The Ultimate 3-Step Size Guide for Arena and Speedo Competitive Swimming Race Suits is here to help competitive swimmers and confused swim parents! We regularly speak with swimmers and receive many phone calls and hundreds of emails every month on this topic. So, we have built up a considerable amount of expertise, lucky you! Follow our definitive three-step guide to help you get into the right Arena or Speedo competition race suit.
Deciding on the Level of Race Suit
First, of all, you need to make a decision on what level of race suit you need. They tend to be priced on the level of compression and technology featured in the suit. So, an entry-level race suit with no or a little compression will be the cheapest. As you slide up the compression scale level and build quality, the price climbs. It is worth identifying the level of race you will be competing in and choosing a suit comparable to that level. The top race suits only last hours of time in chlorinated water, so wearing something like this to a club gala does not make sense and would not be advisable.
We would suggest the following.
- Normal Club Gala – Compression race suit not necessary. If trying for times you could consider an entry-level like Arena Powerskin ST 2.0 or NEXT. Great non-compression options include Speedo Fastskin Endurance+ kneeskin/jammer, Amanzi kneeskins and Funkita kneeskins, Funky Trunks jammer.
- District Level Competition – An entry-level race suit such as Arena Powerskin ST 2.0 or NEXT. Again, non-compression choices are still suitable for this level of racing.
- Regional Level Competition – A higher level of compression is suitable for this level. You can start to consider Arena Powerskin Carbon-Air2. Depending on age junior/smaller swimmers could consider the Speedo LZR Racer X race suits.
- National Level Competition – If you are at this high level, we would suggest top levels like Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Valor, Speedo Fastskin LZR Intent, and Arena Powerskin Carbon Glide.
- British Level Competition – Again at this high level we suggest the top suits Speedo Valor/Intent, Arena Carbon Glide.
Remember this is just a simple guide and can change depending on your goals and your age, funding and other variables. You could swap for lower/higher for any of your competitions. The suits will not make you race faster, only more efficiently in the water.
Measuring Up
It is very important to correctly measure yourself when choosing a race suit. We suggest using chest measurements for girls and ladies. For boys and men, you need to measure your waist.
For girls measuring the chest, use a tape measure and measure the widest part of the chest. Ladies measure the fullest part of your bust. Boys and men should measure the narrowest part of their waist just below the belly button.
If you don’t have a tape measure handy you can check the label of any good-fitting swimwear that you currently use. Please note that if you are tall or your hips are wide, you should consider this when choosing a size. It may be suitable for you to go up a size.
All the brands have size charts available to help guide you to size, we find they are not always 100% accurate. We have fitted thousands of swimmers and have some expertise to share with you on the next step.
Choosing the Right Size Arena and Speedo Race Suits
Now we pass on our expert advice for choosing the race suit depending on the brand and product. Remember that compression race suits are made to be very tight and they can seem difficult to get on.
ARENA
- Arena Powerskin ST 2.0 and NEXT. Adults - take your measurement and jump down two sizes in this race suit. For example, if you wear a training swimsuit in size 30, you will go down two sizes to a 26. This is for both males and females.
Junior - simply just choose your measurement, so if you measure a 28, choose a junior size 28.
- Arena Powerskin Carbon Air 2. The compression level is higher here, so we advise going down one size from your measurement. So, if you have a 32-chest (ladies) or a 32 waist (men), you should select a size 30 in this race suit.
- Arena Powerskin Carbon Glide. This suit has higher compression but is also flexible. You should choose one size down from your measurement or training suit size. So, the example is if you wear a size 34 for training, choose a 32 in the glide.
SPEEDO
- Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Valor. It is important to measure yourself here, women should take their chest and hip measurements. Find the size on the chart that matches the closest to your measurements. Once you have that size, go up one size to get the right fit.
- Speedo Fastskin LZR Pure Intent. This is like the Valor, measure yourself then find your corresponding size on the chart or box and jump up one size from that.
The higher the compression, the more difficult a race suit is to get on. Our advice for inexperienced swimmers is not to give up if you struggle. You must want to get the suit on, and it can take 15-20mins to get into.
Use the correct techniques to help make things easier. Remember the suit being tight is the whole point, so don’t panic if it feels restrictive. Your race suit will give a little once it has been worn.
For non-compression options like Speedo Fastskin Endurance+ and Amanzi kneeskins, you can simply just choose your measurement.
If you have read the guide and are still unsure what size to choose, email us at info@nessswimwear.co.uk for more advice.
