After seeing a woman break 24 seconds and I think we can stop the discussion of "IF" the LZR suit is faster and start thinking "how much faster".
The previous line of suits (Fastskin and so on) were pretty similiar to a shaved swimmer. Sure - they do feel like they make you float, but overall the times seemed to move along "in line" with what I would expect to see in terms of improvements in the sport. If the previous suits would have been that much faster than shaving, you would have never seen people just using the legskins. By the way - for us Masters swimmers there was always the added benefit of keeping in all the "extra layers of skin".
So how much faster are the LZR suits ?
If I had to guess based on the results so far, I would say 0.25 to 0.30 per 50 and double that for the 100. I can see the Bernard going 48 low in the 100 and I can see Sullivan getting close or just breaking the 50 record. It makes sense that Libby Lenton would swim a 24.2 or so in the 50.
I think one of the top regular teams out there should do a test - you need a good amount of world class swimmers training together to be able to do a test. Here is the test I would propose:
8-10 swimmers
2 days of testing
4x50 on 10 minutes all out
Day 1 - swim 2 with a Fastskin2 followed by 2 with the LZR
Day 2 - swim 2 with the LZR followed by 2 with the Fastskin2
Get the averages of all 10 swimmers - maybe drop the high and low and there you go.
Why do the test ? I would HAVE to know. Swimming is a big part of your life and you just set a massive PR using this new technology - my very first question would be " How much was me and how much was the suit?"?
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Former Member
You're right; what a nincompoop.
OMG, I would never call Forbes Carlile a nincompoop! The man's amazing, even if we don't agree with his opinions. I feel he may be stuck on the same debate from 8 years ago, and remember interviewing him at the time for the article Suit Yourself.
From the article: Two of the first critics to speak out were Brent Rushall of San Diego State University and Forbes Carlile of Australia. Rushall, who published a lengthy article in the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) newsletter, said the suits "are supposed to significantly alter performance and, if so, they should no longer be classed as costume but rather as equipment."
Meanwhile, Carlile has criticized the suits' supposed performance enhancing and "harmful socio-economic effects" on swimming. "Now it is claimed, and it may well be so, that the drag resistance has been reduced to below that of natural skin and water interface," said Carlile, "below the resistance previously offered between any costume fabric and water. This is a clear violation of the concept of the 'pureness' of the sport of swimming with swimmer against swimmer, without artificial aids."
Carlile intends to introduce a motion during the Sept. 14th FINA Congress to disallow the suits, pending an additional year of research into the performance enhancing effects.
You're right; what a nincompoop.
OMG, I would never call Forbes Carlile a nincompoop! The man's amazing, even if we don't agree with his opinions. I feel he may be stuck on the same debate from 8 years ago, and remember interviewing him at the time for the article Suit Yourself.
From the article: Two of the first critics to speak out were Brent Rushall of San Diego State University and Forbes Carlile of Australia. Rushall, who published a lengthy article in the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) newsletter, said the suits "are supposed to significantly alter performance and, if so, they should no longer be classed as costume but rather as equipment."
Meanwhile, Carlile has criticized the suits' supposed performance enhancing and "harmful socio-economic effects" on swimming. "Now it is claimed, and it may well be so, that the drag resistance has been reduced to below that of natural skin and water interface," said Carlile, "below the resistance previously offered between any costume fabric and water. This is a clear violation of the concept of the 'pureness' of the sport of swimming with swimmer against swimmer, without artificial aids."
Carlile intends to introduce a motion during the Sept. 14th FINA Congress to disallow the suits, pending an additional year of research into the performance enhancing effects.
