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Swimming Trunks vs "speedos"

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shouldbeworking

Apr 23, 12 7:36

Post #1 of 35 (6508 views)

Swimming Trunks vs "speedos"	Quote \| Reply

Being a novice swimmer I have been swimming in regular trunks (almost to the knees, but not as loose/large as board shorts) up to now. However, I recently received a pair of speedos which I used in training for my last two swim sessions and my times were noticeably faster.

Does anyone have any stats about the approximate time differences between shorts vs speedos? I did a brief seach over the weekend, but didn't find anything all that reliable. My times have been improving gradually recently (recovering from an infection) so I don't have a reliable baseline against which to judge recent times, but it would seem I am up to 5 secs faster per 100m in the speedos which seems like a lot. Naturally I am hoping some of this is underling improvement but I suspect most, if not all, is just down to the change in gear.

(This post was edited by shouldbeworking on Apr 23, 12 8:24)

samsonite

Apr 23, 12 7:54

Post #2 of 35 (6466 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

put on your old board shorts and see what you are swimming. only reliable answer to the question.

VO2Matt

Apr 23, 12 7:59

Post #3 of 35 (6457 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Not that I'm aware of. The added drag from the suit slows you down directly (like riding in baggy clothes would) but it also can mess with your body position and hip motion which would slow you down more, but in an unpredictable fashion....which makes quantifying it that much more difficult. You could design an experiment to figure it out (switching suits over the course of multiple workouts), but that sounds like too much work. I would just use the new suit and accept that you are faster, regardless of how you got there.

sometimes you just have to eat the cake

antonbp

Apr 23, 12 8:03

Post #4 of 35 (6444 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

It really depends on how much drag the shorts are creating and how much time you have spent swimming.

I would accept it and continue to build on it.

Bruce
ALBOPADS XTERRAWETSUITS OOMPH NEWTON OAKLEY FIZIK GARMIN ROTOR SPIUK QUARQ HONEYSTINGER

SH

Apr 23, 12 8:10

Post #5 of 35 (6418 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

It sounds like 5 seconds difference from what you are saying. Unless you are asking "can I just get 5 seconds per hundred faster from one day to the next?". In which case the answer is 95+% No!.

My advice is to swim with the speedo. Its better to train faster as opposed to slower. Also, it's easier to mentally measure the drag reduction that stroke improvements are making with the speedo. With those shorts blowing around in the water it becomes tougher to determine what is helping and what isn't.

Rufus T.

Apr 23, 12 8:34

Post #6 of 35 (6354 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I train swimming in trunks. I would train dragging an anchor if they would let me.

Admittedly, I'm not a swimming expert but I see no difference in swimming in trunks or a drag suit as I see a lot of folks doing so I have a hard time believing that it's going to mess up my stroke.

jwade13

Apr 23, 12 10:57

Post #7 of 35 (6213 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

The difference in board shorts and jammers is 5-10 seconds per hundred for me. I try to keep the same perceived effort for each hundred and have done a couple of different sets to check myself.

Cervelo Apple

Apr 23, 12 11:06

Post #8 of 35 (6183 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Why don't you just go back to the regular bathing suits and see?

I always wear regular bathing suits and no hair cap when practicing in the pool. Speedos underneath. Some people wear 2 regular bathing suits, with the outer one who cut up for drag. Some wear panty hose for drag.

I would say for 100 yards, difference could be 2-3 seconds - maybe. Alot of factors to consider.

Don't get to discouraged with your 100 yard time in a pool with/without regular bathing suit and hair cap. Slap a wetsuit on and do open water swim, and you may potentially be talking about 7-8 seconds faster per 100 yards - assuming you are average swimmer.

jasondubose

Apr 23, 12 11:23

Post #9 of 35 (6131 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [Rufus T.] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

it's not just opposition to forward motion you're getting, i believe your hip position in the water changes as well. my buddy started swimming with our master's group for a few months and couldn't improve his body position until he finally started wearing tri shorts to swim. the coach finally was able to get him to do things that he'd been barking at him about since day 1 just by wearin the suit.

Also, i don't know about you guys, but my stroke just FEELS better when i'm moving faster. If i don't have my speedo for practice, the most drag i'll tack on is a small drag suit.

-Jason
______________________________________________
My wife just bought a bike. 2013 is the best year ever.

