Playboy and Speedo FastSkin – Perfect Match

In a nutshell - Playboy playmates slip into Australian manufacturer Speedo's controversial 2008 Fastskin swimsuit; plus twenty more years of Speedo Olympic swimsuits.

Professional athletes wearing FastSkin swimsuit broke many world records. As a matter of fact, pundits speculated that we had never seen the NASA-researched swimsuits in action at the Olympic Games level. Well, we have. What’s more, even Nike, a fierce competitor of Australian manufacturer Speedo, is allowed its sponsored swimmers to wear them at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

Once Australian swimsuit manufacturer debuted its revolutionary LZR Racer Elite (the brand's most hydro-dynamically advanced swimsuit to date) suit back in 2008, it created a huge wave of controversy. This swimsuit reduces drag while swimming and compresses the muscles in order to reduce fatigue.

But what about Fastskin and Playboy; not actually a perfect match made in heaven - this is definitely not the likely duo, nonetheless, it slightly increased sales of both the swimsuit and the magazine giant because of the collaboration. Also, the truth is that professional athletes are well known for the toned, beautifully sculptured bodies that always are highlighted by their sleek swimsuits.

No stranger to the stunning beauty of professional athletes, Playboy magazine previously featured 100-meter backstroke swimmer Haley Clark in September 2004's "Women of the Olympics" cover story and 7-time breaststroke medalist Amanda Beard who posed nude in July 2007, also nude. Additionally included in this Playboy issue were 7 other professional athletes including United States high-jumper Amy Acuff and a pole-vaulter Mary Sauer.

So, on August 7, 2008, Playboy.com launched a new pictorial featuring Playboy models wearing these innovative suits, in celebration of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The new feature reveals a 12 picture slide-show of Australian producer's official Olympic suits over the past 6 Olympic Games - dating back to late 1980s - shot poolside at a fitness club in Chicago. Speedo United State’s vice-president Craig Brommers spoke to WWD (the authority for breaking news, comprehensive business coverage as well as trends in the worlds of beauty, retail, and fashion) concerning the LZR Racer Elite, the Speedo’s top-performance competitive suit. “Interest in the LZR Racer has transcended traditional sports media and is receiving coverage in every media category out there, including fashion, business, science, celebrity and lifestyle”.

The Speedo Fastskin LZR Racer, (basically developed by using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration research) caused a huge media stir, since many claimed the swimsuit gives super-human advantage to athletes wearing the swimsuit. Manufacturer, needless to say, never objected to the media stir, however faced investigations from the international governing body of swimming (FINA) into the buoyancy level of the suit. Because the swimsuit first introduced back in February 2008, forty eight out of fifty world records set thus far have been by athletes wearing the LZR Racer Elite. The Playboy models show no nude, despite the fact that the swimsuit usually takes around ten to thirty minutes to squeeze into.

In the pictorial, the suits are worn by twenty four year old Sharae Spears 24 from Knoxville, Tennessee and an eighteen year old Cassie Keller from Greenville. Sharae is the August 2008 Cyber Girl of the Month and Cassie is a Playboy "Special Editions" supermodel who featured on the "College Girls" cover released on December 2nd 2008. The buoyant beauties wear the suits: Speedo LZR Racer (2008), Fastskin FSII (2004), Fastskin Speedo (2000), Speedo Aquablade (1996), Speedo S2000 (1992), and the Speedo Star Axcel (1988).

Although both playmates wore the 1-pieces, Sharae (who sports the latest Speedo) took around thirty minutes to squeeze into hers, as also is the case for professional athletes.

Controversy - Should Fastskin Swimsuits Have Been Allowed?

As with any innovative or technologically advanced product, there’re 2 sides to Fastskin swimsuits. Some consider that swimming is nothing but athlete vs. water. Also, many believe that high-tech technology shouldn’t interfere with this widespread concept. Some others want to obtain and use anything that will give them an added edge and raise the level of excitement in the competition. In case the claimed benefits are completely true, should these revolutionary swimsuits be allowed?

