The ever so common wetsuit question: Sleeved VS sleeveless wetsuit? Each wetsuit has its own advantages.
Full-sleeved wetsuits are more buoyant which provides more speed with the addition of fabric covering the underarm all of the way to the wrist. With advancements in wetsuit technology including fabric and sewing a properly fitting wetsuit provides very little shoulder resistance at all. Like in the Roka “Arms Up technology”. On colder race days and training days, a full-sleeved wetsuit also provides less heat loss and more warmth as the underarm is one of the body’s cooling points. The ideal water temperature for a full-sleeved wetsuit is 68 degrees F and below for most athletes.
Sleeveless wetsuits can have their own advantages as well. They can often be better for body temperature regulation when swimming near the upper wetsuit legal temperature in races. The ideal water temperature for a sleeveless wetsuit is 72 degrees F and up. In addition swimmers with larger shoulders and lats often find them to be more comfortable and less restrictive. Lastly, sleeveless wetsuits tend to favor faster transitions by 5-15 seconds. Simply not having to take your arms out of the wetsuit will save you a few seconds and preserves some energy for pulling your legs out of the wetsuit.
Consider these four questions when choosing between a sleeveless or full-sleeved suit:
The good news is there are sleeveless or sleeved wetsuits to match any budget. The higher-priced suits will include more technology designed for speed like higher flexible neoprene, fewer seams to cause chafing, neutralized buoyancy, and so forth. Typically, sleeveless wetsuits are produced in line with mid and low-range full-sleeved suits.
Coach Tyler and Carly have personal preferences as well. Carly grew up swimming competitively and prefers the feeling of “free” shoulders while Tyler prefers the buoyancy of the sleeve as he feels his glide is smoother. Sleeved wetsuits in general typically provide more advantages for athletes but are not necessarily the right choice for everyone. You must make the right choice for yourself! We hope this helps with the great debate about sleeved vs sleeveless wetsuits.
READ MORE: THE EASIEST WAY TO REMOVE YOUR WETSUIT QUICKLY
Carly and Tyler Guggemos built Organic Coaching in 2014 with a simple philosophy that works. The idea is to take what you have and grow it to get faster, fitter and stronger. And to do it with the time you have – not the time you wish you had.
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