B.McMaster

Apr 23, 12 11:28

Post #10 of 35 (6119 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [jwade13] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

jwade13 wrote:

The difference in board shorts and jammers is 5-10 seconds per hundred for me. I try to keep the same perceived effort for each hundred and have done a couple of different sets to check myself.

me as well.

Cervelo Apple

Apr 23, 12 11:35

Post #11 of 35 (6105 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [bmcmaster11] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

what kind of speed are we talking about here so I have some frame of reference?

2 minutes or 1 minute per 100 yard.

B.McMaster

Apr 23, 12 11:48

Post #12 of 35 (6069 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [Cervelo Apple] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Neither..

1:2X for a stand alone 100, 1:3X/100 for 500 continuous. (with Jammers)

fulla

Apr 23, 12 18:17

Post #13 of 35 (5888 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [Cervelo Apple] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Cervelo Apple wrote:

Why don't you just go back to the regular bathing suits and see?

I always wear regular bathing suits and no hair cap when practicing in the pool. Speedos underneath. Some people wear 2 regular bathing suits, with the outer one who cut up for drag. Some wear panty hose for drag.

I would say for 100 yards, difference could be 2-3 seconds - maybe. Alot of factors to consider.

Don't get to discouraged with your 100 yard time in a pool with/without regular bathing suit and hair cap. Slap a wetsuit on and do open water swim, and you may potentially be talking about 7-8 seconds faster per 100 yards - assuming you are average swimmer.

The 2 speedos things is so you can keep wearing speedos which are seethrough by themselves or that have lost all of their elasticity due to chlorine etc. They get cut up from chlorine 'erosion'.

shouldbeworking

Apr 24, 12 1:28

Post #14 of 35 (5781 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [Cervelo Apple] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

thanks for all the responses.

to reply to Cervelo Apple, I am only doing 100's in around 1:40-1:45

I will train for a few more weeks, establish a normal range in the speedos, then do a session in the old shorts and see if I can get some reliable comparitive results and report back... don't hold your breath though!

Cervelo Apple

Apr 24, 12 4:30

Post #15 of 35 (5686 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [fulla] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

fulla wrote:

Cervelo Apple wrote:

The 2 speedos things is so you can keep wearing speedos which are seethrough by themselves or that have lost all of their elasticity due to chlorine etc. They get cut up from chlorine 'erosion'.

No i don't mean 2 speedos. We would wear two regular bathing suits with the outer one cut up into strips with some scissors to make it look like something a court jester would wear.

We weren't allowed to wear just speedos in practice.

lightheir

Apr 24, 12 4:40

Post #16 of 35 (5672 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I've done a good number of 100s interval training with both jammers and my regular non-compression swim shorts.

I am 8-10sec/100yds faster with the jammers, consistently. To the point that it's pretty demoralizing for me to not wear them.

This was true at 2:00/100 pace, and even now at 1:40/100 pace. Still pretty much 8-10sec/100 on both. It will also depend on how 'baggy' your swim shorts are - I suspect my shorts were slower than even board shorts, as they were poofy and not the same thicker material as board shorts which would at least stay straight in the water.

I also found that wearing a compression T-shirt for sun protection also slowed me about the same. When I wore shirt + baggies, it was ridiculous how slow I was. +15-20s/100!

borncrazy

Apr 24, 12 6:23

Post #17 of 35 (5598 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [Cervelo Apple] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Cervelo Apple wrote:

No i don't mean 2 speedos. We would wear two regular bathing suits with the outer one cut up into strips with some scissors to make it look like something a court jester would wear.

We weren't allowed to wear just speedos in practice.

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Is this just an American thing? In my squad everyone wears speedo's, one guy has just started wearing jammers, occasionally people wear tri shorts just to test them out in the water for non-wetsuit swims and no-one ever wears something that isn't skin tight. The only time I don't see people in speedo's are the occasional times I go to the public pool but even then it's only the people walking that wear baggy shorts.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone intentionally adding drag and I train in a squad that has olympians on one side of us and elite triathletes on the other (I don't swim with them, just stuck between them)

My Races: Mandurah 70.3 2013 | IMWA 2014

Cervelo Apple

Apr 24, 12 7:20

Post #18 of 35 (5549 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [borncrazy] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

borncrazy wrote:

Cervelo Apple wrote:

not referring to triathlon swim practice, but competitive swimming.

at the end of the day, just depends what level you are at. If you are swimming a 0:55 100 yard free, your training will be different vs. if you are in the middle of the pack 1:00-1:08 where every second counts.

