Swimwear Sportswear

Swimwear Sportswear

Choose by Activity, Not by Label

Swimwear sportswear covers three quite different uses, and a suit that is right for one is often wrong for another. Working out which you actually do narrows the range faster than any filter.

Lap swimming is repetitive overhead movement in chlorinated water, usually indoors. Drag and strap security matter; sun does not.

Water aerobics and aqua fitness involve standing, jumping and arm movement in shallow water, often for an hour or more. Coverage and comfort matter more than drag.

Paddle sports and surf mean sitting and lying on a board in direct sun, with abrasion against a hard surface. Sun protection and friction dominate.

For Lap Swimming

Two things decide it, and neither is the fabric.

Strap layout comes first. Straps running straight down the back get pulled off the shoulder every time you reach forward, which in freestyle is constantly. Bring them together between the shoulder blades and the pulling force works against the crossing point instead — see our athletic styles, which cover the strap constructions in more detail.

Then the leg opening. A high-cut leg rides up when you push off a wall; a lower straighter cut stays put. And fit should be snug rather than comfortable — loose fabric fills with water and slows you down.

Chlorine, not wear, is what finishes a lap suit. Get it under cold fresh water the moment you leave the pool, lay it flat somewhere shaded, and keep two suits in rotation if you swim more than twice weekly — elastane wants roughly a day to spring back.

One detail specific to indoor pools: chlorine-resistant fabric is worth paying for if you swim several times a week. Standard swim elastane degrades noticeably within a season of heavy chlorine exposure, and no amount of rinsing fully prevents it — rinsing slows it down rather than stopping it.

Active swimwear and sporty swimwear describe the same thing here: a suit that stays put when you move rather than one that only looks athletic.

Can You Swim in Activewear?

It will get you into the water, but the damage runs both ways. Chlorine attacks the elastane in gym fabric, which is not treated for it, and a waistband goes within a few sessions. Sports bras are rarely lined, so a pale one turns translucent wet. And gym seams are built for dry friction, not for fabric dragging through water.

For Water Aerobics

Different priorities entirely, because you are upright, visible, and in the water for a long stretch.

Coverage matters more here than in lap swimming — you are standing in shallow water in front of other people rather than face down in a lane. A one piece with a firm band and a moderate leg cut is the standard choice, and a ruched front is worth considering since you are visible from the front throughout.

Support matters too, because jumping and arm movement generate more bounce than swimming does. A wide firm underband handles it; underwire handles it better above a D cup. Above 1X, our plus size styles keep the same band and cup construction.

For Paddle Sports and Surf

Here the water is the least of it — the board and the sun do the damage.

A rash guard covers the chest and ribs against board abrasion and the shoulders against sun, which are the two injuries nobody anticipates. Board shorts do the same for the thighs, cut longer and firmer than standard swim shorts so they resist abrasion rather than only drying fast.

Underneath, a one-piece is the safer choice than a two-piece, since a wave will remove a tie-fastened bikini. Our surf range covers the styles built for this specifically.