Disappointing lack of speedos

[Schoolspeedo]

We were in France last September, Nice included and sadly I was the only one in a swimbrief. Mind you it was with the early swimmers so maybe hardly surprising. However I did see a youn g woman in a very tiny thong bikini when I was out running one morning, which was nice...in Nice.

[Minimalist75]

Do you run in your swim brief?
Many of the young men from two colleges near me run in very short shorts split to the waist so they don't have much more coverage than a swim brief.

[Schoolspeedo]

Originally Posted by Minimalist75

Do you run in your swim brief?
Many of the young men from two colleges near me run in very short shorts split to the waist so they don't have much more coverage than a swim brief.

I usually wear a very brief bikini beneath compression shorts and rugby shorts on top of that.

[Swimmboy]

I swim regularly at an outdoor college pool in the eastern part of the U.S. Though in my 60s, I still wear brief TYR or Sporti suits. In June I started noticing a college guy sunbathing in a red Speedo brief, and sometimes a black brief suit of unknown manufacture. I assumed he swam and sunbathed but had not actually seen him in the pool. One day I walked into the locker room and he was standing at a locker, so I asked if he'd already finished a swim - he said yes, but then he started pulling on the red speedo, which confused me. He turned to me and said he was now going back out to the pool in what he called his "tanning brief" so he could work on his tan! We now chat frequently - he swims in a jammer suit, then changes into one of his two "tanning briefs" for an hour or so of suntanning! He is a European student and a very nice young man working on a PhD.

[Fairfax]

Interesting story Swimmboy.

At first I was amazed that anyone who has the confidence to sunbath in a speedo wouldn't also wear it for lap swimming but I guess it shows how perceptions of what's appropriate can change over time.

If like most young men today he has only ever seen jammers worn for competitive swimming he regards them as the appropriate choice for fitness swimming.

Much like a lady might wear a one piece for fitness swimming then choose a bikini for sunbathing.

Have you ever suggested he ditch the jammers and just use the speedo for both jobs?

[Minimalist75]

High end competitive male swimmers now believe they can attain faster times in jammers than speedos.

[Swimmboy]

Yes, guys prefer the jammers for racing in big meets. I asked a college swimmer several years ago about why jammers were so popular. He told me something interesting - he said the tight fabric around their thighs helps hold the muscles in place, and prevents the thigh muscles from jiggling around. Thus, their thigh muscles do not feel as tired and stressed during a race. Also, the fabric is supposed to be slicker than human skin, so the more of their skin that is covered, the faster they can go.

As for the guy I know who swims in jammers and sunbathes in brief Speedos - no, I haven't asked him why he doesn't just swim in Speedos, but I may ask him in the future. I'm just glad that he wears the brief suits on the pool deck and has a nice tan!