A Cheat Sheet for Creating the Perfect Swimming Workout and Routine

Download this FREE cheat sheet to create the perfect swimming workout and routine. Learn how to structure your swim workout and enjoy 9 example workouts, ranging from beginner to advanced.

Swim Workout Cheat Sheet

How to Make Your Tech Suit Last Longer- 16 Expert Tips

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You have been training for months and months. You have been more dedicated than any other season and it is finally time to go ahead and buy your brand new tech suit.

The tech suit is easily one of the most expensive items a competitive swimmer can buy, and unfortunately for us, they are relatively fragile. They don’t last forever and if you don’t take good care of them their lifespan will be reduced even further.

That’s why I have put together an article so you can save some of your hard-earned money and avoid heading to the swim shop every few months to spend it on a brand-new tech suit. Here are some expert tips to make your tech suit last longer-

Tech Suit Care Guide: 16 Tips

1. Do Not Grasp the Fabric with Your Fingernails

When putting on your racing suit you want to make sure not to grasp the fabric with your fingernails. The fabric is fragile and if you have sharp fingernails you can cause a tear in your racing suit.

If you are scared you might accidentally grasp your racing suit with your nails, it might be a good idea to cut them before putting on your expensive, hard-earned suit.

2. Do Not Crouch Until the Suit Is Fully Fitted and Correctly Positioned

Yes, yes I understand not everyone has the patience to stand up for 30 minutes whilst trying to get on a tight racing suit. You might just get the urge to crouch down and take a bit of a break on the ground for a while until you can scrape together some more effort to try and get your suit on.

BAD IDEA. If your racing suit is not 100% on and fitted correctly it is best to avoid crouching down. Although mostly unlikely this might result in a tear in your precious suit.

If you really need a break, rather sit down on a nearby bench if possible.

3. Do Not Put on Your Tech Suit If You Are Not 100% Dry

Putting on a wet suit is going to require a lot of pulling and the suit is going to stick to your body whilst trying to get it on.

This can result in you stretching your racing suit and losing some of its awesome techy features. After all, what is a tech suit, without its fancy tech right?

Make sure to dry yourself completely before attempting to put on your racing suit. Use baby powder to get unnecessary moisture off your body, if needed to help get that tight tech suit on.

4. Always Rinse Your Tech Suit in Cold Water After Racing

Chlorine can have a bad effect on your racing suit. Fortunately for us, local swimming pools love to dump loads and loads of chlorine in the water to keep it clean.

Make sure to rinse out your suit after racing to protect the fabrics from being damaged by the chlorine. Also, use to make sure to always use cold water, warm water can also damage the fabrics of your racing suit.

5. Never Wash Your Tech Suit with Any Soap or Detergent

Seems obvious right? Surprisingly there are swimmers who think this is a good idea. It’s not like we are wearing these things all day long and getting them that dirty.

They get a good wash when you race with them anyway. Why damage their fabrics with some soap for no reason at all? It is best advised not to attempt to wash your racing suit with soap.

6. Do Not Wring Your Tech Suit or Wrap It in a Towel to Dry It

This is a big, big no goes zone. Unfortunately, we see a lot of swimmers doing this after a race to try and get rid of excess water and dry their racing suit quicker.

It’s not like the suit takes long to dry anyway, 5 minutes tops in most cases. When you wring your suit or wrap it in a towel you are causing unnecessary stretching, and damaging the abilities of your suit to help you swim 0.2 seconds faster right?

7. Leave the Suit on a Towel to Dry Out on a Flat Surface, Do Not Hang It Up

Never ever hang up your suit. The fabric is heavy at the bottom and when you hang it up to dry it can result is stretching.

As we just discussed stretching isn’t all that good for the overall health of your suit and it certainly isn’t going to help make your racing suit last any longer.

It is best to lay your suit down on a towel on a flat surface and let it dry out by itself.

