Yes - one more time it's about the suit:
Here is a comparison to 2004 and what it took to make top 16 (top 8 for the 400) over the first 7 events:
2004 listed first then 2008 then the approx. % drop
400 IM - 4:24.8 to 4:21.0 1.5%
100 Fly - 1:01.29 to 59.97 2%
400 Free - 3:55.0 to 3:51.4 1.6%
400 IM - 4:49.57 to 4:43.2 2.3%
100 Br - 1:04.0 to 1:02.36 2.5%
100 Bk - 1:04.12 to 1:02.31 2.6%
200 Free - 1:51.1 to 1:48.76 2.2%
Ok - to be fair, people are getting faster, but I would guess at least a 1.5% drop across the board for the suit -- that is net time !
The next time I taper/shave for a meet in trials and finals format, I'll compare the B70 to briefs or jammers to see the difference...much as I did with the FSII, finding no drastic difference. This is, I think, the only true way to test the suit: rested and shaved under race conditions, keeping everything else the same. Your experience in practice is nice and I enjoyed reading it, but it isn't the same.
With regard to bodysuits in general--not the LZR or B70--and their effect, I actually conducted such a test at the Nationals in Austin. I'm in my 50s and grew up shaving for big meets and of course wearing briefs. I've worn bodysuits before but have always preferred the feeling of the water on my skin, and continued to believe I could be faster if I was fully shaved and tapered and wearing a brief. So, on Friday, I swam the 50 free and 50 fly wearing a vintage "paper suit" brief. Times were 26.05 and 22.82. On Sunday, not really being in shape to swim a good 100, I decided to wear a Fastskin Pro bodysuit and go all out on the first 50 of each. Times were 25.12 and 22.30. Clearer water might have made a slight difference, and I made a stroke adjustment in the fly, but there's no doubt the principal difference was the suit. Any remaining skepticism I had is gone.
Lindsay makes a good point, however--it doesnt mean that will happen for everybody. We often see this in swimming: there is no universal stroke technique or workout routine or dryland training regimen. What works for one person may not for another because of difference in body type and physiological makeup.
The next time I taper/shave for a meet in trials and finals format, I'll compare the B70 to briefs or jammers to see the difference...much as I did with the FSII, finding no drastic difference. This is, I think, the only true way to test the suit: rested and shaved under race conditions, keeping everything else the same. Your experience in practice is nice and I enjoyed reading it, but it isn't the same.
With regard to bodysuits in general--not the LZR or B70--and their effect, I actually conducted such a test at the Nationals in Austin. I'm in my 50s and grew up shaving for big meets and of course wearing briefs. I've worn bodysuits before but have always preferred the feeling of the water on my skin, and continued to believe I could be faster if I was fully shaved and tapered and wearing a brief. So, on Friday, I swam the 50 free and 50 fly wearing a vintage "paper suit" brief. Times were 26.05 and 22.82. On Sunday, not really being in shape to swim a good 100, I decided to wear a Fastskin Pro bodysuit and go all out on the first 50 of each. Times were 25.12 and 22.30. Clearer water might have made a slight difference, and I made a stroke adjustment in the fly, but there's no doubt the principal difference was the suit. Any remaining skepticism I had is gone.
Lindsay makes a good point, however--it doesnt mean that will happen for everybody. We often see this in swimming: there is no universal stroke technique or workout routine or dryland training regimen. What works for one person may not for another because of difference in body type and physiological makeup.
