I remember feeling no pain on the second 50 of a long course 100 free wearing a Speedo Fastskin at a Masters Meet in 2002, and thinking, “something is going on here.” Back then, the ads concentrated on the grooved panels on the outside of the suit. There was also a girdle in the private area, mostly for modesty I believe. But the real plus was the compression factor. All my fat got contoured and compressed. It was core stabilization, though I wouldn’t have had the words for it at that time.

Needing to take a few minutes to wiggle into the suit was well worth not having the piano fall on my back on the second half of my race.

There didn’t seem to be much advancement in suit technology after the Fastskin. Toned young swimmers like Phelps could take it or leave it. Jammers were just as good for them as a full body suit, because their core muscles were already strong. Ian Thorpe in his full length Adidas was an exception. The compression of that suit may have prolonged his career.

With core stabilization taken care of by the polyurethane panels and girdle of the 2007 model Speedo Fast-Pro, swimmers at the Melbourne World Championships in March 2007 tore up the record books. Then came the Speedo LZR in early 2008, and Jaked, Arena, and Blueseventy in the latter part of 2008, each manufacturer trying to outdo the others in using materials that increased core stability and buoyancy, so swimmers were riding as high at the end of races as they did at the beginning.

Now the suits come off, but the lesson remains: strengthen the core.