Technically, you can - but you almost certainly shouldn’t. A swimming wetsuit is one of the most powerful tools you’ll ever put on for open water, yet the moment you bring it into a chlorinated pool, you’re working against everything that makes it special.
Here’s why pools and swim-specific wetsuits aren’t a happy pairing, and what to wear instead.
The Short Answer
Swimming wetsuits are built for lakes, oceans, and rivers - places where variable temperatures, zero lane lines, and the need for buoyancy all come into play. A heated, chemically treated, walled rectangle of water is the opposite environment. Using your triathlon or open-water wetsuit in the pool won’t improve your training, and it will accelerate wear and tear that no warranty covers.
Three Reasons Pools Are Tough on Swim Wetsuits
1. Chlorine eats neoprene over time
Blueseventy suits use high-grade Yamamoto neoprene - 38, 39, and 40 cell - that has been methodically constructed to balance flexibility, buoyancy, and durability for swimming. But even the best neoprene degrades with repeated exposure to chlorine. Pool chemicals can cause the material to stiffen, lose its stretch, and break down far sooner than it would in fresh or salt water. Our warranty specifically excludes chlorine damage because a training pool simply isn’t the intended environment.
2. Indoor temperatures make full suits too warm
Most lap pools sit between 78°F and 82°F. That’s well above the ~70-72°F threshold where a full suit begins to feel like an oven during sustained swimming. Wetsuits work by trapping a thin layer of water that your body warms. In a warm pool, you’re likely to overheat, feel sluggish, and finish a set more exhausted than you should - the opposite of what good training delivers.
3. Restriction where you don’t need buoyancy
A wetsuit’s lift is a gift in open water, correcting body position and reducing drag. In a pool, that artificial buoyancy alters your natural feel for the water and masks technical flaws. Plus, the shoulder mobility you rely on for flip turns and high-elbow catch patterns gets compromised, even in our most flexible suits like the Helix. A wetsuit in a pool isn’t helping you swim better; it’s changing the movement entirely.
What to Wear in the Pool
If you’re looking to train comfortably or race in the pool, Blueseventy builds gear purposefully for that setting.
- Pool training: Our practice swimwear is cut from endurance fabrics that hold up to chlorine session after session. No neoprene, no buoyancy aids - just durable, unrestricted comfort so you can focus on building fitness and technique.
- Competition tech suits: When you’re ready to drop time in a meet, our bonded tech suits (evolved from the nero lineage) provide muscle-locking compression and water-repellent surfaces engineered for legal pool racing. They’re distinct from wetsuits in every way - fabric, fit, and the times they help you post.
Both categories are at home in chlorine in a way that a wetsuit simply isn’t.
The Smart Way to Train
Save your swim-specific wetsuit for the open water. When you do zip it up, make sure you’re following the care steps that protect your investment - rinse thoroughly after every swim and let it dry inside out then right side out, away from heat and direct sun. Inside, pair a training suit or tech suit with a great-fitting pair of Contour goggles, and you’ll have everything you need to get faster without compromising your gear.
Ready to upgrade your pool drawer? Dive into our practice swimwear and tech suit collections at blueseventy.com - designed by swimmers, for swimmers.
Happy swimming!
