OK - here is the research ....
Sharp RL, Hackney AC, Cain SM, and Ness RJ (1988): The effect of shaving body hair on the physiological cost of freestyle swimming. Journal of Swimming Research 4(1):9-13.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if shaving of body hair would have an effect on the physiological cost of standard swimming velocities. Physiological effort required to swim at a given velocity was assessed using determinations of blood lactate concentration 2 min after each of four 200 yard freestyle swims. Six subjects volunteered and were asked to swim four 200's with 15 min rest between each and reducing their time by roughly 10 sec on each consecutive swim. On the next day, subjects shaved their body hair from arms, legs and exposed torso and repeated this swimming protocol. Blood lactate accumulation at a submaximal speed of 1.08 m/sec was significantly reduced by an average of 28% by shaving. Blood lactate accumulation at a maximal swimming speed of 1.30 m/sec was significantly reduced by an average of 23%. This much change in the physiological cost of submaximal and maximal swimming speeds is nearly as great as that resulting from a season of collegiate swimming training. It was concluded that there is indeed a physical benefit to shaving-down (most likely a reduction in body drag) and that the benefits are not solely due to a psychological response.
Competitive swimmers progressively reduce training volume or ''taper'' prior to an important competition in an effort to improve performance capabilities. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of taper upon factors associated with swim performance. Twelve intercollegiate swimmers were tested before and after taper in preparation for their season-ending meet. Power during a tethered sprint swim increased significantly (P
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I wonder how the cost of this would compare to the cost of high tech body suits purchased every other year until life expiration?
To say shaving is unfair is ridiculous.
For one, saying Teenwolf gets an advantage by shaving, where Icantgrowabeard doesn't is not accurate. There are physiological advantages by shaving - even where there is no hair - as well as psychological. Also, there are plenty of people that are genetically disposed to very little body hair. In that case, doesn't Icantgrowabeard already have a huge advantage over Teenwolf by having no hair to slow him down? How is that fair?
I'd argue shaving is more normal than a wearing bodysuit. People have been shaving for swimming purposes for decades. Bodysuits have been worn for hardly a decade.
Body hair acts like seaweed and other hair-like aquatic plants - it catches water and flows with the current. If your body isn't too hairy, contact myself and/or the Furburglar for a live demonstration - or pop in Finding Nemo and look at the coral sway with the current.
Shaving is a (relatively) quick, inexpensive process that can be done by any swimmer from any country with any socioeconomic background.
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- the suits make more sense - you can only shave once or twice a year for the benefit, you can put on the suit at any time.
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Incorrect...
The paper cites drag reduction as the key benefit so the physical improvement effect from shaving is constant if one shaves every day.
The psychological lift would be lost.
why not outlaw plastic surgery too
liposuction & *** reduction surgery give swimmers a slimmer profile
But won't these impact buoyancy in a negative way? :D
Hey all! I have been lurking for a while and decided to sign up, as I have just started to really get into swimming and love the great info on this site! That being said, it's funny that my first post is going to be about bodyhair :D
I'm too much of a man-beast to try to shave off my hair. The dude upstairs played a cruel joke on me: no hair on the top, and plenty on the bottom :afraid: I liken shaving my body to attempting to mow a really big lawn; by the time I am done one end, the other has started growing back...so it's a pretty useless endeavor for me. As a result, I let it run wild and free :bliss:much to the chagrin of my pool mates, who probably never expected to be sharing their lanes with a sasquatch.
3 hours? Wow. Perhaps I am not paying enough attention to detail.
3 hours wasn't that unusual for me. I couldn't just put shaving cream on, then use a razor.
I had to clip the hair down first, which involved having 2-3 clippers. One would get overheated, so I would switch to a different one.
Then the shaving down with the razor would be next. Sometimes I would clip one day and shave the next because it did become a pain to do all in one day/night.
