I am obsessed with swimming fast. There are so many variables and I have made it my mission to understand all the factors that can lead to your maximum potential in the pool. You are probably like me if you have clicked on this post. You work hard at training, supplement your swimming with dryland and are meticulous with your nutrition, doing every little thing to get an edge over your competition. The final piece of the puzzle and one that is often overlooked is what you are wearing when you step up on the blocks. I really have seen it all as well, swimmers competing in goggles so big they are more suitable for scuba diving or an ill fitting tech suit that has been cheaply purchased on eBay second hand. I get it, swimming isn't a cheap sport and everything adds up but the confidence you get having the correct tools for the job are, in my opinion, absolutely worth it. Today I am going to talk through the ultimate combination of cap, goggle and tech suit for race day.
The Cap
If you watch any race from the recent World Aquatic Championships in Doha, you will see a very clear trend, arena caps.
While the range in goggles and tech suits is quite large, the range in caps is not. arena dominate the field. This is because they make the fastest cap. The arena Aquaforce Wave & 3D Soft Caps are the industry standard. They are comfortable, wrinkle free and look cool. They are tacky on the inside to grip your head and a smooth, matte silicone on the outside. They also use a thicker material which really helps them stay in place on your head and I personally wear them for sprint workouts in the pool as well as racing. In both situations they don't move or slip off and stay exactly in place for maximum performance. The Aquaforce model does even more to be fast, in fact it is objectively the fastest swim cap ever made.
"Rough micro-structure traps a layer of water to reduce surface drag (water flows more efficiently on water than on silicone)" - arena
The position of your head is critical in a swim race. Your cap will directly impact your head position and from that all other areas of your technique, it makes sense to have a fast one and while I think both of arena's models are top tier, the Aquaforce is the one I would say leads the way.
I feel so confident in it being the best swim cap out there that I have teamed up with arena to make a collaboration with them on this cap that you can buy from my store right now (limited number - while stocks last).
The Tech Suit
I have a lot of tech suit information out there. On my YouTube channel, on my Instagram page and on this blog so I will try not to ramble on too much. Of everything I am going to talk about today, the tech suit can make the biggest impact on your performance. It is also the product that I think you should pick based on what races you swim.
All-Rounder
For everyone who still swims all the events on the schedule and wants a tech suit that can keep up with you then the latest arena suit is for you.
The arena Primo will not only happily last you the whole swim season but it is the first tech suit to perfectly combine compression and range of movement. This is not just a gimmick either. Their new Hyperforce fabric can be at maximum compression while only 50% of its full stretch. That means it is measurably giving you optimal compression while still giving you the comfort you desire. This means it can deliver on the sprints and be comfortable for distance. Making it the perfect all-rounder.
Sprint
Mizuno have made the best sprint suits in the world for at least 10 years. Their latest generation of GX Sonic suits has given us the best yet. The VI NV is just unbeatable for the 50/100m events but getting your hands on one right now very tricky. If you are in a hurry, last generations GX Sonic V ST will do the trick.
I have covered these suits extensively but here is a quick breakdown on why Mizuno make the best sprint suits:
Hamstring taping that basically kicks for you
Dual layering for unparalleled buoyancy
Optimal compression
Brilliant durability
There really is nothing like diving in with a Mizuno suit and if you are a sprinter you really need to experience it.
Distance
Comfortable. Light. Flexible. These are the buzzwords I associate with tech suits for distance swimming. These suits are also the least fancy. They have a thin, papery material that is a mixture of polyamide & elastane, have no fancy taping or dual layering and can be put on with relative ease. All of the major brands offer one of these suits and I will let you pick your preference based on price, aesthetics, fit etc.
Speed Pure Valor 2.0
Speedo's latest generation of the Valor is yet another refinement of the classic tech suit they first launched in 2010 with the LZR Racer Elite. This new Speedo fits better, has better longevity due to new space tech water repellency and is a staple on the international scene for distance events.
TYR Avictor
TYR's take on the comfortable, light, papery suit and one that I really enjoy in the high waisted version. The biggest difference between this and the Valor would be that the legs are longer and the grippers are almost on your knee and the waist comes up higher.
arena Carbon Air2
Arena's distance suit is awesome. It has the most individuality due to it having threads of carbon fiber and is a suit loved since its inception. My only reservation with this suit is a lack of a high waisted variation but I know enough swimmers that wouldn't want that anyway, especially if they are swimming distance events.
The Goggles
Goggles are the most personal and there are so many great offerings. Some are super cheap and brilliant value while some are really pushing the price up and are awesome, albeit not so good value.
Recently I have been really enjoying arena's latest offering, the Cobra Edge but I have to say their price tag is quite alarming. For that reason I find the arena Cobra Ultra an easier recommendation as performance and price is a better balance. These are the goggles I train and race in.
The best value in a sleek racing goggle that will work for anybody out the box has to be the Speedo Speedsocket 2.0. It just works. It is also under half the price of arena's latest flagship goggle and will perform just as good.
What Do I Wear to Race
This weekend I am going to be getting on the blocks to race the 50m Freestyle. An event there is no room for error and every hundredth counts. I will be wearing the arena Aquaforce Wave cap, the arena Cobra Edge goggles and the Mizuno GX Sonic VI NV tech suit.