roflDo you go smooth? Do you go fast? rofl
http://www.enduranceplanet.com/programs/04-09-07_Legs_of_Glory.mp3
http://www.enduranceplanet.com/programs/04-09-07_Legs_of_Glory.mp3
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Smoothskin, fastskin?
- Thread startermaytag
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Thread Status: Hello
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I haven't shaved my legs for years.
I used to when I raced mountain bikes. One of the big advantages was that mud & blood (I scraped up my legs quite a bit) didn't pull the hair as much and made the legs much easier to clean.
Also a lifetime ago when I was in high-school we used to shave most of of the body (not covered by swimsuit and the eyebrows stayed) for the district championships. This was one of those team building exercises where your buddies would shave your back in the shower.
Then for practice afterwards we would wear tights, or t-shirts. When you finally let the fresh shaved skin touch the water it tingled. It did have a psychological effect of making you want to go fast with all the tingly skin that really felt the water move around you.
Not sure if it would help with freediving... I don't think the tingly sensation or hyper-sensitivity to water helps you relax.
As for hydrodynamics, a wetsuit or a fastskin is going to be better than shaving because it will actually smooth over the edges of your body which will reduce turbulence. I suspect a 3mm slick wetsuit is better hydrodynamics than a speedo fastskin at depth. If you look at any of the pictures of freedivers without wetsuits below 50m (Jaque Mayol comes to min) you can see how their skin folds at depth. That is terrible for the resistance.
I used to when I raced mountain bikes. One of the big advantages was that mud & blood (I scraped up my legs quite a bit) didn't pull the hair as much and made the legs much easier to clean.
Also a lifetime ago when I was in high-school we used to shave most of of the body (not covered by swimsuit and the eyebrows stayed) for the district championships. This was one of those team building exercises where your buddies would shave your back in the shower.
Then for practice afterwards we would wear tights, or t-shirts. When you finally let the fresh shaved skin touch the water it tingled. It did have a psychological effect of making you want to go fast with all the tingly skin that really felt the water move around you.
Not sure if it would help with freediving... I don't think the tingly sensation or hyper-sensitivity to water helps you relax.
As for hydrodynamics, a wetsuit or a fastskin is going to be better than shaving because it will actually smooth over the edges of your body which will reduce turbulence. I suspect a 3mm slick wetsuit is better hydrodynamics than a speedo fastskin at depth. If you look at any of the pictures of freedivers without wetsuits below 50m (Jaque Mayol comes to min) you can see how their skin folds at depth. That is terrible for the resistance.
I have/still have used both smoothskin and fastskin. I used to own (Darn i wonder where that is) a fastskin suit i bought a few years ago. It was made by speedo and had little groves in the shapes of traiangles along the fast moving surfaces. It was thin lycra and it cost a freggin fortune. They called the triangles denticles. I only saw a very marginal (<1-2%) difference in my times by the reduced drag. But they were claimed to have given you a larger increase. The reality is that unless you have all the kinks worked out in your glide i wouldnt even consider this as an option.
My current wetsuit for freediving is a Smoothskin Neoprene Orca Predator. It is really delicate but slices through the water like crazy. It is very fast. The smoothskin neoprene is really great and i would definately reccomend that. But before trying one on get very used to the insideout version of putting your suit on, and cut your fingernails down to the skin.... Well, actually i never understand why everyone doesnt use the insideout method of putting on their suits anyways, most triathelets use this method but never any freedivers/scuba divers do. Its so much easier and faster. I can put on my wetsuit with no shampoo and take it off before my dive buddies are 1/2 way done with theirs.
My current wetsuit for freediving is a Smoothskin Neoprene Orca Predator. It is really delicate but slices through the water like crazy. It is very fast. The smoothskin neoprene is really great and i would definately reccomend that. But before trying one on get very used to the insideout version of putting your suit on, and cut your fingernails down to the skin.... Well, actually i never understand why everyone doesnt use the insideout method of putting on their suits anyways, most triathelets use this method but never any freedivers/scuba divers do. Its so much easier and faster. I can put on my wetsuit with no shampoo and take it off before my dive buddies are 1/2 way done with theirs.
You take the suit and put it inside-out and zipper side down. Poke both feet in (up to the ankle) and just slide it up. (imagine the reverse peeling of a banana, no suit ever slides against the skin) Its exactly opposite the taking off of the suit. Same goes for the arms you poke your wrist inside the arm hole then just pull/push the arm in till you get to the shoulder. It works for full suits, i have never owned a farmer john style suit that are popular here due to hoods, but i imagine it will work well for the bottoms of those as well.
This is the way i was taught to put smoothskin wetsuits on. That way they dont tear, and its crazy fast to do. If you need a movie clip or somthing i guess i can make one. But i would guess a lot of you guys/girls already do it this way.
PS Sorry for the hijack of the thread, and i also realize that i didnt really talk about the key point when it comes to dynamics, buoyancy. My comments were simply based upon using and owning both materials in swimming long distance races. Of which i would prefer smoothskin over fastskin even with its movement restrictions.
This is the way i was taught to put smoothskin wetsuits on. That way they dont tear, and its crazy fast to do. If you need a movie clip or somthing i guess i can make one. But i would guess a lot of you guys/girls already do it this way.
PS Sorry for the hijack of the thread, and i also realize that i didnt really talk about the key point when it comes to dynamics, buoyancy. My comments were simply based upon using and owning both materials in swimming long distance races. Of which i would prefer smoothskin over fastskin even with its movement restrictions.
interesting mike, "peeling" the suit ON like that. But, to he honest, a squirt of hand soap and a thermo of nice warm water is quite good fun, AND the suit can be squidged around so that pads etc are in the perfect position.
Re thread purpose: at my level, board shorts and a semi-hairy chest (I'm sure no one really needed to know that) is not a real factor.
Re thread purpose: at my level, board shorts and a semi-hairy chest (I'm sure no one really needed to know that) is not a real factor.