I’ve tried searching this topic and have found several threads about shaving, but none that discuss the amount of time you “shave” off your swim time. I know it varies depending on swimming ability and other factors, but are we talking about 20-30 seconds for an ironman or 2-3 minutes? I’ve never shaved before, but am considering it if I could save enough time.
i doubt that it saves any real time. i’m sure someone will disagree though. it does feel better though. i don’t like the feel of hair on my legs when i ride. just a personal preference.
It’s a mental thing. Shaving just makes road rashes easier to bandage. Regarding a ‘real’ advantage of shaving? Just ask or look at Andy Potts. :o)
I save time in the shower because it’s easier to wash the mud off my legs after mtn. biking, that’s about it.
How hairy is your wetsuit?
Shaving is a ‘feel’ thing for pool swimmers. It definitely helps…in the pool…where you might train 4 years to drop .75 seconds. But we do our whole body and don’t then cover it with neoprene. I doubt there is a discernible difference, physically, in a tri swim. BUT, a mental is advantage is tough to quantify. Sometimes it’s good to just feel fast!
As you can surmise from my username, I am one hairy motherfucker. So I shave everything, but not for the aero benefit. It helps me keep cool. I think unless you have a shag carpet covering you from head to toe (like myself) the benefits of shaving are limited. But I know for me it makes a very noticable difference in terms of comfort and heat.
In a pool, the number I see most is 1sec/100. As others have pointed out if you wear a full wet suit there is probably little savings.
Don’t underestimate the cooling factor though. It can be dramatic on the bike and run.
How hairy is your wetsuit?
Ok, that was funny.
Hard to say. I thought my wetsuit was going to be pretty harry at Louisville, but the weather has been a lot cooler the past few days so we might get lucky…
It depends…are you Italian and/or Greek? 
I say just do it. It’s a good conversation starter or conversation ender depending on your intended relationship with a person.
It depends…are you Italian and/or Greek?
I say just do it. It’s a good conversation starter or conversation ender depending on your intended relationship with a person.
or silverback
Can’t say, but it makes a little bit of difference just not a ton.
in an IM swim (without wetsuit as has been said) it could be 10-20 seconds?
Shaving is part of the end of season/big meet ritual for pool swimmers. It does make a difference, how much is hard to say, but it also is almost never done without a taper too so I doubt there is any real data on the time benefit of shaving alone.
You definitely FEEL faster since the lack of hair changes the way you feel in the water. I was pretty good at almost always dropping time at championship meets but I can’t really say if the shave gave a physical benefit or just a mental benefit. But, it always worked for me so it did something.
Personally, I think its all mental, but it does work.
Basically, if you are committed enough to go into the shower and spend a half hour hacking all the hair off your arms and legs, that committment, in and of itself, should be worth about a second per 100yds.
It depends…are you Italian and/or Greek?
I say just do it. It’s a good conversation starter or conversation ender depending on your intended relationship with a person.
Hey!!! You forgot to mention that even if you shave the gold chain and medallions will slow you down. :o)
In a pool, the number I see most is 1sec/100. As others have pointed out if you wear a full wet suit there is probably little savings.
Don’t underestimate the cooling factor though. It can be dramatic on the bike and run.
It depends…are you Italian and/or Greek?
I say just do it. It’s a good conversation starter or conversation ender depending on your intended relationship with a person.
Hey!!! You forgot to mention that even if you shave the gold chain and medallions will slow you down. :o)
Hahahaha. They don’t slow you down if you just tuck them under the wetsuit!
Seeing a fast finisher that hasn’t shaved hairy extremities is like a cop without a badge or a Philosophy major without a turtleneck. It’s just a part of the uniform
Basically, if you are committed enough to go into the shower and spend a half hour hacking all the hair off your arms and legs, that committment, in and of itself, should be worth about a second per 100yds.
I have never seen any litterature to support this. The literature a HAVE read states a < 1 second/100m advantage for the best/most expensive/tightest fitting synthetic skinsuits - and we saw what FINA did about those. I hate it when people throw out random unsupported numbers like that - but this being slowtwitch and all - let me add that: strapping a flaming turd on your aero helmet will shave 8 seconds off a 40 Km TT at 40 Km/h at a 0 yaw angle.
Oh - and those 30 minutes in the shower would be much better spent out on a training swim/bike/run, massage, stretching, cooking a good recovery meal, spending time with your family, posting ridiculous claims on ST etc. But it’s your prerogative.
Cool…does it matter what kind of terd?
For your answer, look at that South African half-miler, the he/she (under gender verification). “She” had major pit hair and still won gold!