FINA rule SW 10.8 goes: “No swimmer shall be permitted to use or wear any device that may aid his speed, buoyancy or endurance during a competition (such as webbed gloves, flippers, fins, etc.). Goggles may be worn.” Interpreting this general rule is where the potential problem really lies. Reducing coefficient of friction to a value below that of bare skin obviously “aids his speed.” On the other hand, isn’t a direct source of propulsion (unless the “Gripper” concept is true). Reducing the density of the legs unquestionably “aids his buoyancy” by altering the body’s position inside the swimming pool, however the swimsuit itself is the same density as water.

The decision of the international governing body of swimming to approve these swimsuits is believed to be rushed because of the producers’ late debut of their swimsuits, as a matter of fact, United States Swimming (USS) had banned them from the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games trials since just one producer met a USS deadline in order to ensure all swimmers equal chance to have the swimsuit. This ban was lifted because of the pressure from the producers and to avoid a potential grievance. Swimming purists claim that the innovative Fastskin swimsuits have to be considered gear and not clothing. In accordance to the interpretation of The International Governing Body of Swimming rule SW 10.8, these swimsuits could not have been approved prematurely.

The FastSkin appears to help performance; what’s more, the level of that help is quite clear. How many of this year’s world records are directly because of this swimsuit is not quite clear, on the other hand. There’re three distance-swimming records that this suit should have helped break, however, didn’t. 10-year-old distance records weren’t even approached. Obviously, there’re factors other than the swimsuit such as fast pools, exercise and technique.



Should One Get This High-Tech Suit?

Now that the 2000 Sydney Olympics are long over, these new swimsuits are widely available to the public. Are these swimsuits just for top-class athletes, or should far less elite professional swimmers or those who swim just for fun and exercise get one? When you get down to the point, it all depends on how much an athlete is willing to pay to get the latest and very expensive technology in the pool, such as LZR Racer Elite. These swimsuits will make sense for serious professional athletes because it really gives them an advantage. It makes little or no sense, on the other hand, for someone who actually has no intention of competing and swims for fun, recreation and exercise. Actually, the performance doesn't really matter when swimming is for fun, recreation and enjoyment; so finding a less expensive alternative such as Aquablade or FastSkin II is fine.

FastSkin, Sydney Olympics and Moments When History was Being Made

The 2000 Sydney Olympics moments when history was being made when swimmers in FastSkin suits won 13 out of 15 World Records and 83 percent of medals.

How It All Start

FastSkin is a revolutionary breed of performance suit that hit the swimming pool, big time, back at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia. These swimsuits appear to be like ‘long johns’ and cover up most of the swimmer’s body (both men and women). There’re a couple of variations on this theme. The tiniest covers only the thighs on men without covering on the torso (that is, same as bicycle shorts). The ladies’ version covers the torso much like a standard professional swimsuit, however, covers the thighs as well. Some other variations include covering the arms to the wrist or elbows and/or covering the whole lower body all the way to the ankles.

These innovative bigger swimsuits seem to be improving athletic performance. A huge number of world records have fallen since FINA (la Federation Internacionale de Natation Amateur or the International Swimming Federation) approved their use back in Nov 1999 than in any equal time period in previous years. Were the brand new suits partially or solely responsible for those? In case they were, just how do they work?

Advantages of the FastSkin Swimsuit

Professional athletes used to believe that the less fabric covering the skin the better the performance (naturally, all else being equal). Traditional wisdom was that swimmer’s skin (without any body hair) was much more slippery when compared to suit fabric. This all changed with the launching of the innovative competitive swimsuits. They’re available from several producers. Australian manufacturer Speedo calls their line of performance swimsuits the FastSkin. Here I will analyze some of the producers’ claims and discuss the experiences of some of the professional athletes who have tried out these revolutionary swimsuits. Can these suits enhance performance and if they can, just how do they do that?

