Best swimming goggles for training

Swimming goggles come in different forms, varieties, price ranges, and purposes. As a swimmer, it is important to know which goggles you should opt for the best possible results in training and competitions.

The best swimming goggles for you will depend on your level of training – whether you are in beginner, intermediate, advanced or competitive batch, whether you swim outdoors or indoors, your age and many other factors.

Your training and competition goggles may also be different, and your face shape will also play a huge role in this factor.

Speedo, Arena, and TYR are well-known swimming goggles among trainers. As we talk about which goggles will best suit you, we will make references to these companies.

In this article, we will discuss which swimming goggles you use and for which categories of swimming.

Swimming Goggles for Racing and Competition

For competitions, you require a hydrodynamic pair of goggles. These goggles should be slim, angular, and in line with the contours of your face.

Competitive goggles have to minimize drag to be effective. These goggles have two straps for adjusting. The most important thing about these goggles is that they fit your face. Most competitive goggles have a very tight fit. You may be left with rings under your eyes, but this is fine, as long as they do not fill up with water during your race.

Most competitive goggles are mirrored, which is to reflect light away from your eyes to give a more comfortable view. It does also help that such mirrored goggles also make you seem very intimidating, so you might even scare some of your competitors.

Speedo goggles are very well known for racing among competitive swimmers. They are probably the most easily accessible in India. TYR and Arena have even better competitive goggles, but they are on the more expensive side. When buying these goggles, it will always be mentioned if they are competitive or not, so make sure to pick up the best one for your face shape.

Swimming goggles for competitive and advanced training

For competitive training, you do not need to buy racing goggles. You can just buy goggles that fit your face, especially if the sleek fit of competition goggles does not suit you. However, it is recommended that you pick up competitive goggles over beginner goggles.

It will last longer and be ideal for high-intensity workouts in competitive training. These goggles will also tend to have two straps for ideal fit and adjusting. I would recommend buying anti-fog goggles, as this will help with clear visibility.

Where you practice also plays a role in determining your goggles. If you practice indoors, you should not buy mirrored or tinted goggles, as it will be difficult to see.

This is the goggle from Speedo that is inexpensive but has a sleek finish. It is perfect for training outdoors.

Swimming goggles for intermediate and beginner level

If you do not practice much, you do not need to worry about how hydrodynamic your goggles are. You should buy comfortable goggles with good visibility. These goggles are usually clear, and are not too flashy. However, they are good for light swimming. If you have a rounder face, you may also consider buying these goggles as they have a good fit, while still being efficient.

Parts of swimming goggles

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Before you buy a pair of swimming goggles, you should understand the parts of the goggle and what role they play. These many factors play a large part of which goggles you buy.

Size of lens

For advanced and competitive swimming, use goggles that provide perfect, clear vision and extreme comfort.  They should fit close to your face, minimise drag, and fit similar to the angles of your face. These lens will usually be much smaller, and compact

For beginners swimming, you can use large goggles with comfortable seals. These goggles will usually have a larger range of visibility and be lighter colored.

Color of lens

If you swim indoors, you should buy pale or lightly colored lens. This is because you do not to change the light entering your goggles much in a controlled enviornment. WIth pale and clear goggles, you will have perfect vision, especially indoors.

Mirrored and tinted lenses work similar to sunglasses. If you swim outdoors, they are very helpful, as they will reflect excess light, and help you see better through UV protection. However, these goggles can sometimes become too dark when there is not much light, and it will be hard to see.

Smoked or photochromatic lens are also meant for the outdoors, but are light sensitive. They will get darker in excess light, and lighter in lower light. This is ideal if you practice at timings where the light is changing (during the sunrise or sunset)

Rubber, silicone, foam or plastic seals for goggles

The seal is the part that touches your skin to create the suction between your skin and the goggles. This is the most important part of the goggles as they ensure water does not get in your goggles. A resilient material will create more pressure and prevent water from seeping in. The seal should also fit exactly to your skin. You should not have gaps between your skin and the seal.

The material you use will determine the comfort of the goggles, as well the price range. Harder materials will usually leave rings around your eyes. If this is painful, consider opting for foam or silicone seals.

