SUBSCRIBE FOR THE LATEST NEWS!
This guide is designed to arm you with the proper information you need when buying a men's swimsuit. Whether you're buying a pair of top-end FINA approved jammers for racing, a pair of endurance aquashorts for your swim training or you just want to find the perfect pair of trunks for your next holiday we've got something for you here at ProSwimwear.
At ProSwimwear you will find four main styles of male swimwear on offer.
Cover from the waist to the upper thigh. Have become increasingly popular in recent years as they're slightly more conservative than the more traditional “Swim Brief”. You can identify this type of swimsuit by the box-like shape and square leg holes. Swim trunks provide a little more drag than briefs, making them less suitable for competitive swimming but still great for swim training, fitness or leisure swimmers.
Swimming Jammers are the most popular form of swimwear at the moment. You can spot this type of swimsuit by the fact that they often look a lot like lycra cycling shorts. Swim jammers provide the most coverage of all the styles, from the waist to just above the knee. Usually made from Xtra Life Lycra or PBT, these swimming shorts are good all-rounders.
You can pick up a FINA approved pair of jammers designed specifically to reduce drag and support muscles for swim racing. Or, at the other end of the scale you can find long-life chlorine resistant jammers with fun designs for kids. There's a huge range of mens jammers out there for all your swimming needs.
These are the traditional “Speedo” style swimming briefs. Often (confusingly) referred to as swimming trunks. This style was prevalent in the late 20th and early 21st century in UK pools and is still
incredibly popular with our European cousins. Swim briefs feature a high cut rounded leg as opposed to the lower, more square legs of the swim trunks. Many professional swimmers and divers prefer
swim briefs over any other form of mens swimwear due to their low resistance in the water and simple design.
Swim Shorts or Aqua Shorts as they're sometimes known, sit somewhere between trunks and jammers in their length. Aqua Shorts have a shorter cut on the leg than Jammers, stopping around the mid-thigh rather than just above the knee. Shorts are a great choice for your fitness swimming or swim training sessions as they create low drag and are comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Often made with chlorine resistant fabrics to provide you with a swimsuit that will last swim after swim.
Materials
There are three main categories that we can group our swimwear in to when it comes to material/fabric.
These days you're more likely to find Lycra blends such as “Xtra Life Lycra” which will stand up to the harmful effects of chlorine much better than pure Lycra swimsuits. All Lycra swimwear on our website is Xtra Life Lycra or some derivative of that. The benefits of Xtra Life Lycra are that it is soft and luxurious, by far the most comfortable swimwear fabric. Generally it will be cheaper too. A great choice for leisure swimmers and those who like an occasional dip.
PBT/Polyester
PBT costumes are designed to last! The Polyester based material is very good at withstanding the harmful effects of chlorinated water, this makes PBT swimwear perfect for regular swimmers. The suits resist stretching and fading for far longer than Lycra swimsuits, meaning that your favourite pair of jammers will not start to go baggy or see-through! Anyone who frequents the pool more than once a week will really feel the benefit of owning a PBT swimming costume.
Performance
Performance swimsuits are a whole different matter. Generally the top-end racing suits are made from a Lycra and Polyamide blend to provide the most lightweight suit with the least resistance/drag in the water. They're finished with a water repellent coating to actively push water away from the surface of the suit and help the swimmer to 'cut' through the water at great speed. Its best to only buy a Performance swimsuit if you specifically need it for your competitive swimming events. The suits tend to have a very short lifespan, they're designed to go very fast in the water, but the chlorine in the pool starts to break down the technologies in the suit faster than almost any other type of swimwear. Use your performance swimsuit sparingly and only on your most important races and you will feel the benefits. Never use performance swimwear for training sessions and always rinse it with fresh cold water straight after exiting the pool to get the most out of your competitive swimsuit.
Tips
Measure Yourself!
Not enough people do this before they buy, meaning they then have to exchange their swimsuit for another size, resulting in a longer waiting time. It's much better to get it exactly right first time. Usually we suggest taking mens Waist measurements at around 6cm below the belly button.
Always check the size chart of the exact product you want to buy.
All of our products feature size charts on the page. Use the exact size chart for the product you are buying and make sure to use all of the measurements required by that size chart. Some FINA approved suits require more than just a simple waist measurement. Remember that a size 34 might not actually be 34 inches, it may represent a different sizing scale. That's why its always best to check the size chart on the product page and any sizing information in the product description if you're not sure.
Validate your login