I thought "LEGAL WAYS TO CHEAT" might be a fun topic for us to toss around.
Please share your ideas.
These need to be legal as opposed to "if you don't get caught."
Before the current rule of one false start, I remember seeing one swimmer on a team intentionally false start to try and draw a competitor with him. His team mate would know it was coming and not go. On the second start, swimmers with one false start would generally be slower since they did not want to DQ.
It would work better now as anyone that went would be out of the event.
Swim fly in free events. Eschew lap counters. Do open turns instead of flip turns. Do two hand touches in all events. Do not shave. Do not wear goggles. Start in the water instead of diving off the blocks.
Supposedly, baking soda will buffer the blood and delay acidosis caused by intense anaerobic efforts. There is not a lot of solid research that I'm aware of on this. It can also upset your stomach iftoomuchis consumed.
NaHCO3:
"In sportsedit]Small amounts of sodium bicarbonate have been shown to be useful as a supplement for athletes in speed-based events, like middle distance running, lasting from about one to seven minutes. However, overdose is a serious risk because sodium bicarbonate is slightly toxic; gastrointestinal irritation is of particular concern. Additionally, this practice causes a significant increase in dietary sodium."
en.wikipedia.org/.../Sodium_bicarbonate
I would stay away from it due to it's Na- content. It's like eating table salt
Re: Legal ways to cheat:
1) What about calling in sick from work just to hit the pool and gym for 4 hours?
2) Eating 3 - 4 fiber bars several hours prior to assist lower gut floatation
3) Breathing pure oxygen just prior to event
4) Entering NT for your event when it would be of benefit
5) Hugging the line adjacent to someone ahead of you
6) Smother yourself with a mucoprotein coating (fish slime). According to 102.12.1 E, since it's not an oil based compund, excessive amounts would be permitted.
I've only tried #1 but I'm not certain if it helped
If something is legal I wouldn't call it cheating but taking creatine, caffeine, or baking soda will make you swim faster.
How does baking soda make you swim faster?
I can't remember the source as it was a few years ago that I read it but I think there was one study where most swimmers improved their 200m time by about 1% taking a table spoon of baking soda an hour before the event. There is also apparently a risk of it making you throw up.
