Written on: 2005-03-14 14:51:01
Message: Thanks for the advise. GOod luck with your seasons. dan

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Reigster now for free to join this or any of the thousands of ongoing discussions - Connect with thousands of athletes, post questions, share thoughts, find a training buddy,access triathlon training programs, marathon training programs and more!
Discussion: Wet Suit
Subject: Wet Suit By: Dan Hassett Written on: 2005-03-08 18:02:16 Message: what is a good entry level wet suit for a first timer? is there a huge difference between different types of suits?
Subject: RE: Wet Suit By: John Day Written on: 2005-03-14 00:15:17 Message: Don't sink tons of money into it until you have raced a year and are addicted. No sense spending the cash if you hate the sport in 6 months. If you are a first timer, the wetsuit isn't going to matter much. It's like a newbie with $1000 disc wheels- what a waste. I recommend spending as little as possible at first and saving the money for more races/ a better bike, lane fees at the pool/etc. But if you must part with your cash, then yes spend $300 on any one of those fancy suits you see online. I recommend you rent one first to see if it tears you up. Some will rip your neck- I did a half ironman 2 years ago in a rental and spent the entire time on the bike rubbing salt out of my raw torn up neck. That's all I remember about the bike. It would've been a bummer had I bought the thing. Have fun!
Subject: RE: Wet Suit By: Jamie Boward Written on: 2005-03-14 10:51:55 Message: I have to disagree there!! A wetsuit not only lets you swim faster because it makes you more buoyant it also lowers your heart rate during the swim making it easier on your body for the other two events. If you know how to use the wetsuit properly then you won't be rubbing salt from a torn up neck. A good begginers wetsuit will be around 175-225 but it is worth the investment on anything Olympic distance and over or if you are swimming in water that is lower than 72 degrees. That is where the body uses more energy to heat up the core causing you to burn prescious calories more on the swim. This is a good time of year to buy a suit because a lot of places have closeouts on last years stock. At 200 dollars most suits are the same but the fit is the big thing!! You would most likely want to get fitted a tri shop because if it is too small then your reach is going to be restricted and it will be uncomfortable and a waste of money As for what John said about the torn up neck. I have done 6 mile open water swims that have lasted well over two hours in length and I have never had any problems. The main thing is you have to lubricate the spots where it will rub your body the most. In this case I think he might have gotten bogus info from the place he rented the suit from which could have caused some problems. I use plain old vaseline for longer stuff like Ironmans and open water swim races. For shorter stuff I use spray on Pam (yup the same stuff you cook with!). They claim they will casue damage to your suit but the key is after the race take it down to the water and wash it out good (from the inside out) and make sure all the junk is off it and make sure you hang it up properly and it will be fine. I have been doing this for 5 years with the same suit and other than fold marks at the elbows the collars and sleves all are still new. The other places you want to lube are your wrists and ankles so it is easier to get the suit off and sometimes the crotch area if you notice rubbing during practice. The main thing like anything in triathlon is you have to practice with it to get the full benefits. Just a quick blurp but there was a study in swim fitness magazine about 4 or 5 months back and it compared the average heart rates and times of people who wore wetsuits to people who didn't over a 1 mile swim and it was quite amazing! The times were on average 2:50 seconds faster with heart rates over 10 beats per minute less and a lot of it was due to the fact that the suits made them more buoyant thus making it easier for the body to go forward and not sink. I don't know any other device in racing that can add that much time to your even. Yes I have wheels that cost over 2000 dollars on a bike that is well over 8000 and I haven't noticed a time gain as much with any of that equipment as I did with a wetsuit!! I would suggest a wetsuit over anything but a good bike even race wheels!! I am in the 10:40 range for Ironman and the wheels still didn't give me as much of a time gain as a wetsuit. Like I said you still must practice it to make it work! jamie
Subject: RE: Wet Suit By: Dan Hassett Written on: 2005-03-14 14:51:01 Message: Thanks for the advise. GOod luck with your seasons. dan
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