Ok swimmers and triathletes out there. What’s the verdict on shaving. I’m talking full body shaving. In an IM distance swim is there a true time benefit to shaving vs. not shaving? I already shave the legs, chest and back…but have held off shaving the arms for, well, not having to explain to friends and family why I shave my arms. Would it really benefit me to shave the arms too? Yes they are moderately hairy if you’re wondering.
Any input would be appreciated…specifically if you really done the homework on this or have some experience with this. You’re opinion would be appreciated.
simple. if it’s an IM distance, go for gold and shave it all. if your family and friends are asking you why you shave your arms, you can remind them that you swim farther than they can run.
I have absolutely no experience with this but feel compelled to respond. Dude, you’re 3/4 of the way there, why not just do it?
When I suggested that I might shave for the race season Mrs. CB replied with “I married a man, I’d like it to stay that way.” Nuff said. This has no bearing on your situation of course.
i guess that’s what i was thinking too. i think i was just wanting to hear it from someone else. it’s IMLV in 2 weeks. If it helps even a little i guess it’s worth it. hair grows back right??!!
When I used to swim, I would shave down for big meets. Now, I don’t shave because it’s a pain to do so, and I don’t see any real benefit. While I heard from a very prominent coach that shaving makes you 1 second faster per hundred yards, I doubt it really gives you that much advantage in an IM swim because factors like how well you sight on the particular day, whether you can draft well on that day and how straight you swim on that day are going to matter a lot more than how much time you pick up from shaving down. Plus, shaving down in a swim meet is a lot different from shaving down and then putting a wetsuit over top of your shaved legs and arms. Finally, swimming shaved gets you wound up to swim as fast as possible, which is not the best plan for any triathlon swim, especially an IM swim, when the goal is to swim as comfortably as possible because you have a lot more biking and running to do after you are done with the swim.
Do you wear a wetsuit? If you wear a sleeveless wetsuit then the legs, chest and back that you shave would seem to be non-factors in the swim. Whereas your arms (which would be exposed in a sleeveless suit) would benefit from shaving. Unless you’re doing it for the looks of it (which I suspect many of us, myself included, are).
no wetsuits…or at least i’m going to assume no wetsuits at IM Louisville. The water temp last year I think was like 84 degrees and I’ve heard that it’s somewhere near 80-81 now so I’m planning on not wearing one.
A big benefit to the full body shave in swimming is the mental edge. You dive in the water and it feels different…you feel faster. Not sure about the actual benefit, I would say .10’s of a second per 100 at best.
In an IM swim…not much benefit with so many other variables. BUT you’re 80% hairless anyway, so go for it!
Just wanted to state that there is a MarkM (not me) and a Mark M (me) on the forum. I am the latter and not doing IM-Louisville. But thanks to those who checked to see if this 52 year old was taking on the challenge once again.
And to MarkM…this Mark M has been shaving his legs since 1989. I don’t know if it does anything but make it easier to clean up if you crash, but my wife says she couldn’t stand to be around a “hairy guy” anymore!
the benefit for shaving wasn’t so much the drag reduction (maybe there is some, maybe not?) as it improved feel for the water by removing the top layer of dead skin. So for an IM swim, it might help you to be more efficient.
my wife says she’s not turned on by me anymore because I shave my legs. I think she’s full of it. I think there’s another reason. Like, she’s jealous that my legs are in better shape than hers. I 'm not covering up those calfs with hair! no way!
