X-Terra Speed Suits

As I've started swimming a bit more and started taking things a bit more seriously I've had long and involved conversations with my wife about waxing my entire body to swim faster.

I've grown beards in the past and kept them for months. I've found that when you shave off a beard there is this really weird feeling that you are back to a time pre-puberty when my voice was high and my skin was smooth. Total hair removal in the aid of hydrodynamics would make this feeling truly uncomfortable and taking feminisation of the male ego too far. Sorry Stupe - I'm not even going to shave my legs

So what to do....

The answer is this. It's the top of the range X-terra speed suit. The idea of a speed suit is to give you a wonderful hydrodynamic shape in the water by compressing your body a bit like an old fashioned corset. It then has a super smooth surface that really reduces drag. Additionally there seems to be some clever stuff that increases buoyancy by your hips and thus makes it easier to keep you legs higher in the water - reducing drag still further.

 As far as I can see from a quick trawl of the net that is likely to reduce times by about 5-8%. What times is the question? Sprints or long distance? Pool or open water? All probably but almost certainly by different amounts. There is also likely to be differing effects for athletes of different ability. Notably Michael Phelps apparently wasn't even competitive against other swimmers wearing speed suits when he was in normal swim trunks.....

Assuming that it does have a 5% improvement I'd expect my Ironman swim times to improve by about 5 minutes - is it worth it? Well that depends on what you want to achieve

Usually retailing at $350 US (RM1200) X-TERRA now have them on sale at $119 (RM400) with another $45 for shipping to Malaysia. This combined with the Ironguides recommendation of the brand was a deal too good to miss.

X-TERRA's blurb on the suit is below. You can't buy on-line because their website  doesn't ship to Malaysia however Liz (Shehatesspam.liz@xterrawetsuits.com - remove the Shehatesspam) at X-TERRA is very efficient at getting it all processed and packed. You can call her on 01 858 565 9500 x 111.

Once it arrives I'll let you know how it all turns out.

"XTERRA WETSUITS' line-up is complete with our collection of speedsuits for triathlons and open water swimming. When a wetsuit is not legal, a speedsuit is your best option for speed in the water. Without a speedsuit, you are forced to swim with your tri gear or bathing suit, which creates drag and slows you down.

The Velocity++ is not a neoprene wetsuit, but a slick, extremely durable suit comprised of the fastest material and coating available on the market. The NANO-SCS coating, with a drag coefficient of 0.02 (the lowest available), is used continuously throughout the speedsuit. The Velocity++ is meant to fit snugly - especially at the chest, waist and hips - over tri gear. It takes about 5 minutes to put on and requires assistance zipping up. However, it will take less than 5 seconds to peel off with the flip-up zipper.

Important features:
• Full coverage from neck to ankles for maximum speed 
• No Lycra - because Lycra is drag
• Easy exit with flip-up zipper design (no leash needed)
• All frontal seams removed for less drag
• Compression-designed for better  body positioning
• Approved through by USAT (USA Triathlon)"