Less drag: These swimsuits are believed to lessen drag resulting from friction between the water and the swimmer’s skin. Speedo has constructed a material which has a lower coefficient of friction (inside the pool) when compared to the athlete’s skin, shaved or not. As a matter of fact, the full-body swimsuits (wrists to ankles) make hair removal unnecessary since nearly all the body is covered. This manufacturer constructed its material to simulate sharkskin with V-shaped ridges. In case these claims are true, it’s not surprising at all that the swimmers are busy covering-up the bare bodies they have spent many years showing off.

Better swimmer’s position in the lane and pool (and therefore much better streamlining): Right before International Swimming Federation approved FastSkin swimsuits, they checked them to ensure they were neutrally buoyant. Or better still, they bunched up the swimsuits and held them under water. Once they let them go, these swimsuits did not float to the water surface. More precisely, the material has basically the same density as water. On the other hand, the human body doesn’t. Legs generally have a higher density when compared to the water. Therefore, covering the legs with a neutrally buoyant material decreases the density of the legs, and so reducing leg’s tendency to sink. A lot of professional athletes have reported that they feel these swimsuits make them ‘ride higher in the water’ and it’s not surprising at all. However, I am quite positive that International Swimming Federation considered this issue thoroughly prior to approving these swimsuits. Anything that helps ‘hold the feet up’ in competition will make the athlete much more streamlined and lessen ‘form drag’ by reducing the skin exposed to the water.



Muscles compression: This innovative swimsuit is made to be quite tight and typically takes around fifteen min to put on. This is to compress the muscles as well as to create a much sleeker aerodynamic athlete. This is a good idea. However, in longer lanes will it slow blood flow to the arms and legs?

Gripper: A lot of athletes have complained about losing their ‘feel for the water’ while wearing a swimsuit with long sleeves. In response to this Speedo constructed the Gripper, which is basically a small piece of material placed in the forearm area. This fabric is believed to increase friction and enable athletes to increase their feel for the water.

Speedo Aquablade Swimsuit - An Economical Alternative to Fastskin

Before there was Fastskin line of competitive swimsuits, there was Aquablade. This competitive suit was first introduced back in mid 1990s. The launch of this suit meant the start of the top-quality swimsuit innovations. The “big idea” (that sells) behind this piece of swimwear is that the fabric is water-repellent and alternates different textures of fabric in order to cause a water-channeling, drag-reducing effect. It’s an economical alternative to Fastskin suits. What’s more, it is the preferred swimsuit for many high school athletes, i.e. future professionals.

One of a kind Aquablade fabric offers lower drag coefficient. Furthermore, it is much slicker when compared to human skin. Stripes are responsible for the channeling effect in order to streamline water away from the swimmer’s body. Because the water slid off of one stripe faster than the one next to it, vortices were formed and this basically reduced overall drag. In other words, its fabric speeds up the water flow keeping it close to the athlete’s body for longer. So, as a result the athlete glides through the poll as if on rails.

Here are some interesting facts:

• Longer legs for compression fit as well as added coverage
• Reinforced seams
• Draw-cord waist
• Fully front lined
• Better, chlorine–resistant fabric, made with 20 percent Lycra spandex and 80 percent polyester
• Manufactured in the United States
• Fabric is being imported

This swimsuit is responsible for several world records back in the late 1990s. Although this suit is “old technology,” it still works. It is a good value for around $50, for men’s kneeskin and around $55 for the women’s recordbreaker. This competitive swimsuit tends to fit similarly to the standard meet swimsuit, therefore stay true to size. The women’s swimsuits are a bit tighter across the chest and the men’s jammers run longer when compared to what swimmers are used to.

For future athletes i.e. for kid and teen athletes this suit is both of a great quality and reasonably priced. The suit is perfectly suited for trainings and day-to-day use.

