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Race Suit suggestions for a really big guy

#1
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10/9/09 at 7:38pm
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Here's the problem: We have a new guy on our race league team this season. He is an ex-college racer, incredible skier, and in fantastic condition. So far, so good. The issue is that since his college racing days, he has competed 2 new sports in the off season: Powerlifting and Olympic Style weightlifting. He is 5"10", weighs 265 lbs (all muscle, he is only 8% bodyfat!) and has a 55" chest. We are trying to find a padded GS suit for him, but according to the charts, all the companies XXL suits are for a maximum 43" chest. Can this be right? What do the big guys on the World Cup wear? Custom made suits? Or are the World Cup guys just small compared to other athletes like football and hockey players? Any suggestions for a suit brand would be helpful. You just can't be competitive in our league without a suit. 
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#2
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10/9/09 at 8:56pm
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 A lot of them stretch quite a bit. I wear the same size S DH suit I had when I was 12 and it fits okay (and I've probably gained 60 lbs since then). The best would be for him to try stuff on and I'm sure something will fit.
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#3
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10/10/09 at 4:38am
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Top 10-15 WC guys in DH and SG have custom made suites (with suits for speed disciplines there's much much more science then someone might think), everyone else have "normal" production suits. But then again, noone of these guys look like bodybuilder, and noone is the size you are talking about.
In your case, I would say same as DC wrote... he should try it, maybe he can stretch it enough. But consider, that suit characteristics will change completelly when stretched that much, but I guess that doesn't really play all that big role in your competition level.
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#4
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10/10/09 at 11:01am
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 The issue is the padding, I think. A non-padded suit can be stretched in a lot of different ways. But when you're dealing with padding and stitching, there's much less give. You're also talking about a guy who isn't that tall, so the stock dimensions {arm length} could be an issue. My son is about 5'10", 195 and he is pushing the limits of a USST Spyder XL. Spyder runs real small. The place where I would start is with Fuxi, at www.fuxiracingusa.com . He can build some pretty custom, and big, stuff. A two piece suit might be a solution as well. I'd check out his site, and give him a call. No way will he fit in a padded Spyder XXL. We had a Slovenian lightly padded tech suit that was an XL, and was built for a guy about 6'0", 220. Had quite a bit of stretch, built by Mizuno. If they made a XXL, I bet that might work. IMO, the slightly older suits have more "give", but new, I would start with Fuxi. Good luck.

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#5
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10/10/09 at 12:33pm
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Custom made......like Muleski suggests, is probably the way to go.   At my most muscular (5-11 225lbs, 5%bf) I ended up popping threads in two of my race suits that were both XXL.  Getting big arms and chest into these suits is nearly impossible without damaging them....which is rather disconcerting being that they cost so much. (legs not so much because I assume that they assume a ski racer has large powerful legs).  Some brands ,SixSixOne armor comes to mind, will not fit at all no matter what.....guess skiers are supposed to have noodle arms.
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#6
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10/10/09 at 3:15pm
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Could he get an non-padded suit and buy separate padding?

There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment.

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#7
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10/10/09 at 4:58pm
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Meant to mention Beyond-X as well. I've seen some pretty huge guys in their suits, as well and I think they might custom build.
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#8
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10/12/09 at 4:33am
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 Thanks everyone for the responses. Looks like the custom made route is the only thing that is going to work for him. I got together with him over the weekend and went to a number of shops looking for a suit. Nothing fits period. He had a hard time getting his forearms into a padded suit, not alone his upper arms. His upper legs are so big that they wouldn't get in either. We did force him into a XXXL unpadded suit, but it looked like the seams were going to blow at any minute (the female shop employees loved every minute of it!) Back at his house, he showed me his new 150 Dobermans that he is going to race with this year. He was smashing down the cuff like they were a cheap pair of rental boots! This guy is so strong it is scary.
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#9
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10/12/09 at 11:25am
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Needs to contact the Herminator for cast-offs...

There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment.

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#10
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10/12/09 at 4:41pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sibhusky View Post

Needs to contact the Herminator for cast-offs...

Maybe the Terminator, but this guy's arms and legs makes Maier look positively small. Did Arnold Schwarzenegger ever ski race?
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#11
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10/29/09 at 6:58am
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Captain,

Get in touch with Beyond X. They will custom. We had a football player at 300# on the team and they made one to order.
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