8. Do Not Leave Your Suit to Dry in Direct Sunlight

This goes hand in hand with point 7. Leaving your suit to dry in direct sunlight can damage the fabrics of it and dramatically reduce its worthy life span.

Rather put your suit indoors to dry on a table and leave it to air dry by itself. Trust me you will thank yourself later.

Do You Want to Make Every Lap Count?

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9. Going Over the Lane Ropes Can Tear Your Suit

I know it might be tough for you to remember this one after a tough race when your brain is lacking oxygen, your muscles burning and your lungs screaming.

Just try to remember not to go over the lane ropes with your suit unnecessarily, they sometimes have sharp edges and your racing suit can hook on it and tear. What a great way to celebrate that brand new PB right?

10. Rough Surfaces Can Damage Your Tech Suit

We all know the struggle of getting a tight racing suit on. Why take it off in-between races? When your outside of the pool, it is best advised to wear shorts or some type of clothing over your tech suit.

Surfaces are rough sometimes and there might just be something to hook your fancy suit on and tear it. Not very fun.

11. When Tying Your Drawstrings, Cross Them Before Pulling to Prevent Tearing

This is a slightly more complicated one to explain on paper, but I’ll do my best. When tying your suit before you go and smash another PB cross the drawstring so that it forms an X.

Do not Pull them away from each other when tying. When you pull them away from each other you put a strain on the fabric and it can result in an unnecessary tear.

12. Put Your Tech Suit on Slowly, Be Patient

I know, I know it takes a lot of time to get that tight, fancy and expensive racing suit on. Be patient with it though, you don’t have to rush you have a whole meet to go and sit through

. If you rush it and try to get it on as quickly as possible it can result in a tear. Same goes for when taking it off, be patient and take your time.

The last thing you want to do is ruin a successful meet by tearing your suit or making an unsuccessful meet even worse. It depends on your situation.

13. Don’t Wear Your Tech Suit Unnecessarily

Don’t go and put them on to show your buddies. Never go to training in them. Also, don’t train with them. You get it right? This is going to save your suit a lot of durability. Only wear it when you really need to.

14. Save Your Tech Suits for Your Big Meets

This goes hand in hand with point 13. Don’t wear them unnecessarily. Save them for your big meet. Show them off in that awesome race when you crush your PB and take gold.

Don’t wear them at every single meet. Once you have a few suits, try to use your old ones for the smaller meets and your new ones for your big meets. This will save durability on your newer suits and who really cares about the old ones anyway? Just kidding…

15. Do Not Put Your Tech Suit in the Dryer

It seems simple. Surprisingly there are some individuals who do this. This is going to seriously damage the fibers of your suit and stretch them out more than anything else.

Dryers are great but don’t put your tech suit in them. Like discussed earlier lay them out on a flat surface, be patient and wait for them to dry.

16. Try to Go to the Bathroom Before Putting on Your Tech Suit

It’s your big day, you have your new suit and you have been training months for this meet.

The last thing you want is to have to put your tech suit on a thousand times, because of all those nerves causing you to head to the bathroom. Try to get it all out before putting on your tech suit.

This is going to prevent you accidentally stretching your racing suit because you had to take it off a thousand times.

Make Your Tech Suit Last Longer with These Tips

Tech suits are great for enhancing your performance in the water and swimming faster. Unfortunately, they are very expensive and have a limited lifespan. That’s why it’s important that you implement these tips to make sure your tech suit stays in good condition all season long.

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I am Benjamin, a competitive swimmer with over a decande of experience in the sport of swimming. I also hold certifications in Exercise Science and Nutrition. I am very passionate about competitive swimming and love sharing everything I have learned about the sport. I specialize in swimming butterfly and my favorite event is the 100m butterfly with the 50m and 200m fly closely following.

A Cheat Sheet for Creating the Perfect Swimming Workout and Routine

Download this FREE cheat sheet to create the perfect swimming workout and routine. Learn how to structure your swim workout and enjoy 9 example workouts, ranging from beginner to advanced.

Swim Workout Cheat Sheet
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