Here are some recommendations:

• 10 year old boys and girls (and younger) are to stick with the standard beach swimsuit. Competitive swimsuits are not at all meant for these body types.
• 11-12 year old boys and girls have the option of wearing the standard beach swimsuit, or the Aquablade, but not other professional swimsuits from the Fastskin line. What’s more, these suits aren’t even meant for this body type.
• 13-14 year old boys and girls are can wear the standard beach suit or Aquablade at the competitions. 13-14 year old boys and girls who compete at Senior Level championships (SR Sectionals or SR. State) can wear some of the Faststkin suits.

Overall, the lining grips at the knee and waistline - this further reduces drag. The composition of the material really hugs the legs, however, not too tight. This gives athletes an awareness of their muscles contracting and flexing. This feedback helps swimmers control their leg movement, providing stability for their lower body and, in turn, their entire line. Unquestionably, it’s perfect for the enthusiast swimmers as well. Its fabric will allow the athlete to improve times over standard suit fabrics. Finally, the Aquablade swimsuit will give the athlete inner confidence and endurance to achieve personal goals.

FastSkin FS Pro - Offering Record Breaking Features

Back in 2007 the Speedo launched the FastSkin FS Pro performance suit, one of the most powerful and fastest super-light suits ever designed. This innovative addition to the line of high-quality fast suits is an ultra-light swimsuit. It is an improved version of its predecessor, the FSII swimsuit. This competitive suit was worn by professional athletes who won a total of forty seven medals at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

The Speedo always listens to its professional swimmers and the final result is that they feel much more confident wearing these suits as they step up to the swimming blocks. The combination of the super light material and the speed it gives them makes the FS PRO feel like a second skin.

Designed in the Speedo Aqualab, the Speedo’s R&D team, the FS Pro was developed in response to recommendations from swimmers and other experts who were looking for a swimsuit that had all the compression as well as speed of the FSII however in an ultra-light fabric. Comprehensive research has shown the Fastskin FS-Pro to have the lowest passive drag results of any light woven swimsuit on the marketplace, enabling swimmers glide slightly faster through the pool.

• Main characteristics of the FS Pro are:
• Water repellent as well as fast drying material
• Ultra-light and powerful stretch fabric
• Lower overall passive drag than other lightweight swimsuits
• Much better compression than some other woven lightweight swimsuits
• Lower surface friction drag at a fabric level than other woven fabrics
• Enhanced core stability than other woven lightweight swimsuits
• Enhanced fit through computer simulation and optimization

Let us analyze these features…

This suit is made out of innovative water-repellent fabric. The ultra-light fabric is woven from chlorine resistant elastane fibers and super fine nylon yarn. During experimental phase, the PS Pro proved to have the lowest water absorption rate of woven fabrics. This results in a lighter ‘feel’ as well as faster speed in the pool. As one of the fastest drying woven competitive swimsuit on the marketplace today, it has better comfort in and out of the water alike.

• A high density microfiber fabric made of super fine nylon thread and chlorine resistant elastane fibers
• A fifteen percent more powerful compression when compared to any other light performance swimsuit (except LZR Racer) on the marketplace today
• Much improved shape and stretch retention
• Water repellent coating limits water absorption – as a final result you get a durable long lasting suit
• One of a kind water repellent coating bonded to the LZR Pulse fabric through sophisticated plasma process
• Bonding process creates long lasting durable water repellent finish
• Limited water absorption causes a very light feel in the pool
• Fast drying fabric improves performance over several same day trainings

This fast suit provides the swimmer with lessen energy loss during reduced muscle oscillation as well as enhanced back stability throughout the stroke. The FS Pro provides much better compression by area as well. Basically, this means that it exerts much more power in a single square of fabric when compared to other fabrics when put to the test.

• Much greater fabric compression as well as power when compared to any other performance swimsuit on the marketplace
• This fabric compression improves back stability as well as firmness throughout the race without that heavy and restricted feel
• Enhances muscle effectiveness via reduction of excess muscle vibration

This suit was developed using information gained from the body scans of dozens of best professional athletes. The comprehensive research included a very complex process – the CFD. CFD stands for Computational Fluid Dynamics. It’s one of the branches of fluid mechanics that uses algorithms as well as numerical methods in order to analyze and solve issues that involve fluid flows. This process enabled them to analyze the flow of water around athletes as well as drag and, as a final result, make a cyber athlete inside a computer program.

