If you have wondered about how different women specific sportswear, like a ladies triathlon wetsuit, really is, then you probably have not experienced the great comfort and fit that only these provide to female athletes.
Women’s specific athletic gear today extends from equipment to apparel and is designed with the unique physiology of women and their special requirements in competitions. When wetsuits first appeared, women had no option but to wear men’s wetsuits. These were often ill-fitting, loose and hampered performance. A wetsuit needs to fit snugly over your skin to enable faster movement in water. A ladies triathlon wetsuit was later introduced to help women swimmers reduce the drag of loose fitting suits and glide faster in water. It was found to significantly boost performance and confidence amongst women.
There are several things common between men’s and ladies triathlon wetsuits. They require adequate insulation from water as swimmers will tend to be in water for longer periods of time and the risk of hypothermia could arise. Wetsuits need to have inner and outer layers for insulation. Buoyancy is an important requirement as it reduces the effort put by the swimmer in staying afloat, helping to conserve energy. Many suits use special material like silicone to add buoyancy. This could be very helpful for younger, inexperienced swimmers. The materials used in the wetsuit like neoprene help in abrasion resistance while cutting through water without chaffing the skin.
Similarly both men and ladies triathlon wetsuit are available in different types suited to various different water sport requirements. There are separate suits for surfers and skiers as opposed to swimmers and divers.
However these features in a unisex wetsuit would not give satisfactory performance to a female triathlon athlete. Most women swimmers prefer to change into a ladies triathlon wetsuit before the swim section. This is because these wetsuits have several women-specific features like lower neck-lines, wider hip areas, slimmer arms and neck arm and ankle openings, adequate contouring for bust and torso along with extra insulation in areas that are more prone to cold.
You should not pick out a ladies triathlon wetsuit without trying it on first. The suit must stretch comfortably over your hips and bust area and fit snugly around joints. Although size charts help narrow down your wetsuit, they may not be very accurate estimates of your own body shape. Woman-specific wetsuits also take into account the uneven distribution of material, less material at the waist and genital areas and extra material in the bust area, for women.