I am just back from the SPMA meet where all the top finisher were wearing the latest generation tech suits,mostly B-70s(or were named Jeff Commings.)I have here to for been in favor of the suits,but now I am not so sure.First,they eliminate the old bench marks.I went my fastest 100m BR in 5 yr in my LZR,but it was only .3 sec faster than I did untapered 5 wk earlier in my first swim in the LZR.So was my swim good or not,I'm not sure.Also,instead of focusing on technique or pace I found myself ruminating over aspects of the suits,how many more swims did the suit have,is it the right size,was the reason I didn't get better results from my B-70 because it was too big?etc.The B-70 has somewhat mitigated the "too expensive,not durable" problem,but for how long.
Lets say a company comes up with a suit that is much faster,say 4 sec/100.Further that it is very expensive(say $1000) lasts 4 swims and is very hard to make so that quantities are always limited and the fastest way to get one is to bid up to $3000 on ebay. Now lets say your nemesis has one,or that getting one is your best chance to get TT or AA or a ZR or WR,or that your child is close to making JO cuts,or finally beating his/her nemesis etc. Is it worth it and where does it stop?
Hey Thewookiee
Have you tried one of these?
www.bicworld.com/.../SLP_1_shaver1.jpg
They are a lot cheaper than using an expensive suit to cover up the hair on your chest.
I'm glad someone brought up razorblades and shaving, b/c I think they are a total crock. They are a way to "buy" time that has nothing to do with training at all; you just shave off your body hair and PRESTO: instant time improvement.
There oughta be a rule against it. It isn't natural, and it ruins our sport because (a) it makes the men look like sissies and (b) it encourages women swimmers to let their leg hair grow during the season (I have vivid memories of this from my college days).
(All this makes just about as much sense as anything else I've heard from the purists.)
My calcs show .5-1% - for me - with the B70. I must be doing something wrong or others are reading way too much into this suit deal. I'm curious where the 2% figure is derived from.
I got about a 1% drop just by losing some weight (4%) last summer.
I think 2% came from a Mark Schubert guesstimate made last spring. It has since been accepted as gospel instead of something that he pulled out of thin air.
Like you, I think the time drops are significant but not as great as many believe, closer to 1% than 2%
Hey Thewookiee
Have you tried one of these?
www.bicworld.com/.../SLP_1_shaver1.jpg
They are a lot cheaper than using an expensive suit to cover up the hair on your chest.
I'm glad someone brought up razorblades and shaving, b/c I think they are a total crock. They are a way to "buy" time that has nothing to do with training at all; you just shave off your body hair and PRESTO: instant time improvement.
There oughta be a rule against it. It isn't natural, and it ruins our sport because (a) it makes the men look like sissies and (b) it encourages women swimmers to let their leg hair grow during the season (I have vivid memories of this from my college days).
(All this makes just about as much sense as anything else I've heard from the purists.)
My calcs show .5-1% - for me - with the B70. I must be doing something wrong or others are reading way too much into this suit deal. I'm curious where the 2% figure is derived from.
I got about a 1% drop just by losing some weight (4%) last summer.
I think 2% came from a Mark Schubert guesstimate made last spring. It has since been accepted as gospel instead of something that he pulled out of thin air.
Like you, I think the time drops are significant but not as great as many believe, closer to 1% than 2%