• Seams vertically oriented to lessen drag based on the CFD process
• Fit engineered from body scan information of dozens of professional swimmers resulting in a great bio-mechanic fit
• Seams reinforced using sophisticated sewing process

Cooperating with some of the best swimmers, like Australia’s Grant Hackett as well as America’s Michael Phelps, Speedo’s R&D team developed the Fastskin FS Pro performance suit.

FastSkin LZR Racer Tri-Pro: Features That Beat Competition

Let us get right down to it - the design of the FastSkin LZR Racer Tri-Pro is good and it has great features that beat all other competition. Speedo designed this performance suit with triathlon in mind. It is considered to be the Ferrari of triathlon suits. The suit was developed in Speedo's Aqualab. It is said to be designed to offer exceptional performance across all sport stages in a most demanding competition of them all.

But how did they manufacture it? Speedo’s LZR Pulse fabric has been redeveloped specifically to perform exceptionally in the bike, swim as well as run stages. Some of you may already know that this fabric has proven equal in weight to the lightest competitor woven suit on the marketplace today, while providing 15 percent greater power due to its one-of-a-kind fabric development. The suit dries nearly twice as fast and the fabric is hydrophobic, wind resistant and very compressive. Some other relevant facts concerning the suit that may be interesting for all triathletes (or aspiring triathletes) are:

- This suit is 42 percent lighter when compared to the nearest competitor suit when wet,
- The suit is 26 percent lighter when dry.

Other relevant features of the LZR Racer Tri-Pro include:
- The triathlet friendly upper body profile fit enables full shoulder movement.

- The fabric is somewhere around 30 percent thinner. This feature helps decrease heat retention.

- Suit legs are engineered with a single seam to minimize friction and chafe. While the leg hems contain silicone gripper strips for ideal positioning.

- Gender specific molded performance padding which is developed to provide full leg movement in both run and swim stages of a triathlon. Triathlet friendly molded foam, heat sealed contouring and minimal water absorption is engineered to offer best comfort in all three stages.

- Small pocket for nutrients is made to be easily accessible while running or driving a bike. The pocket has an aerodynamic overlap closure to prevent it inflating.

- Provides 50+ UPF protections. UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor and shows how much of the sun's ultra violet radiation is absorbed.

- Seams are placed vertically and not horizontally. Therefore, the seams are in line with the flow of water over the body of a moving athlete and it doesn’t create extra surface drag.

- Seams are stitched on overlapping panels of fabric to offer extra strength under the stress of the race, since stitching runs through both overlapping fabric panels and not from one edge to another.



Needless to say, this performance suit is meant for serious athletes who are searching for a top competitive suit which offers the best balance between comfort and speed. It is presented as a one piece suit, but also as a Tri Shorts as well as Tri Singlet for athletes who want a 2 piece suit while competing. It comes in both female and male sizes.

Feel free to leave a comment regarding your experience with FastSkin LZR Racer Tri-Pro.

Fastskin LZR Racer Elite: Technology Behind It

Definitely, the revolutionary Fastskin LZR Racer was one of the top inventions of 2008. The suit utilizes many forms of high-tech technology to give the wearer as many benefits as possible. It is nothing like other performance swimwear. It does not use a full polyurethane coating, but still gives the advantage of reduced friction.

The fabric is designed to trap air, improving the buoyancy of the athlete and reducing drag. Furthermore, the fabric optimizes muscle compression that reduces fatigue by stopping your muscles from vibrating. As well, the innovative fabric facilitates optimal blood circulation and slows the build up of lactic acid (this acid makes it harder to move oxygen to the muscles and this causes fatigue and pain) in your muscles. A lot of these technological breakthroughs were developed based off of comprehensive researches of bio-mechanical movements in water and the skins of various sea creatures, such as sharks and dolphins. The final product was the ultra lightweight fabric called LZR Pulse. Finally, this fabric was used to create hydrodynamic performance racing jammer and recordbreaker kneeskin. These suits were developed in the Speedo Aqualab.

