Tips for putting on and taking your wet suit off. Putting on the wet suit can take 20 mins to do it correctly. There are you tube videos which demonstrate this very well. Many people have said after a lap of a lake that their shoulders ache. When I have looked at the fit of the wet suit , they have not pulled it up enough right the way up from the hips. Some quick reminders when you next go open water swimming- keep your nails short so you do not catch the suit with your nails. ‘Borrow’ some disposal gloves from your local garage and use them to help you with you suit. As well as using gloves to help with the suit, you can use the gloves to help putting baby oil on so you do not get you goggles covered with baby oil (if you use oil as opposed to glide). Ask someone to help with your wet suit. Stand facing them with your hand on their shoulder and ask then to push the wet suit up your arms to help provide more movement around the shoulders. Maybe give them some gloves just in case they have long nails.
Taking the suit off. Always exit the water in all training sessions as though you are in a race. Do not just leave this to race day. Take the suit off to hip height as you are running / walking to transition. Leave hat and your goggles on your head. Once in transition take off the rest of your suit. Lift one knee high to get the leg of the suit off. Once one leg is out of the suit step on it and left the other knee high to get the other leg off. If you suit gets stuck around the ankle then push down with your thumbs around the heel area to help. Then take your hat and goggles off. Practice makes for speedy transitions.
