I did a practice shave of my legs last night, to get used to it and also figure out how long it takes me for planning purposes.
Today in practice, I was faster than usual. The most obvious was in my 200 free warm-up. I dps the first 100 and then gradually speed up to about 75%. Usually I am around 3 minutes. Monday, I went 2:51. Today, I was 2:36 with the usual effort level.
My 200 *** warm-up was about 10 seconds faster than usual.
Can shaving really improve things that much? Is some of this because I am tapering?
Also, for those guys who shave your heads, do you also wear a cap? If not, is the bald head better than a cap?
Shaving does not reduce water resistance nor eliminate the amount of friction on the skin. Dr. David Costill, the famous research/physiologist from Ball State University, reported that shaven swimmers actually have lower blood lactate levels, increased stroke lengths (distance per stroke), and improved push-offs (better streamlining).
www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/.../Why Swimmers Shave Down!.doc
forums.usms.org/attachment.php
I don't have the time right now, or know enough physiology, to be able to evaluate carefully what Megerle is claiming. But it is enough to convince me that the standard answers of "reduced friction," "hypersensitivity," and/or "it's mostly psychological" may not have much actual weight of evidence behind them. Enjoy reading, do additional research and decide for yourself. But most of what is claimed on this thread (whether true or not) are purely speculative.
Shaving does not reduce water resistance nor eliminate the amount of friction on the skin. Dr. David Costill, the famous research/physiologist from Ball State University, reported that shaven swimmers actually have lower blood lactate levels, increased stroke lengths (distance per stroke), and improved push-offs (better streamlining).
www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/.../Why Swimmers Shave Down!.doc
forums.usms.org/attachment.php
I don't have the time right now, or know enough physiology, to be able to evaluate carefully what Megerle is claiming. But it is enough to convince me that the standard answers of "reduced friction," "hypersensitivity," and/or "it's mostly psychological" may not have much actual weight of evidence behind them. Enjoy reading, do additional research and decide for yourself. But most of what is claimed on this thread (whether true or not) are purely speculative.