Tri Swim Coach Podcast · Dominic Latella

Are Wetsiuts a Hack or are you a Hack? - #155

·1 hr·1 clip
Training without a wetsuit is like riding a mountain bike—you burn energy at 16 mph. In a wetsuit, same effort gets you 22 mph; it's like switching to a tri bike.
Coaches Dominic, Mike, and Lissa discuss wetsuit swimming technique, debunking common misconceptions about how wetsuits actually improve performance. Using clever bike analogies (mountain bike vs. tri bike vs. e-bike), they explain that wetsuits provide buoyancy advantage only if swimmers learn proper body-driven technique. They share personal stories of early open water experiences, discuss why most triathletes fail to maximize wetsuit benefits due to poor stroke mechanics, and emphasize the importance of training in race-day wetsuits at the pool multiple times before competition. They also address gender-specific fitting issues and the need for consistent practice over shortcuts.

As heard by us

Fast gear helps less if it floats you too high.

TriSwimCoach keeps its feet on the ground. It treats wetsuits as a tradeoff between buoyancy and control, not as a badge of serious gear. Dominic and the guest focus on the simple problem that a suit can leave swimmers too buoyant, kicking air instead of water, and on what…

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Why you'd press play

Your wetsuit should fix your body position, not hide a bad one.

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