These performance swimsuits offer low skin friction drag and are fast drying, so there will be no worries. The bonded seams make an ideally smooth, on the other hand flexible surface. Furthermore, the suits have Speedo’s one-of-a-kind 3D, 3 piece pattern that has been dynamically developed in order to optimize the shape of the wearer. Their engineers came up with a unique design which put panels of polyurethane over parts of the body that create the highest drag. Obviously, besides the fabrics the important part is the swimsuit design. No one wants a swimsuit which traps water as it flows around the wearer. So, one more important innovation is to use fabrics that squeezes and slims down swimmers in order that the skin does not wobble around as they glide through the water. Small pieces of fabric were put through wind-tunnel tests in order to check for drag. Developers used computational fluid dynamics to model the suits' aerodynamic qualities, as if they were trying to find out how a new jet will fly. Next, athletes put this new revolutionary design to real-world tests in swimming pools. No wonder it is considered to be the best in both competitive and performance swimsuits.

Luckily, the LZR Racer Elite has not been banned as a result of the new FINA 2010 restrictions, which claimed that polyurethane based swimwear were making swimming a sport based on too much sophisticated technology and not the skill of professional swimmers.

Because of the great results the Speedo LZR Racer Elite swimsuits won in the Beijing Olympics some competitor swimwear manufacturers responded designing swimsuits that one-upped the Speedo by using nothing but polyurethane.

At the moment (as we already discussed in this Blog), there is a great deal of controversy in the swimming world surrounding polyurethane suits. A lot of strict rules banning these types of swimsuits in professional swimming have already been put in place; on the other hand have not yet gone into effect.



Some interesting facts about Beijing Olympics:
- 23 world records were broken by the athletes who wore LZR Racer suits,
- 2 world records were broken by athletes not wearing these suits.
- 89% of all the medals in swimming and a total of 94% of the gold medals were won by Fastskin LZR Racer athletes.

If you wish to add something regarding FastSkin LZR Racer Elite swimwear, do not hesitate to post your comment.

FastSkin FSII: Women’s Raze Recordbreaker Kneeskin and Men's Raze Jammer

The FastSkin FII swimming suits were designed and manufactured by the worlds leading swim equipment manufacturer the Speedo. These sophisticated suits mimic the shark skin of having low friction surface in water. And as you probably already know, the shark is the fastest fish in the sea reaching estimated speeds of up to 95 kilometers per hour (which is around 60 miles per hour). Basically, they take swimming to a whole new level. These innovative suits were first introduced back in 2004. They are the same as their predecessor, the Fastskin, however, featuring many enhancements.

Women’s FastSkin FSII Raze Recordbraker Kneeskin is unbelievably tight. It has a legacy of being a record-breaker piece of swimmers’ equipment. It’s basically a professional high-tech racing swimsuit that has been developed and manufacturer for best results and made to fit like a dream. Needless to say, the fabrics and seams are positioned to maximize the flow of water over your body to reduce drag and help hold your body in a more streamlined shape. The super stretch thread is highly respected because of its elasticity and fitness as well as strength. The freedom of movement is great since there is nothing around the calves yet still enough to cover your chest. Although this swimsuit is great for professional swimmers, the FSII is also practical and functional and are great for amateurs.

It’s always good to know the fabric composition. It is made out of 75 percent polyester and 25 percent elastane. Such use of combination of materials allows increased performance and flexibility while maintaining their durability. And since appearance is important for women, Speedo has made them to not only look good but to give the wearer a fashionable look. No wonder they have become so popular that many consider them to be an essential part of the standard swimmers kit. Fabrics are soft yet have a fair amount of body, and have a pleasant hand or as some people like to say, they have a nice ‘feel’ as a whole.

