Competition Swimwear

 Swimming is a fantastic sport and competitive swimming can really get your heart rate up in a good way with Lifeguard Training. Especially because you usually win in 100ths of a second, and that is precisely why it places great demands on the competition swimwear you use. If you are a beginner but would like to try your hand at competitive swimming, there are some very basic considerations you should make.

Fortunately, swimming is not the most expensive sport in terms of equipment, but a good competition suit is not something most people just buy. They can vary in price from NOK 900 all the way up to NOK 3200, which is why it is a bit of an overkill to invest in the best as a beginner.

But what should you look for? And how many differences are they really between the cheapest and the most expensive. You can now learn much more about that when we review everything that is worth knowing for you as a beginner about competition swimwear.

Control the technique

Before you go out and invest heavily in various equipment - and especially a competition suit - it is important that you have a good grasp of the most basic swimming techniques. Although many pieces of equipment are designed to improve your technique, they still require basic skills to get the most out of them.

This also applies to competition swimwear, as they are designed for one purpose only - competition. Therefore, it is also not recommended that you use them for training, but we will probably come back to that part. If you are in doubt or would like to test whether you now also have the most basic things under control, you can find 19 good advice and tips right here . If you can nod and recognize most of them and feel like a fish in water, then it's time to find the right competition outfit.

What is the difference between the different competition suits and swimming trunks?

The easiest answer to that question is the materials... but of course it's not that easy. Because it also largely depends on the composition of the different materials and special designs that are incorporated into the competition swimwear.

The first thing you'll notice when you put on competition swimwear is that it's tight - very tight! And for good reason, because it provides the best hydrodynamics. This means less water resistance, higher speed and less muscle fatigue. However, this is not the only advantage, as the tight-fitting fabric can also provide good compression of the muscles, which means that the lactic acid that accumulates in the muscles is transported away more easily and quickly. In this way, you avoid acidification. The compression also gives a narrower profile in the water, which also improves hydrodynamics.

In continuation of this material composition, it should also be mentioned that most competition swimwear is water-repellent and thus does not absorb water. This means it does not become heavy, and it provides a better glide through the water, as well as higher hydrodynamics.

Another big difference between competition swimwear and regular swimwear is the material composition. The latter often consists of polyester and nylon, which makes them extremely durable and chlorine-resistant - not exactly properties that are important for competition swimwear. Therefore, they are usually made of polyamide and elastane/spandex, which gives a high elasticity. This composition is why competition swimwear can give so much, which is necessary to achieve the best results.

This is where the different competition suits and swimming trunks differ from each other. Because the cheapest competition suits and swimming trunks are made in a composition with a high content of polyamide and a lower content of elastane. Therefore, they are also much more durable, but not particularly elastic. The most expensive ones contain more elastane, which makes them extremely flexible, but not particularly durable.

In addition, there are also many other different features that individual competition suits and swimming trunks can have, but those parts are not important for beginners. It is mostly something that experienced competitive swimmers come up with, and deals with e.g. competition swimwear that is more suitable and specially designed for some styles and swim lengths than others.

But again, those parts are not important for a beginner. To put it briefly; in the first place, you have to go by material composition, and at the very beginning it is good to choose one with more polyamide and less elastane. They are both more comfortable to swim in, they don't cost a fortune and they last longer, until you get the hang of how to properly put on a competition suit or swimming trunks.

So which competitive swimwear is best for beginners?

For the true beginner

Almost regardless of who you ask or where you read about competition swimwear, there is a general consensus that Arena ST 2.0 , which is available as both trunks and swimsuits , is the best series of competition swimwear for beginners. The special thing about this series is that they are made with a high content of polyamide and not so much elastane. This means that it is not very tight, and is therefore more comfortable to swim in.

Although it is not the fastest series on the market, it is one of the most comfortable, which is important for beginners. Here, it is more about getting a good and comfortable start than breaking records.

In addition, the series is at the absolute low end of the price spectrum, which means that it is a good place to start without having to invest large sums. It would be a bit of a shame to have bought the most expensive and best thing on the market, only to come to the conclusion that competitive swimming wasn't for you after all. Finally, it should be mentioned that due to the high content of polyamide, this series is probably the most durable competition swimwear, which is a great advantage for the beginner.