Triathlon Swimming Q&A: Covering Yourself in Body Oil

May 18, 2009

Q: Does covering yourself in body oil make you swim faster?

A: Boy, I haven’t heard this question in a very long time.  Covering yourself in oil (suntanning or cooking oils) has never been allowed in competitive swimming.  Still, I knew a few people (particularly sprinters) would make an art of lathering themselves just right so that their skin looked “sweaty” rather than “slick”, thus avoiding a disqualification.  A popular tactic was to put in your world ranking times at smaller venue swim-meets, where you weren’t as likely to get scrutinized for looking sweaty before a race.  These athletes did swim fast, though it is not certain if their slick image gave them a mental boost or a physical one.  I observed this behavior in the late 1980s and early 1990s, well before the widespread use of full-body swimsuits.  Now that greater swimsuit coverage is better than less, it is doubtful that oil will make a comeback anytime soon. 

The theory of covering yourself in oil has advantages and disadvantages.  Most fish are covered in a slick around their bodies, so why wouldn’t it help humans swim faster too?  Oil covering your hands and feet could be a disadvantage, as you could potentially grab less water and have a less effective pull.  In any event, it is a pretty silly thought to put into practice.  The oil will quickly wash off of you in the water and pollute the environment in which you are swimming (which is probably why I only saw the behavior in sprinters).  And that oil is going to create permanent damage to any swimsuit you wear, especially to neoprene (what your wetsuit is made of).  So, unless you accidentally wind up in a time machine that takes you 20 years back, keep the oil in the jar and race with what you’ve got!  Until next time, happy training.

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