Large man, small speedo

The Speedo swimsuit for men is an object of constant derision in North America. Here in Europe, where people are less concerned about fleshy displays, the Speedo (or similar brands of "swimming costume") is a more common sight. I'm sure that the same applies in South American countries. TinFoiled recounted that, at the swimming pools in France, men wear Speedos and are not really permitted to swim in baggy surf shorts - it's like wearing your jeans in the pool, man!

I swim somewhat regularly and I learned a few years back that to swim efficiently you need a proper (ie form-fitting) swimsuit. The streamlining effect allows more body roll, less drag, better forward propulsion ...you go fast. For women, almost any swimsuit is form-fitting, unless you're a grimacing-grandma wearing one of those ruffly "I'm-a-circus-clown" affairs. For men who want to swim well, you need to drop the surf shorts and get your butt into something tight. Myself, I have a TYR suit that does the trick.

Now the thing is, if you're going to get a speedo-like suit, there are two critical elements you should take into account: (1) it should fit you; (2) it should not be transparent. This afternoon I ventured to the Oxford Uni Pool to do my training, as I often do. There always seem to be a few guys wearing speedos that are too small for them, but today the tiny-tights were all around like a rampaging disease. Honestly, if you're a 200 pound Welshman swimming laps to work off a weekend of Guinness and chips, do you really require a swimsuit with a 1cm band around the waist? Could you not go with something a little wider than a bikini strap? It's like some of these guys are wearing their girlfriend/wife/sister's thong underwear. These fellows aren't wearing thong speedos per se (yes, they do make men's thong speedos), but the narrow waistband combined with a rolling paunch makes it look like there's no waistband at all.

I think that a larger size is in order. Keep the smaller one for tanning in Majorca.