From Mat Luebbers,
Your Guide to Swimming.
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February 2008 Update

Speedo's 2008-model swimsuit, the 2008 Fastskin LZR Racer (Laser Racer - get it?) is out as of 14 Feb 2008, as seen on the NBC Today Show. The suit looks fast, and with swimmers like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Leisel Jones, Park Tae-Hwan, and Kate Ziegler in them, I bet they will be the fastest swimsuit on the planet come Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics.

2000

Swimsuits have come a long way since the early 1900's. Swimwear back then might have weighed up to 20 lbs. when wet (J. Sharell, 9/15/99 CNN) and covered everything but the arms and face (M. DeVries, 3/88, Retroactive). One of the earliest elasticized suits, made by Jantzen in 1913, was basically a wool sweater cuff (J.Sharell).

Or have they? While materials have changed over the years, from heavy wool to man-made super-materials like those used by Speedo, the newest style for competitive swimmers is one that covers most of the body. Speedo and Adidas make a full body suit, with nothing but the head, hands, and feet left in the open. Arena also makes a super-slick suit, called the Powerskin.

There has been some controversy over the new designs, but suits have been moving towards covering more skin for several years. The problem is that these new suits may offer a significant advantage to the wearer (Rushall, 1999), which appears to be against the rules.

What is the advantage? There are probably two. The theory is if the suit material offers less drag than skin, then cover the skin. Speedo and Adidas (as do other manufacturers) claim their material offers less drag. Another example of material that is "slicker than skin" is Arena's "X-Flat" material, 4.8% lower in drag compared to your skin. Cover more skin started with a men’s suit that covered the torso, then evolved into the longer leg suit with the torso cover option. They also offer compression, allowing the muscles to work Now, it looks like either a long-leg suit or full body suit is at the cutting edge.

The Teflon finished Adidas "Equipment Fullbody" suit is designed to give increased power and stroke accuracy while decreasing muscle fatigue and drag due to its compression fabric. The Teflon coated Speedo "Aquablade" swimsuit is manufactured in such a way that small alternating ridges of rough and smooth material decrease drag; Speedo claims its suit is the fastest in the world. And now, Speedo has a new version, called the Fastskin, that covers the whole body, similar to Adidas' suit.

  Arena's Powerskin, is made of a "hydrophobic" material. It repels water, so it stays lighter than a suit that absorbs water and is "slicker" than traditional suits based on its woven versus knitted manufacturing process. TYR's Powerflow uses the compression effect of the fabric along with channels to reduce drag, to hopefully result in faster swimming Another slick material used in suits is silicone. Diana of Italy produces the Mach 1 swimsuit, made entirely of this non-absorbent material. The suit is actually heat molded in just two sizes - but since silicone is so elastic, this actually makes for a better fit. They also produce a fullbody style, the Submarine.

What’s the problem with the suits? Some feel that the expense limits their use to wealthy individuals, or teams, or countries. The Speedo suits require custom fitting and are over $200 each. There is also a question of the suits adding extra buoyancy, but manufacturers claim that the suits do not have this quality.

  A third question, of a more philosophical nature, is how far should technology go to aid an athlete? Where should the line be drawn - and perhaps more importantly, why draw a line at that point?

The Speedo Fastskin suits have already been used in competitions (the Australian Olympic trials, for example) by swimmers to set world records. FINA tested the suits and given them their seal of approval, so continue to watch for them in the months ahead.

The full body suit is now an accepted item in the Olympics. Records are broken by athletes in suits from the turn of the century; the 21st century.

Swim On!