How To Buy Men's Swimwear

When it comes to buying a swimming costume there are many factors to consider. What will you be using your new swimsuit for? Will it be used once a day, once a week, or more like once a month? Do you need it for leisure swimming, training/fitness or racing? And then there's the vast amount of different styles, colours and swimwear materials to choose from, it can all be a little overwhelming. But don't fear, ProSwimwear is here to help explain the ins and outs of buying swimwear. These guides will help you figure out what sort of swimsuit to purchase for your needs.

So lets start with men's swimwear. Nowadays men are not constricted to wearing traditional “Speedo” style swim briefs at the pool, there are many different swimwear styles to choose from that apply to a range of different purposes.

Swim Jammers...

...are tight fitting knee length swim shorts made from Lycra or PBT swimwear material. They have a resemblance to cycling shorts but are designed for wearing in the water. Jammers do not create a lot of drag in the water so are ideal for swimming fast, either in training sessions or whilst participating in swim competitions.

There is a fair amount of crossover and confusion between men's swimming trunks and swimming briefs. Somewhat helped by stores wanting to market them as both trunks and briefs at the same time.

Swim briefs...

...are the tradtional Speedo style mens swimsuits with a high cut rounded leg.  The style became synonymous with the brand in the last few decades of the 20^th century. In the USA they are often referred to simply as “Speedos”. Briefs can sometimes feature a longer, more conservative leg, bringing them closer to the style of boxer briefs and resulting in the confusion between trunks and briefs. As long as you've got the confidence, swim briefs are fine for any sort of swimming, whether it be for leisure, fitness or competitions.

Swim trunks...

...are generally a slightly longer cut. They cover from the waist to the upper thigh, and have more conservative look than the angled swim briefs. They have a more box-like shape with square cut leg openings. In recent years swim trunks have been gaining in popularity with the help of fun and fresh designs by companies like Zealous. You'll find that some swim trunks provide a little more drag than briefs do. This is due to the extra material involved. Trunks are not so suitable for competition use but are great for swim training or leisure swimming.

Swim shorts...

...can refer anything from loose fitting bermuda style “Board Shorts” that we are used to seeing on the beach every summer to tight fitting short legged swim shorts that are suitable for serious fitness swimming or swim training. Boardshorts are great for wearing at the beach, those who like to have a paddle once in a while may consider buying a pair of boardshorts. However, if you would like to use your shorts for regular swim training sessions or lane swimming then the tight fitting variety will be better for you. The men's swim shorts at ProSwimwear have an approximate average leg length of 25cm. If you would like a modest and conservative swimsuit that you can swim fast in, then swim shorts may be for you.

Performance Jammers...

...are made from special water repellent materials and use highly advanced techniques to “weld” the various fabric panels together without any stitching. This reduces drag and helps the swimmer to perform at their absolute best. Performance swim jammers are designed for high-level competition use, months or even years of research and development go in to these technical swimsuits in order to make them the fastest they can possibly be. Performance jammers also incorporate muscle compression technology in to their design to help support muscle groups and aid blood flow for enhanced muscular performance when you want it most! These jammers do not come cheap, with prices for the top swimsuits in excess of £200.

And finally one last piece of advice (especially when buying online): Always check the size charts for each individual swimsuit as sizes and sizing systems do vary between brands.

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