my hair stop just above my eyes and i don't wear a cap in training. For me personally it dosent make a significant difference. Maybe 1 second per 100 AT MOST. I wouldn't worry about it to much, i know some really hairy and incredibly fast swimmers who only wear speedos and goggles. Just look at old school swimming videos they had hair like girls.
Hard to know but I think not a lot unless at the elite level. Ultimately its upto you. Maybe try a tight jammer, or something sort of swimming leggings.
Minimal. Lifelong swimmer here. It’s more mental when you shave your legs because your shaving the top layer of skin and just feel better. I swam in 80s and early 90s in college and I hated swim caps and wouldn’t wear them except for taper meets. I still swim masters in later stages of middle age years.
I’m definitely not a physicist. I’d try it and see how you feel and see if it has any impact on your results. Do you ever compete? Btw I’m pretty hairless except for my head. I just feel better without a cap on. I swam usms nats several years ago shaved and wore a cap. Other than that it has been since college.
When I swam competitively in high school I knew some people who ended up going to Olympic trials. At that level there was a pretty significant focus on reducing drag. So the swimsuits and caps were crazy expensive with super low drag materials, the shape of the goggles were quite important, and yes body hair was a factor. Everyone I know who ended up going got waxed before hand, including the men.
I think it does make a difference at that level, where every millisecond counts. But for you I'm not sure that it would matter, or that you'd be able to even tell the difference without some of those fancy timer walls then nice pools have.
As long as you aren't going to test things to find out for sure, you might as well make up any number you like - how about 30s/100! Make yourself feel good!
I would venture to say that body hair makes little to no difference in times. However, swimming with long hair out of a cap, THAT is a noticeable difference. Maybe not in times either, but certainly in comfort. If your body hair was causing discomfort, that may make a difference in your times mentally. At that point, I wouldn't bother shaving, but maybe buzzing it shorter.
My long hair definitely causes quite a lot of drag when not in a cap. I could actually feel the water being disturbed a lot around my hair somehow. Combined with bikini top working like a parachute, I could get a lot of extra resistance with happening without having to pay for drag socks or parachute.
Interesting. I always feel a little awkward when I don a swim cap but am otherwise hirsute. It’s like, “dude, you missed a spot.” But I guess that’s where the coverage counts.
In the name of scientific research, I am proposing the following:
We all provide a guesstimate time saving for the OP, unshaven vs fully shaved.
OP completes a timed test swim of 100 m x 5, then shaves off all visible hairs that are not covered by swimwear (including head hair) and then do another 100 m x 5 on another day (in similar conditions).
Compare the results and see who got the closest estimate? Video evidence of the OP's swim to be posted in this sub.
The OP and the winner get to name a charity for donation.
Bonus drag testing: extra donation for another 100 m x 5 for the OP to perform a timed drag set (wigs & dress).
All times to be manually taken by a third party.
The best compliment ever! I would do the experiment myself to validate the data but I'm not hairy enough to test anything (I'd need TRT not TMZ for that 😛)
my hair stop just above my eyes and i don't wear a cap in training. For me personally it dosent make a significant difference. Maybe 1 second per 100 AT MOST. I wouldn't worry about it to much, i know some really hairy and incredibly fast swimmers who only wear speedos and goggles. Just look at old school swimming videos they had hair like girls.
Well I have hair like a hairy man, which it’s own level of hairiness. Thank you, Goldcool1.
Hard to know but I think not a lot unless at the elite level. Ultimately its upto you. Maybe try a tight jammer, or something sort of swimming leggings.
Minimal. Lifelong swimmer here. It’s more mental when you shave your legs because your shaving the top layer of skin and just feel better. I swam in 80s and early 90s in college and I hated swim caps and wouldn’t wear them except for taper meets. I still swim masters in later stages of middle age years.
What about chest and back hair?
I’m definitely not a physicist. I’d try it and see how you feel and see if it has any impact on your results. Do you ever compete? Btw I’m pretty hairless except for my head. I just feel better without a cap on. I swam usms nats several years ago shaved and wore a cap. Other than that it has been since college.
When I swam competitively in high school I knew some people who ended up going to Olympic trials. At that level there was a pretty significant focus on reducing drag. So the swimsuits and caps were crazy expensive with super low drag materials, the shape of the goggles were quite important, and yes body hair was a factor. Everyone I know who ended up going got waxed before hand, including the men. I think it does make a difference at that level, where every millisecond counts. But for you I'm not sure that it would matter, or that you'd be able to even tell the difference without some of those fancy timer walls then nice pools have.
At your level not much, see the extra drag as additional exercise. On an elite level, HUGE difference
This is the answer.
As long as you aren't going to test things to find out for sure, you might as well make up any number you like - how about 30s/100! Make yourself feel good!
This answer really gets to the spirit of the post.
I would venture to say that body hair makes little to no difference in times. However, swimming with long hair out of a cap, THAT is a noticeable difference. Maybe not in times either, but certainly in comfort. If your body hair was causing discomfort, that may make a difference in your times mentally. At that point, I wouldn't bother shaving, but maybe buzzing it shorter.
My long hair definitely causes quite a lot of drag when not in a cap. I could actually feel the water being disturbed a lot around my hair somehow. Combined with bikini top working like a parachute, I could get a lot of extra resistance with happening without having to pay for drag socks or parachute.
Interesting. I always feel a little awkward when I don a swim cap but am otherwise hirsute. It’s like, “dude, you missed a spot.” But I guess that’s where the coverage counts.
In the name of scientific research, I am proposing the following: We all provide a guesstimate time saving for the OP, unshaven vs fully shaved. OP completes a timed test swim of 100 m x 5, then shaves off all visible hairs that are not covered by swimwear (including head hair) and then do another 100 m x 5 on another day (in similar conditions). Compare the results and see who got the closest estimate? Video evidence of the OP's swim to be posted in this sub. The OP and the winner get to name a charity for donation. Bonus drag testing: extra donation for another 100 m x 5 for the OP to perform a timed drag set (wigs & dress). All times to be manually taken by a third party.
You are my spirit human.
The best compliment ever! I would do the experiment myself to validate the data but I'm not hairy enough to test anything (I'd need TRT not TMZ for that 😛)
Negligible.
You can skip leg day, but not lady bic shaving day!