Straps for swimming goggles

Goggles can come as single or double strapped, but they are always adjustable. This can change based on your age. Adult goggles are usually double strapped, but junior goggles are single and thick. The strap is very important, especially the adjusting device (usually a latch). Use goggles that have straps similar to the size of your head, and that can be easily adjusted. Your adjusters should also be tight so that the goggles do not slip and slide out of place.

The straps should also be made of a good material. The way you can test this is to stretch a piece of the strap very tightly. If the color of the strap changes to white, then the strap is not made out of quality material.

Nose bridge

Nose bridges are usually adjustable. Most goggles will come with extras, as everyone has a different face shape. If your pair of goggles do not, make sure that the nose bridge is similar to the distance between your eyes. Otherwise, the goggles will not fit your face correctly, or cause your discomfort.

How to check whether your goggles fit?

When trying your goggles on in the store, you should press the goggles to your face until you feel them stick from the suction. Do not put the strap on, just the actual lens. Once you leave your hands, the goggles should still be pressed to your face for 5-10 seconds. If the goggles fall off the moment you leave them, they do not have the correct fit for your face.

You can also tell if the goggles are right for you when you wear them if you can feel gaps in between your face and the goggles. The goggles should not be uncomfortable and should fit comfortably in your eye sockets.

If you have a more angular face, buy more angular goggles. If you have a rounder face, go for flatter, wider goggles. This will make a huge difference in your training and comfort during practice.

Always try your goggles before you buy them. Goggles will always let in some water sometimes, but if you are always draining water from your goggles every single lap, it is not the right fit for you. Once you are sure of what kind of goggles fits you, you can buy them online.

Goggles will usually come with different nose bridges. Check if the nose bridge is right for you if your pair of goggles do not have adjustable bridges. It should not hurt you, as your goggles should be comfortable.

You should also use junior goggles if you are younger. This is so that the straps are not too long and you don’t have constantly adjust the fit. Otherwise, if you are a teenager or adult, opt for the adult goggles as the straps will be long enough for you.

If you are looking to buy swim caps, you can check here.

Why should you wear goggles?

Many swimmers prefer not to wear goggles while swimming. However, Chlorine is a chemical. It can react with your eyes, and this will give you red eyes. Overtime, this will constantly burn, and you can also get infections.

Goggles are also used for visibility. Without goggles, you wont be able to see your other competitors, the wall, the flags, or other indicators that tell you how fast you are going, or when you should stop.

How are competitive swimming goggles different?

Competitive goggles are much smaller and more angular. The purpose of competitive goggles is to conform perfectly in order the face to minimise the drag. With less resistance, you move faster. Competitive goggles will always have smaller lenses, more adjustability, and a very snug fit.

Competitive goggles are usually more expensive, but they should not be used for practice. We recommend keeping a separate set for competition and practice. Your practice goggles can leak, get dirty, break, and get thrown around. This will obviously affect the visibility and fit of them. Your competition goggles should always be in good condition so that you can perform well in races.

How to take care of your goggles?

You should always keep your goggles in their case after practice. This will stop them from getting scratched.

When you use your goggles, make sure that you do not clean them using your fingers. This can remove some of the protective coating on the goggles, and the fingerprints will smudge the lens. This will affect visibility. Instead, lift your goggles off your face, and dip your goggles into the water to clean any fog or dirt.

If your goggles seem to lose their UV-protection or anti-fog properties, you should rinse them with a small amount of soap. This will keep your goggles clean, and prevent them from building residue. It will also act as a stand-in for the anti-fog coating.

How to fix problems in your goggles

If your goggles do not maintain suction during a swim, that usually means you should get new goggles. Otherwise, there are many ways you can fix your goggles

If the bridge is hurting your nose, consider replacing it with some other bridge that is given in the packaging. The nose bridge can also affect how well the goggles fit on your face, so it’s important you use the right one.

Sometimes, your nose bridge or straps can break. You can replace them easily, either with other goggles or the extras provided in the packaging. If the seal of your goggles is broken, you should buy some new ones.

If your goggles are foggy, wash them with dish soap, handwash, or shampoo. Anything that will form a film over your goggles will be perfect.