Effect of a FastSkin™ suit on submaximal freestyle swimming

Purpose: Nine male collegiate swimmers swam three 183-m freestyle trials at "moderate, moderately hard, and hard" paces while wearing a traditional brief-style suit and on another occasion while wearing a newly designed suit covering the torso and legs with a material designed to reduce drag (FS). Methods: Postswim blood lactate concentration, (V) over dot O-2, and rating of perceived exertion were measured. Average stroke length and rate, and breakout distance were determined for each swimming trial. Passive drag and buoyant force were also determined on swimmers while wearing both suits. Results: Swimmers swam at a higher mean velocity while wearing the FS (pooled mean % difference = 2%), but this was accompanied by a significant increase in (V) over dot O-2 (4% difference, P < 0.05) and blood lactate concentration (10% difference, P < 0.05). Comparison of physiological responses at standardized freestyle swimming speeds of 1.4 and 1.6 m(.)s(-1) revealed no significant difference between the two suit conditions. Passive drag of the swimmers while being towed was not significantly different between the suits. Swimmers were significantly more buoyant while wearing the brief-style suit than the FS suit (P < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings provide no evidence of either physical or physiological benefits of wearing these suits during submaximal freestyle swimming.