Shave or not to shave?

I'm not a guy, but I say go for it! Maybe you will want to practice before the race though. Most guys I know who do triathlons do shave. They probably have smoother legs than I do!

I have wondered this as well but figured that I probably wouldn't do it.  My legs don't need it but my chest would be a concern possibly in a wetsuit .  I don't know how a wetsuit would feel, since I have never been in one.  I have always heard about leg shaving for cycling, road rash ect, but nothing about the chest and a wetsuit.  Does this affect the in/out of a wetsuit?  I don't know HOWEVER, I cannot see me shaving my chest. My wife would never stop laughing I don't think.

We recently had a very entertaining thread going on this very subject
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

I haven't shaved mine yet...

Ian

This user's post has been ignored.

I personally think that cyclists, runners, and triathletes who shave their legs are really fine--I'm not much for hairy guys. I've never thought about shaving the chest, though. I don't suppose that would be a big deal either. I would think that having a smoother skin surface would facilitate pulling on a wetsuit, at the very least.
hahaha--and hey, there's always waxing if you don't want to shave!!!

Cheers!
~Dorian

I'm hairy and I ain't shavin'!

Edited by triman50 2004-04-14 8:29 PM

First, who cares about the moron at work? Do you base all of your decisions on what the guy at work will think? If not, then it should not enter your mind about this decision.

Next, I do shave for competition but I will not give you my reasons why. I do not feel I have to justify it to anyone and you shouldn't feel you have to have enough reasons to justify it either. What I'm saying is if you want to do then do it - if not then don't.

Also, someone mentioned shaving their chest for a wetsuit????????????? Wetsuits unzip at the top therefore the chest has nothing to do with it.

since it seems the discussion has gone from legs, to chest.... it just seems natural to bring up arm pits and arms...
Back in my high school days i remember guys shaving thier forearms and pits along with thier legs to reduce drag.... if your wearing a wetsuit i can't imagine that shaving would have any influence on drag. would shaving your arms and pits help at all with sliding in and out of the wetsuit? i dont plan on getting a wetsuit any time soon, so would there be any other benifits?

i mentioned shaving my legs in front of my girlfriend... and she didn't seem like a big fan... Any more ladies want to add thier 2 cents?

I case any one was wondering, I still shave.  I CAN'T STOP!!  There are days were I don't shave for a few days, the longest I've gone is two weeks.  But, it has become my thing, I've become famous in my group of friends for my legs.  I still love the fresh shaved legs and the fell in slacks and on cold sheets!!

This is my opinion on shaving. I swam competitively for years in high school and I shaved once or twice for big meets. My times were better at those meets, but my times are always better when the presure is on. In big situations when I had trained and tappered i seemed to get my best times, regardless of weather or not i shaved

My theory is that it is more of a mental thing than anything else. By shaving you just find another way to get phsyced up.

I always noticed that some of the best competitors (not me) were not even wearing caps, and most did not shave.

So, if you think it will make you faster, do it! If not then it is a waste of time.

My $.02
andrew

You wanted a woman's opinion on shaving - I think there is just something sexy about a guy with muscular legs that are shaven! Maybe a little weird, but yeah well

I shave mine all the time. For a stretch during the winter I don't bother, but from March until November they are shaved. I guess it's a carry over from bike racing days. I like the feel of shaved legs, they collect less dirt during biking, running, mountain climbing. I hit them about once per week. I just had my wife buy one of those blade razors and gel built into one unit. It's called "Intuition" I think. Marketed for the women, but I'm not too proud to give it a shot. Just picked it up today so I'm gonna give it a test run in the next day or so.

Now take everything I say with a grain of salt, because this is coming from a guy who shaves his head in the summer as well. That's a little more involved, I have to do it every 2 days, but I have it down to about 5-7 minutes with a disposable 2-bladed razor. If I had my way, I'd love for my entire body to be totally devoid of hair...it's basically a nuisance!

Max

well, I could share my last waxing story, but I would scare everyone FOREVER! except maybe those from Brazil....

As a lady - shaved men are cool - until that stubble hits! You could probably get some massage out of it from a sweetie! If you are single - ladies will think you are a super athlete and virile!

Men who never considered shaving (your coworker) are probably people who never strived for something like a tri, or well, whatever - whatever his background, he has no right to laugh at an obviously valid question, since so many of you guys have done it or are thinking of it!!!!

My fiance is ethinically immune from the issue - he makes me feel like sasquatch, and I am fairly smooth for northern european extraction! damn genes....

Good luck on whatever you decide!

Mary

Don't use Nair, that's all I have to say. Shave. I shave. I tried Nair once, and I smelled worse than nail polish for like a week.


Don't use Nair,
to remove your hair,
you'll smell like bleach,
and that should teach,
you to use your razor...

Yes, Nair is nasty! Interesting, um...poem? Good one Sam!

LOL, i dont know if i'd say 'wierd' but your not in the majority.... its good to hear tho.
I only shaved my legs once for a high school swimming meet, and i do agree that the the difference (whatever amount it is) is mostly mental. But that should not mean that it is any less important or influential on your time. A lot of times my mood before the race has been a greater predictor of my performance than anything else, and if shaving puts you in a psyched up mood... I"M SHAVING EVERYTHING! haha...

