If you’ve just started your swimming career, whether as a professional swimmer or a recreational one, or you’re simply enjoy being in the water, you’ve probably heard it is a good idea to get a swimsuit. And it is, as it will keep you warm and help you move through the water, so you’ll most likely be okay with the training swimsuit.
But for those who are in this sport for a longer period of time, there is a big difference between the training suit and a technical race suit, or simply called “tech suit”. They both have their abilities, their strengths, and weakness, and in this article, you’ll read what are the differences between these two, and we hope it will help you decide which one suits you better.
The Similarities And The Differences
These two basically share the same goal – to help you move through and feel better in the water. And they both require the same way of maintenance. And, that’s it when it comes to things which makes them similar.
What makes their purpose different is one simple fact – the one is way faster than the other. They are made of different materials and fabric, technology is different and they fit your body differently.
Training Suit
This type of swimsuit is spandex or nylon-based suit whose purpose is to be able to stretch, bend, move without wearing off in a matter of hours. The more endurable they are, the better. Also, there are not so many options when it comes to its size, as they’re mostly universal and should fit you no matter how small or big you are.
Most of the companies who produce training suits don’t use much technology, besides sometimes trying to improve the fabric and make it last longer in the chlorine, or preventing them from fading. But there are lots of different colors, design options, so you’ll probably find what you’re looking for. Also, they are really comfortable and will make your swimming session way more pleasant.
Another thing these suits don’t provide is speed. They have lots of thick seams, like the ones along with the fonts, backs, necklines… It does make these suits as comfortable as possible, but it creates drag, which slows you down while you swim.
Tech/Technical Race Suit
Technical race suit, or as already stated tech suit in colloquial language, has one simple goal in mind – making you as fast as it can in the swimming pool. These days, tech suits provide a great level of compression around your body while they’re on, especially the torso and the upper legs for men and the stomach, torso, and chest for women, making you feel like your body has been locked in. This could vary as the compression level is connected not only to the size of the tech suit itself, but to your body type, as well, but if you compare it to the training suit or any other wetsuit made from looser material, the pressure will be noticeable.
Although some tech suits could be made of spandex or nylon, the same as training suits, most of them are the products of a bit advanced construction. Materials used could be different, like seams, glues, hydrophobic coatings, and its advanced technology makes them fit better to your body, while also using the least amount of your drag while you swim, helping you gain more speed. Tech suits develop constantly, as companies all around the world spend time testing different materials and options to find the best possible solution.
This suit won’t help you become a better swimmer, but it will help you by covering your body with its technology-designed fabric to improve your body positioning in the water and making your way through easier and less resistant, removing all unnecessary drag.
As the name says itself, this suit is mostly used by professional swimmers who love to be at the top of their game all the time, and they most often than not have a few different suits they’ll use on different occasions. Now, what about you, should you run to the nearest store and purchase the best tech suit available? Will it make you a better swimmer?
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Which One Is Better For You?
To answer this question, first, you have to be sure what do you want to accomplish and what your goal is when it comes to swimming.
As stated – tech suits are there to make you go as fast as you can. They’ll help you swim faster, they’ll minimize the drag and all in all improve your speed.
But, like everything else, it has its but. Firstly, if you’re in the middle of your training and still trying to develop your swimming technique, getting the tech suit will make it harder to find the weakness and work to improve it. It also means you’ll have another “best times” category because the times you’ve achieved in a tech suit are probably much faster than those without them. Secondly, it will put you under pressure regarding your time and force you to concentrate on your time only, not to improve your swimming technique. So, if you want something to force you to train, or if you’re just here to swim as fast as you can, without thinking about the development, the tech suit is the best option. Or, of course, if you’re a professional swimmer who’s looking at how to move forward, then the tech suit will help you and is the right choice.
On the other hand, if your main goal is to practice, swim to relax, have fun, or to learn as much as you can before you take the things to the next, more professional or serious level, stick to the training suit. Although not as fast as the tech suit, it will help you – and force you – learn all the tricks and tips when it comes to swimming, so when the right time comes, the tech suit will become “the cherry on a cake” instead of a way to improve faster and skip some much-needed steps when it comes to learning and practice. And remember – tech suit will help your performance. Training suit will help you.
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All in all, when you compare these two types of swimsuits, it is clear that both of them have their own pros and cons. If you’re still learning, the training suite will serve its purpose and help you with that. And if you’ve learned what you needed to learn, or if you think you’re ready, then maybe it’s time to spend a bit more money and buy what you need.
But, in the end, it all comes down to this – being honest to yourself. Swimming is all about you, your attitude, and your way of training and development. And the type of suit you’re wearing should be nothing more than an add-on to your abilities. Not your main weapon. This article should be enough to make you decide which way you want to go and what do you need. The rest is up to you.