Body suit manufacturers tout "muscle compression"as an advantage.Do any of you know the research behind this claim? It seems to me that if the suit significantly compressed muscles it would impair circulation and range of motion.Is there a factor I am missing or is this just a way of saying "Don't worry if your suit is uncomfortable,it's supposed to be"?
Former Member
I think you're right to be skeptical of that particular claim. As I understand it, the theory is that "muscle compression" prevents the muscles from vibrating, which in turn reduces fatigue. Like you, however, I've never seen any research that supports this claim and my own (totally unscientific) observation is that the fatigue I've experienced has had very little to do with vibration (and a lot to do with exertion).
It seems to me that the main benefit of body suits, if any, would be drag reduction and the elimination of need to shave. (Although SwimInfo.com, shortly after the Sydney Olympics reported on a statistical analysis, that concluded that body suits actually had little or no effect on performance.)
I am not too sure about the muscle compression theory, however I feel that there may be benefit (anecdotal as I do not have any info/evidence to back it up) due the reduction of drag from the reduction of erratic jiggling movements of uncompressed muscles. Is there any evidence that the body is more streamlined during the full stroke part of the race with the body suit on?.
PS. I think the price is almost worth it to not ever have to shave again. I am starting to consider whether or not to buy a suit.