Men's New FSII Raze Jammer is developed with racing in mind. Basically, it has same features as the Women’s Kneeskin. Engineers have made it especially for professionals striving for perfection. Also, there are many other people who could take advantage of this revolutionary suit, such as instructors, lifeguards, pool managers, attendants and on-site maintenance personnel as well as other aquatics staff.

The only downside of these essential pieces of equipment for any professional swimmer can be the price. Especially Women’s FSII Kneeskin is especially pricey. With a price tag of over $220 they are not for everyone.

In today's competitive sport’s arenas, however, every advantage is welcome. Men’s Fastskin FSII can be found at more affordable prices (around $130) while remaining an excellent investment.

FastSkin Timeline – Brief Insight into Its History

The Speedo is a world wide company that stands behind Fastskin – one of the most popular competitive swimsuits on the market today. Without any doubt, in case this famous company shuts down everything they were manufacturing and selling male and female swimmers would suffer because they make a lot of essential equipment crucial for water sports.

Back in the early 2000s, the Speedo manufactured first of its latest line of superb swimsuits, the FastSkin. As they like to say Speedo kicked off the twenty first century in big style, introducing this innovative suit. The first model that was ever made is no longer in production. However, many new models from the same line work on the same well known principles. They are usually made out of Spandex and Lycra, materials responsible for its performance, and are basically copied after shark skin to reduce drag and increase the speed. Also, there are some models made out of Lycra and Nylon. Basically the material is developed to minimize muscle vibrations and skin vibrations, which minimizes drag and saves a lot of energy. As a final result, the Sydney Olympics saw 13 of the 15 World Records beaten in the FastSkin and 83% of medals conquered by swimmers.

Back in 2004 a FastSkin FSII was launched, which reduces passive drag by up to 4%. It was the most significant breakthrough in competitive swimsuit design that year. As a result, more swimmers in Athens Olympics decided to try their luck with Speedo than all of the other brands put together. Three years after that, FS-Pro was born. Basically, it was the upgraded version of the FSII. Professional athletes only had to wait for one year until they launched the new suit called LZR Racer. To this day it remains the best in its class, with few improvements made since it was first introduced.



Throughout the years, these fast suits were admitted to listing on the FINA Official List of approved suits. Just pay attention that on the Official List may be swimsuits that aren’t on the list that will still be totally legal if they agree with all of their guidelines. On the other hand the swimsuits on the FINA official list are guaranteed by the manufacturers and approved by the international governing body of swimming as completely legal.

So, if you wish to purchase one of the suits from the FastSkin line of swimsuits you should know that you are buying an ultimate piece of gear developed through many years of tradition and experience in order to answer the need of a professional swimmer.

FastSkin Controversy – Revealing Some Facts

There has been a lot of controversy over Speedo FastSkin line of competitive swimsuits. Some even tried to ban this innovative swimwear. However, it's very hard to give opinion not knowing what exactly this swimsuit improves.

Let us take LZR Racer Elite for example. This suit is made of high-density microfiber and lined with polyurethane panels. This combination of materials shows very good performance and is contributing to a rash of World Records being set by athletes wearing them. The polyurethane panels that act like a girdle to streamline the athletes’ bodies also needed to be reshaped, so that the girdle structure wasn’t too far up the rib cage, therefore inhibiting athletes' breathing process. Wearing this suit makes the cells in the body absorb oxygen at a faster rate.

On the other hand, this suit, which had already been given a green light for use at the latest Olympic Games, has caused plenty of protests from several other manufacturers and many athletes, who claim that it represents an extreme case of unfair advantage for other athletes. Some say that the technology isn’t everything. But when you put two equally capable athletes to race against each other, the difference between 1st and 2nd place will probably be determined by what swimsuit they are wearing. But is this really the truth?