It takes a strong man not to make a joke of this subject.

I am not a strong man. ;-)


First of all, to the dude who started this thread... if they guy at work is laughing at you, you should kick him with your shaved leg.... right in the junk. Who really cares what he thinks.

I think the #1 reason I have thought about shaving is for the emulation factor. My spinning instructor is built like a comic book character. There is absolutely no fat on him. None. Nor is there any hair. (from the exposed arms, legs and chest that I can see.) Hell, he even shaves his head!! But he is fast as hell. Saw him at the pool on base here. Tried to hang with him for a lap. I actually went faster after he started dropping me! Apparently it was from me body surfing on the wake he had left! Little bastard.

Anyway, I may shave to syche myself up for a big race. Not my first race, but for one I hope to do well in. Of course I would have to talk to the wife about it. But I'm sure she would go along with it. I've shaved her legs for her. She might get a kick on returning the favor. Of course it would be quite a chore. I'm 6'4" tall with a 36" inseam.

Maybe I could get sponsered! :D "Gillette proudly presents...."

SHAVE -- It feels good in the water, it feels good on the bike on hot days. It feels good when you pull on a pair of pants. My wife likes it when I'm freshly shorn. On the down side, in the early spring, when you venture out in shorts for the first time in smooth, white legs, it can be a little distracting. If that's a concern, get some tan-in-a-can. Clean shaven muscular legs are like trophies, we have worked hard for them. Flaunt 'em if you got 'em!


GO CUBS! (bet baseball players don't shave)

I'm not going to talk about whether there's an advantage or not. You're gonna get the girl's perspective.

Shaved legs do not look weird to me if the guy's in decent shape because you know exactly why he's doing it. If you feel like shaving more -- take out your armpit hair. I think that the hair traps bacteria and contributes to stinkiness. I made a bf shave his pits once and he smelled better during his hairless time.

Don't shave your chest or nether regions if you can help it. Trim if you must, but don't shave. The hair is actually useful there and provides a little layer to prevent chafing when skin is rubbing together. Without it, skin drags on skin and things can hurt, especially if your skin is used to having protection.

If you shave your legs, do it right. Get a good razor (my preference is Schick Silk Effects, which has 3 blades but a safety guard to keep you from gouging yourself) and Skintimates shave gel. In fact, I think that's the best stuff out there and every man in my life uses it for facial shaving as well. Do not use plain soap as it will not only not prevent razor burn, but it also dulls the razor blade much faster.

Since you've got really hairy legs (compared to someone who has been shaving for awhile), it would be best to run over your legs with a beard trimmer first to get the leg hair length to a manageable length. Then, sit in a tub of warm water and soak your legs for 5 minutes or so. That will soften the hair. Slather lots of gel on your legs and you're ready to shave. Your first few times, you'll be best off shaving with the grain, not against. Shaving against the grain gives a closer shave, but it causes more skin irritation. After you finish shaving, put some moisturizer on your legs, especially stuff meant for sensitive skin. This will soothe your legs. If you want it to grow back softer and require less shaving, I recommend the Jergens smooth skin lotion that says it will help you shave less. It does work.

Now that you've got shaved legs, you will have to keep them up. You need to understand that leg stubble is worst in the first few days. It WILL hurt your partner if you scrape your 1 day old stubble across her legs, just as if you were using sandpaper, especially because the razor creates a sharp point at the end of the hair shaft, versus the blunt point you've got now. The longer the hair has grown out, the softer it feels and the less irritating it is for other people. If you're debating whether or not to shave on a given day, try to figure out the next time someone's going to feel them. If you want to get some tomorrow, don't shave today because tomorrow, it will be at its stubbly worst!

I've never gotten my legs waxed. I can only imagine how painful that is. I've tried things like Nair, but they irritate the crap out of my skin.

Alright, I've told everything I can think of about shaving. Have fun!

Wow, so many postings! Thanks everyone for their opinions and experience. I did shave "my top half" yesterday, and it felt great for about 8 hours, now the stubble is a little abrasive. I'm positive about two things: first, it feels great to shave, second my wife thinks it looks "a little too girly". Oh well, I'm not planning to shave my body in the winter though, only during the competition season.

Do what you want to do and to heck with what anyone thinks! The "guy" at work who laughed at you is probably a closet queen anyways.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I have been shaving my body for a little over a year now. I used to be really into weight lifting, and it just made some of those not so visible lines become more apparent (plus I just think it looks better and so does my girl Be warned though, if you do start shaving, stopping can be a painful and irritating experience for a couple of days to a week

i can REALLY sypathize with the feeling of trying to regrow your leg hair after shaving.... it was really a test of will to not shave anymore and deal with the constant but mild itching until it was long enough to become comfortable again..

but however girly this may sound, i do kinda miss the whole feeling that went along with having shaved legs, they almost didnt seem like they were my legs anymore and i had traded them in for a sleeker, faster polished pair.