Things that I think are myths (or mabe just a rant on my part) through my own personal experience:
1. Shaving makes you faster: I’ve shaved my head a few times and believe that can make a difference. As for body hair, unless you’re Chewbacca, it’s all mental. Also, I lost sleep when I used to shave b/c it felt so different. Wouldn’t lack of sleep be detrimental to my performance?
In a recent issue of USMS Swimmer, there was an article about shaving down prior to big meets. One of the research papers talked about a reduction in the rate that blood lactate accumulates in an amount that nearly mimics a season of collegiate swim training. The article also states that shaving down actually results in less feel for the water because it removes a layer of skin and some hair follicles. However, this reduced feel results in an increase in performance. An interesting article that seems to imply that even if one wears a body suit, that shaving can still have significant benefits. Just food for thought...
Things that I think are myths (or mabe just a rant on my part) through my own personal experience:
1. Shaving makes you faster: I’ve shaved my head a few times and believe that can make a difference. As for body hair, unless you’re Chewbacca, it’s all mental. Also, I lost sleep when I used to shave b/c it felt so different. Wouldn’t lack of sleep be detrimental to my performance?
In a recent issue of USMS Swimmer, there was an article about shaving down prior to big meets. One of the research papers talked about a reduction in the rate that blood lactate accumulates in an amount that nearly mimics a season of collegiate swim training. The article also states that shaving down actually results in less feel for the water because it removes a layer of skin and some hair follicles. However, this reduced feel results in an increase in performance. An interesting article that seems to imply that even if one wears a body suit, that shaving can still have significant benefits. Just food for thought...