While our practices were pretty strict, other teams wouldn't care about speedos but a few days before important meets, they would again wear extra drag (panty hose shirts and pants). Also had to do with peaking at the end of the season vs. beginning.

So I just got it ingrained in me to wear a regular swim suit and no cap in the pool during practice. Makes a wetsuit feel like I have an extra propeller on.

Tri or Die

Apr 24, 12 7:33

Post #19 of 35 (5533 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I am not sure how tangible this is, but I was always coached to use a Speedo brief and nothing else. Trunks are just bad in so many ways, but you simply can�t feel the water. Feeling the water is crucial for the development of a swimmer. I was always told to never use a drag suit because it changes the way your hips move water through your legs (Certain jammers can enhance water flow if they fit correctly ie. super tight, but only use for races). And, on a side note, if you do quite a bit of pulling, a Speedo will allow you to grip a pull buoy much easier.

borncrazy

Apr 24, 12 7:39

Post #20 of 35 (5527 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [Cervelo Apple] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Just out of curiosity, what do you consider a regular swim suit? Because when I think of a swim suit I think of board shorts or speedo style things.

My Races: Mandurah 70.3 2013 | IMWA 2014

Cervelo Apple

Apr 24, 12 8:28

Post #21 of 35 (5480 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [borncrazy] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

To me:

Swim suit - speedo material that looks like a tight-fitting shorts (basically tri shorts).
Speedo - little wedge shape of speedo material that basically leaves nothing to the imagination.
Skin suit - Michael Phelps Olympics (now banned - I think).
Board shorts - basically regular shorts with pockets with beach patterns. Usually covering the knee.
Bathing Suit - Normal, run of the mill, suit for pool or beach where material ends a few inches above the knee. Usually no pockets.
Jammers - speedo material that looks like boxer briefs. More conservative than speedo, but less conservative than swim suit.

For practice, I wear jammers underneath a bathing suit.

fulla

Apr 24, 12 15:22

Post #22 of 35 (5362 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [Cervelo Apple] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Cervelo Apple wrote:

fulla wrote:

Cervelo Apple wrote:

The 2 speedos things is so you can keep wearing speedos which are seethrough by themselves or that have lost all of their elasticity due to chlorine etc. They get cut up from chlorine 'erosion'.

what is a 'regular bathing suit'? you mean shorts?

edit: ahh seen your post above, you basically mean lightweight shorts with no pockets.

like the other poster said, is this just an american thing? i'm also from a competitive swim background as a kid, and we always wore speedos (longer legged 'speedos' had not been 'invented' then), aside from maybe 1 or 2 weeks a year where we might wear pants for added drag. at a regular swim practise for elite level swimmers, i can guarantee most of them are going to be wearing speedos or something else which is tight...

(This post was edited by fulla on Apr 24, 12 15:30)

michaelaston

Feb 3, 13 2:00

Post #23 of 35 (3049 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I just thought I'd add to this as I found this thread when looking for an answer to this exact question.

I swim 80 lengths every weekend (1600m) and further during the week (my pool has a longer time slot for lane swimming). Anyway, I switched from reasonably close fitting board shorts to aqua shorts today (tight shorts, like speedos but not so small) and knocked my time down from 52 minutes to 48. I've possibly improved a little since last weekend but that's still a massive drop in time - a difference of 3 seconds per length.

Obviously not scientific, but certainly points to choice of swimwear making a significant difference.

david

Feb 3, 13 4:49

Post #24 of 35 (2935 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [shouldbeworking] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

One of the real keys to swimming faster is hip rotation. In the speedo you can "feel" your hips while swimming. Pay some attention to this and it will make you much faster...sorry this wasn't a direct answer to your question, but it is a direct benefit.
David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Be satisfied with your very best, Never give up, Do unto others....

Y-Tri

Feb 3, 13 5:10

Post #25 of 35 (2906 views)

Re: Swimming Trunks vs "speedos" [david] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I would think as (over time) you are training your body to keep legs high (not drag behind), the repetition of wearing board shorts could almost have a negative effect of "training" your body incorrect alignment in the pool. That's why I stopped wearing them for swim sessions.

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