Just remember what happened at the Beijing Olympics when the greatest rivalry in swimming took place, Michael Phelps vs Milorad Cavic. In that race, Serbian swimmer led American for 99.99 meters before a half-stroke finish from Michael Phelps gave him a stunning, narrow victory and earned him a record-tying 7th shiny gold medal. The fact is that Serbian swimmer wore Arena X-Glide (this suit is constructed completely of polyurethane) and Michael Phelps wore Speedo LZR Leggings. And American swimmer out-touched him! The LZR Racer once again appeared superior to any other suit. But is it the athlete or the gear?!

For those who watched the 13th FINA World Championship that took place in Rome, the phrase fully polyurethane body suit is definitely still ringing in your ears. The revolutionary 100 percent polyurethane body swimsuits caused a lot of controversy, since there were 43 world records broken in the eight day championship.



Of course, not all of the 43 world records were broken by athletes in all fully polyurethane body suits. American swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, and a Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry were the most notable exceptions, since they all chose to put their trust into LZR swimsuits that, just one year ago at the Beijing Olympics, were considered the best in swimwear industry. Not that the LZR Racer was totally innocent, however it was made only with a several patches of this obviously controversial fabric - polyurethane. And what was the final result? Sophisticated competitive swimwear has dominated conversation and the medal podium once again.

If you wish to add something regarding FastSkin controversy, please post your comment.

Speedo FastSkin – One Side of the Story

Swimsuits have improved over years. And with the arrival of new technology they are becoming more and more important for winning at contests. Speedo developed FastSkin series of swimsuits to help reduce drag by around 8 percent. But this story has not one, but three sides. Speedo’s, FINA’s, and facts.

Needless to say, new and advanced technology has come to men’s and women’s competition swimsuits. By analyzing swimsuits and using fluid dynamics this innovative piece of professional swimmers’ equipment had led to faster swim times for all types of strokes. Speedo’s development engineers have been challenged to integrate high performance materials which will ensure results and improve efficiencies by using innovative solutions. Shark skin and submarines have been studied to look at the flow of water over the shark’s body/submarine’s surface. These results helped in future Speedo’s competitive swimsuits design. Some other swimwear also incorporates buoyancy elements which make the swimmer faster in the pool.

Let us take FSII Full Bodyskin for example. This suit is probably the most popular model of this series of swim suits. However, keep in mind that this is not the latest model from this line of fast suits. Nevertheless, it remains popular to this day. And why is that? First of all, the FSII suit has a very thin, super-powerful, and extremely-low-profile panels that reportedly help the athlete maintain best possible body shape and also reduce drag along his body. All of these features combine together to make up to 8 percent less drag (please note these statistics are provided by the Speedo's global research and development centre) than previous models from the same series of competitive swimsuits, 4.5 percent faster starts and around 5 percent improved oxygen efficiency. The second reason why this suit is popular to this day is the not so high price compared to newer models from the same line. These allegations are very good. Also, many world records have been broken by athletes wearing the FastSkin 2.

But do all swimmers wear these revolutionary suits? Actually, there are some swimmers that argue that the FastSkin series of swimsuits and other similar types of swimwear shouldn’t be allowed at competitions. This issue has even been raised with FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation or the International Swimming Federation) potentially having more strict design standards in the future. The most important part of the proposal is a ban on wearing more than one performance swimsuit at a time. Swimmers have allegedly been wearing two or even three swimsuits at the same time to gain advantage.



So, there is no doubt that the FastSkin line of competitive swimsuits is great. These suits are made to beat world records! And that is a fact! When swimmers train for the competition they use many methods and tools to decrease the drag of the water on their body. Be it an innovatively developed swimwear, wearing several swimsuits to improve results (as we already mentioned), athletes use it. However, it seems very simple to say and think that this swimwear is to thank for these great record breaking times. Claiming that an athlete can play football or drive tour la France just as well as the professional one whose name is on the sports gear simply by putting the gear on is nonsense. And this is a fact as well. To win a gold medal you have to work for it, to beat the world record you have to produce an effort that has not been achieved before. As we like to say, winning is a miracle, but not a mystery.

In case you want to add something regarding FastSkin or some other competitive swimsuits, don't hesitate to post a comment.

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