What are the best triathlon swim shorts for pool and open water training?

In March we discussed open water swim training in the pool environment. The wetsuit provides a lot of buoyancy helping you to be positioned in the water correctly. An alternative to wearing a full wetsuit in the pool or open water is triathlon swim shorts and we recommend the neoprene buoyancy swim shorts by Lomo. These are designed to help elevate your hips as you are swimming so that your body angle is in an optimal swimming position. There are several brands on the market at present, all offering a similar thing. In this article we will be discussing the Lomo brand.

These shorts are suitable for both pool training and open water swimming. They are a lot warmer than regular swimming trunks and the added buoyancy allows you to focus more on your swim stroke. Lomo shorts are made from high quality smooth-skin neoprene which helps reduce drag in the water and will give better glide and improved performance when doing your triathlon swim training. The buoyancy panels feature Lomo Air-Core Neoprene which sandwiches air voids between the outer sheets of neoprene. This gives panels that are in the region of 30% more buoyant than regular neoprene.

When deciding on the size of these swimming shorts, they should be as tight fitting as possible without being uncomfortable. This is so what little amount of water does get into them as you're swimming is heated by the body.

After finishing swimming, thoroughly rinse the shorts in clean water and then hang up in the garage (cool, no direct sunlight etc) at home for extended life of the product.

Buoyancy shorts retail from £30 to £95, and are much cheaper to replace than a full wetsuit. Buy them here >