Have you ever read one of the rules in a swimming pool that requires you to wear a bathing suit? If we are forced to use ordinary clothes such as T-shirts made of cotton and jeans shorts for swimming, there must be an officer who comes to reprimand us for changing clothes to swimwear. That is why we always find a place to rent a swimsuit at the pool for people who forget to bring or don’t have swimsuits. Maybe we have protested why we should wear swimsuits. Apparently there are indeed a number of reasons behind the use of swimwear when we swim.
Swimsuits are made from different materials from ordinary shirts. Swimsuits are made of spandex, nylon or even lycra while ordinary shirts are made of cotton. T-shirts made of cotton or cotton can hold bacteria, germs and even washing detergents in between the fibers, as a result the shirts we use can spread a lot of germs and pollute swimming pool water. Cotton fibers in these shirts or clothes can be detached and carried away by water to clog and damage the pool drain. Have you ever worn a t-shirt until the color disappears? The color of the shirt or clothes may fade due to the washing process or drying in the sun. And this can also happen if we use this shirt for swimming, because the color of clothing made from cotton will dissolve little by little in pool water. The color on this shirt is dissolved while exposed to chlorine mixed with pool water, in contrast to dyes on swimwear made of spandex, nylon and lycra which are more resistant to abrasion or erosion due to chlorine.
Apart from the reasons above, the main reason is the comfort factor in moving while swimming. T-shirts or clothes made of cotton will absorb water and make our bodies feel heavy when swimming. But to be able to move in water, we must actively move our entire body. T-shirts or clothes made of cotton will stick to the body, in addition to burdensome, also limits body movement. T-shirts or clothes are also not as tight as swimwear, giving rise to cavities that cause water retardation to increase, consequently we are not free to move in the water. Not only fatigue, our muscles will also quickly stiffen and cramp, and this endangers us when we are in a certain depth of water.
Swimsuits made from spandex, nylon or lycra won’t stick to the body when it’s wet and certainly don’t absorb water like cotton shirts. Using tight swimwear when swimming will reduce the inhibitory power of water when swimming, so we can move faster in the water and not spend too much energy on swimming.
Swimsuits generally consist of three types such as fitness, practice and high speed. Beyond these three types there are many swimwear models such as color changing swim trunks for men or color changing bathing suits for women for mere fashion. Fitness type swimsuits are not too tight and are not used for championships, but are used for training in water. The practice type swimsuit uses higher cut thigh pieces, a bit tight and elastic.The price is friendly making this swimsuit liked by beginners. And the last type of high speed swimwear that is very tight and very difficult to use. The very elastic back allows us to move quickly in the water. And the addition of the FINA logo makes this swimsuit can be used to compete internationally.