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Women's swimsuits and especially athletic wear have come a long, long way over the past 100 years. While women in the early 20th century were expected to keep the majority of their bodies covered while swimming, modern bathing suits now expose a great deal more than they conceal. When it comes to women's swimsuits today, there are a lot of choices. Even though most women's swimsuits can be categorized as either one-piece or two-piece, both categories have a number of subdivisions. French cut one-pieces, string bikinis, thongs-all are possible options for women heading to the beach or the pool. However, when considering those women's swimsuits used for competitive purposes, the choices become a bit more limited. While most swimsuits are designed almost solely for appearance, athletic swimsuits are specifically designed to improve the athlete's performance in the water.
Racing swimsuits are designed to minimize water resistance as much as possible. Human bodies are not designed to operate efficiently in the water as our skin is far too porous, creating 'drag' when we are trying to swim. Animals that live in the water, such as sharks have skin that produces almost no drag. A racing swimsuit tries to imitate this quality and allow the human body to move through the water with less friction and therefore at greater speed.
Speedo, TYR, Arena, Nike and other athletic wear manufacturers all carry racing suits which are specifically designed to reduce drag. Women's racing suits are very traditional in construction, having two straps and fairly low-cut leg holes. The straps often meet at a single point on the upper back, which prevents them from falling off the shoulders while the wearer is racing. Racing swimsuits are very, very tight, thus helping further to decrease drag in the water.
As highlighted during the last Olympic Games, there has been a recent revolution in swimsuits designed for racing. The new suits cover the swimmer from the neck to just above the knee, or sometimes down to the ankle. The material that these swimsuits is made of is lightweight and ultra thin, helping to streamline the wearer's shape. The swimmer's body is compressed in critical areas, which maintains optimal swimming posture and dampens muscle oscillation, making the racer's movements more efficient. These swimsuits also repel water, which further decrease the body's drag. Overall, the new racing suits now are so efficient in improving the swimmer's speed that there was actually talk of banning them at the Beijing Olympics. This did not occur, resulting in numerous new speed records. Clearly, these racing suits are in the process of revolutionizing water sports.
Of course, swimsuits are not only made to be worn in the water. One of the only two-piece suits to be used in athletics is the sports bikini, which is favored by professional female beach volleyball players. These bikinis are much more modest than many of their recreational-use-only counterparts. Sports bikini bottoms are fairly basic, modest and resemble the bottoms of other bikinis. The tops, however, provide a great deal more coverage and support than other bikini tops. Sports bikini tops are essentially sports bras, and have been designed to allow the wearer maximum movement with the minimum restriction and withough the fear of falling off.
Megan Sara Jones has owned indoor tanning salons for over 7 years selling tanning lotions, swimwear and high class lingerie For more information on this article, or all things connected with Swimwear please visit The Sexy Swimwear Store
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