Quote Originally Posted by txred9876 View Post
I also picked up a junonia "wet" suit. I am not sure what constitutes a wet suit or not. This is long sleeved, has a zipper up the front and shorts that go down about half way to the knee. The first one made a HUGE difference in my swimming workouts. No more scooping!
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A wetsuit is made of neoprene rubber - anywhere from 2-5mm thick depending on the use of the suit. It's designed to trap water next to your body. The water then gets warmed by your body heat and keeps you warm.

Triathlon wetsuits, as opposed to diving wetsuits are made specifically to swim vigorously in. Diving suits are made to swim in using mostly your legs. A diving suit can chafe miserably when you try to freestyle swim in it for any length of time.

If you're not a swimmer with a really tremendous kick, then a shorty suit wouldn't be the best thing for you. The full length suits help buoy up your hips and legs when you swim. A big problem that a lot of folks have is their hips sink as they swim, making them use more energy to stay afloat. A full length, short sleeved suit will save you more energy than a shorty and a full length, full sleeved suit is even better than a short sleeved one.