Fastskin FSII and LZR Racer Elite Competitive Swimsuits

In competitive swimming, where hundredths of a second can separate losers from winners, hydrodynamic drag definitely is a drag. Therefore, the world’s best athletes now take to the water in drag-reducing performance swimsuits that cover much more body-skin, leaving the skimpy suits to amateurs.

The classic competitive swimsuit by Speedo or simply Fastskin is their original performance suit - similar to that of the skin of a shark. With new and sophisticated technologies, the swimwear is designed to increase speed by reducing drag in the water. Even though the first Fastskin suit had it debut ‘run’ many years ago, still many professional and enthusiast swimmers alike use them to enhance their performance.

Today, brand new models such as FSII as well as Fastskin LZR Racer are considered by a lot of professionals to be the most advanced performance suits in the whole world. Interesting fact is that by July 2008, over forty world records in swimming have been broken by athletes wearing the innovative Fastskin LZR Racer. The technology in the LZR Racer makes Fastskin even faster.

Back in the year 2000, the very first Speedo Fastskin suit was introduced at the Sydney Olympics Games. Using sharkskin as a base, their research and development team had designed a swimsuit that mimicked the efficiency as well as the texture of shark skin. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games that year, 83 percent of all medals won in swimming were by athletes wearing this particular swimsuit.

For the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, a brand new Speedo Fastskin swimsuit was introduced: the Fastskin FSII, basically a better version of the original. This suit had seams that would follow the direction of the water, thus reducing drag when swimming. The ultra-tight swimsuit features a much more flexible thread when compared to the original as well, allowing for ease of movement as well as a much greater range. With a combination of the sharkskin like material and another fabric called the ‘flexskin’, this suit improves speed. At the Athens Olympics, swimmers in the FSII suit won a total of forty seven medals!

The improved version of the fast-suit is stunning both for enthusiasts and professional athletes. Manufacturer’s claims that the Fastskin LZR Racer enhances performance extremely reducing drag by 10 percent over the FSII and allowing for better O2 efficiency as well as faster turns in the water. Therefore, those drag reductions translate to speed in the pool. This model was designed with the help of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration as well as the Australian Institute of Sport and patented in European Union, making it a real multinational project. Those engineering efforts paid off in materials as well as construction innovations that together improved this swimsuit’s ability to help athletes glide through the pool faster. One of these revolutionary innovations involves the development of a brand new water-repellent, low-drag polyurethane membrane. Speedo laminates panels of this low-drag fabric onto the swimsuit’s base layer at strategic drag-reducing places. The tests have shown the smoother the fabric, the lower the drag. Having this in mind, the new panel fabric is a departure from the rougher knit used in the first Fastskin swimsuit.

Maybe surprisingly for some, the use of competitive swimsuits has raised really a lot of controversy in the world of professional swimming. Some experts claim that the swimsuits give some athletes a huge advantage, particularly over those who can’t afford them. On the other hand, to some athletes, using the advanced technology of the Speedo’s Fastskin is pretty much like using illegal substances or using weighted gear. As a final result, instead of relying solely on the swimmer’s own strength, the suit seems to do a lot of the hard work for them.

But, sports officials believe that the use of the competitive swimsuit is okay in competition. After complaints FINA (for those of you who don’t know, FINA stands for International Swimming Federation), ruled that the Speedo’s Fastskin LZR Racer was acceptable for all virtually international swimming competitions. Some other manufacturers such as Arena soon began turning out similar suits in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Undoubtedly, the Speedo Fastskin line of competitive swimsuits has altered the world of professional swimming. By eliminating the natural drag of water on the body, athletes virtually glide through the water, reaching very fast speeds as well as new world records. In case the technology continues to improve (and it probably will), competitions will definitely become much more about the abilities of the swimsuit and not the athlete. Until than, ensure to catch a glimpse of the Fastskin LZR Racer at upcoming competitions, since it is shaping up to be the must-have accessory for record setting athletes.

All this sophisticated technology that went into the swimsuit does not come cheap. For example, the LZR Racer’s full bodysuit costs over $500. However, for professionals, some of whom will compete in Olympic Games, that is a small price to pay for the extra speed.