Choosing Performance Swimwear

These days beachwear, which also includes bikinis and tankinis, is all about making a fashion statement either on the beach or around the pool. Performance bathing suits however, whilst looking good, is all about helping you achieve the maximum speed your body can sustain when moving through the water. Another major requirement of any competitive swimwear is it must not break down in the water due to the high levels of Chlorine present in all swimming pools. Swimwear from the major developers in the performance swimwear market all have different materials and technologies to help your performance both in and out of the water.

Maru has two major technologies called Pacer and MX1. Both of these offer Chlorine resistance using Xtra life lycra which is contoured to fit your body as smoothly as possible. MX1 also takes things a stage further by ensuring the fit is perfect for optimum muscle compression and oscillation control which is a major cause of muscle fatigue in swimmers.

Speedo has just launched it's new LZR Racer range. Here they have harnessed the expertise of NASA and other top research institutes to create a swim suit that has 10% less passive drag than the Speedo FS-PRO (Launched in 2007) and has seen swimmers break 46 world records as a result. Made from an ultra lightweight water repellent and chlorine resistant fabric unique to Speedo is the world's first fully bonded ultrasonically welded swimsuit. Combined with taut materials that compress the body to reduce the profile even further enables the swimmer to cut through the water with ease.

'When I hit the water, I feel like a rocket'

, says Michael Phelps, holder of six World records, who has been involved in this unique development and will also be sporting the LZR RACER as he sets out to achieve a world record breaking 8 gold medals later this year. 'I can't wait to race in it...this is going to take the sport of swimming to a new level'.



Swimsuit styles range from open backs (leaderback and powerback) to semi enclosed backs (racerback) to legsuits, kneesuits and ultimately to bodysuits. Because the materials used in competitive swimwear are modelled on the skin of a shark and thus improve drag through the water, the more material covering your body the faster you are able to swim through the water.

All the recent world record breaking swimmers have broken the existing speed records while wearing bodyskin swimwear and thus if maximum speed is your priority, you should look for as much skin coverage as possible. If you are a club swimmer then a racerback might be more suitable. General swimmers need not pay the premium for the top end swimsuits but should choose a leaderback or powerback suit with decent chlorine resistance. Always be sure to wash your swimwear properly after being in the pool to remove the Chlorine and prolong the life of your swimwear. Proper washing will ensure that your swimsuit lasts 15% longer.