When it comes to participating in a competition, you need to make sure that you are exploiting your advantages while you are also masking your disadvantages. But long before you step into the stage, months of preparation has to be completed. It is during this period where you work out and condition your body and train to improve your skills.

By the time that you are ready to compete, you should have amassed your repertoire of moves. That should be varied enough to confuse your opponent or make them change strategies on the fly. This is also the time when you work on minimizing or eliminating your flaws. It is all about leaving no holes unplugged to keep your boat floating.

The interesting thing about athletes is that some of them need to have their body hair shaved. Some sports leave you at a slight disadvantage if you have a bit of that human fur. That is why they hit the waxing salon to get themselves to optimum performance in time for the day of the competition.

Swimmers

Motorsport engineers are not the only ones who worry about aerodynamics. Swimmers and their coaches worry about it too. Practicing at the pool will help refine how you execute your arm strokes, but it is also where you have to perfect your form. Remember that you are not a machine whose body can be sculpted to minimize drag, so you want to make up for that limitation by maintaining your body’s streamlined position underwater.

Body hair also introduces drag, which is why swimmers shave all of that off to let them cut through the water smoothly. There are also swimwear designed and optimized to minimize drag. Should you be interested in wearing one, you are still advised to keep the amount of hair at the minimum. Those are so tight to get into and out of, and those little strands will get caught up in between the fibers of the cloth. If you have a body that is even minutely hairy, taking off the suit would be akin to giving yourself a wax job.

Body Builders

Bodybuilders spend hours of time working out at the gym. What they are actually doing is sculpting their bodies to show the world how defined their muscles can be. Their competitions are more on the aesthetic side, so they have to learn how to carry themselves with confidence prior to that.

The best way for them to highlight their muscles is to get their bodies shaved. They will be oiling themselves when the time for presentation comes, so having no hair will make their cuts look sleeker and more prominent.

Cyclists

The top cyclists of the world are able to pedal for hundreds of kilometers without breaking a sweat. One thing you can observe from them is that they have smooth legs. If you are wondering why they are shaving down there, it could be for cosmetic and performance-related reasons. For one, those cycling shorts can get really tight. You could easily pull a few strands from your lower limbs every time you put them on or take them off. Being clean-shaven will make wearing that piece of clothing smooth.

As for performance, it may not look like it but even if you have been biking competitively for a long time, you will find that your legs are still close to the moving parts of your ride. There is a great chance that a strand of hair from your leg will be caught there and be plucked out unexpectedly. That could give you a feeling of being pricked which can distract you on your run.

If you are a serious athlete, you will do whatever you can to reach your full potential. Compared to all the hours of grueling training and workouts that they do every day, shaving off body hair would be an easy decision. If this is what it takes to get closer to victory, then it is a no-brainer.

Meta title: Why Some Athletes Shave Off Their Body Hair

Meta description: Do you like having body hair? You might be surprised that some athletes like to shave that off. Here are some reasons why they are doing that.