Buoyancy - How Well Do You Float?
It is a simple fact; the more buoyant you are the faster and easier it is to swim. This is because the drag of our own bodies slows us down. The less buoyant you are, the more your body is in the water and the more drag you create. You may have noticed that you feel more buoyant and faster in salt water. That’s because salt water helps us float better due to the higher salt content.
If it were only as simple as swallowing more air, or adding floatation strips to our tri suits, however there’s not much we can do. The more heavy boned a person is the more the person will sink. The lower percentage of body fat someone has, the more that person will sink. In general, women float better than men since on average they are 5 to 10 percent higher in body fat.
More fat may help you swim better but your VO2 max is in direct proportion to your body weight. For most of us heavier is not healthier and that extra weight makes everything on land much harder, like biking then running! Some of us with the right proportion of body fat and light bones will float easier than others. Some ‘densely’ boned mortals with a low percentage body fat are just ‘sinkers’!. Not to worry though as many sinkers(myself included) can more than make up for their lack of natural buoyancy by improving their swim technique, developing core strength and generally getting their body in a more streamlined position.
If all you do is swim open water events then you have an immediate advantage in the only practical way to increase your buoyancy, by wearing a wetsuit!
Indeed the only way to instantly reduce your bodies drag, but not so legal in a pool based triathlon and you’d look a bit crazy!!
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