Newbie Equipment Question

Mirror mirror on the wall. Take a look with your Speedo on and you will know if the time is right to start wearing it.

I think it's just a personal comfort thing and when you're ready to spend a few extra bucks. You'll notice the difference immediately. If comfort is an issue, you could think about buying one and wearing it under your normal swim trunks. You could then wear your trunks down to the deck, and leave them on or not - up to you. Buying a speedo isn't like buying all the most expensive biking gear just for show. Triathletes may spend a lot of money on equipment, but some people spend a lot for show, not for performance. It's a status thing. That won't apply to a speedo. When you're ready for some training gear to aid you, write another post - I'm sure you'll get some great feedback. Ryan@ICoachSwimming.com www.ICoachSwimming.com

I have been swimming for a year and a half or so. It took me about 4 months to get the nerve to wear a speedo style suit. I wear one of the ones that is skin tight, but comes down to just above the knees. At the time, I still needed to lose some weight (heck, I still need to lose some). I was amazed at the instant increase in speed. I just couldn't believe that there was that much drag in a baggy suit. Overnight, I was 5 seconds faster on 100. It felt a little bit weird at first, but now, I can't imagine swimming without it.

Originally posted by agameofyou I know speedos are the swim suit of choice to reduce drag but since I'm just starting out I don't want to look like a fool and I just wear normal swim trunks. When would be a good time make the transition? When I'm confortable enough to were them (ie in good enough shape :))? When I reach a certain fitness level (can swim x distance in x time)? Any opinions/suggestions? I'd suggest doing it now. You don't need to have a body like a model before you start wearing a competitive swimsuit. It's true that fat people don't look good in competitive swimsuits, but they don't look good in boxer swimsuits, either. The problem is the fat--not the swimsuit. And the more you swim, the less of a problem that sort of thing will be. Your suggestion that perhaps you need to attain some particular swimming speed before you are entitled to wear a competitive swimsuit is also nonsense. Most kids who join swim teams get their suits right away. They don't wait until they have attained some level of performance, nor should you feel that you need to. You will probably feel a little self conscious the first time you wear one, regardless of when you do it. But that feeling will pass quickly, too.

I think people look better in 'proper' swim gear. So get the speedos on.:)

go for the speedos now... really, no one will be looking at you, and no one will laugh- promise :)

As competitive swimmers since we were small children, I and my husband both are always kind of baffled by the Speedo issues that people have. To us, a Speedo is just a pair of swim trunks and the body inside of it is just a body (whatever that body's state of fitness). Maybe it comes from hanging around pools and lots of other nearly naked people (admit it - we are nearly naked at the pool!) for almost our entire lives. I can't say that I have thought disdainfully about someone else's body appearance since perhaps junior high. Today we swim with a fairly large master's group that includes people of all ages and shapes (including heavy 55+ men in racing suits) and it truly never crosses our minds to think that someone should not be in a particular kind of suit (except maybe when that suit gets really old and you can see through the butt!!). My guess is if you show up in a racing suit most people won't even notice.

Originally posted by roseth ..... My guess is if you show up in a racing suit most people won't even notice. I agree completely.:)

Buy a polyester mesh style training suit. These are much more durable than a competition 'Speedo' style suit, and have a little more coverage! Don't buy a lycra competition suit to train in. They stretch out, fade and generally fall apart way too quickly. Here's an example of the training suit I'm talking about: http://tinyurl.com/3982n

Originally posted by dorothyrd Scansy suggested the "jammer" type suit which looks more like biking shorts. A word of caution about jammers: One of agameofyou's concerns is apparently that he isn't "in good enough shape" yet, which I'm guessing may mean that he regards himself as flabby. I can think of a couple of somewhat flabby guys whom I've seen in both briefs and jammers, and the jammers, for some reason, seem to accentuate their flabbiness.