AMPHIBIAN - Technical Racing Suit
FINA APPROVED
- The AMPhibian Tech Suit is NOW AVAILABLE, and was featured at the USA Swimming 2009 World Championship Trials in Indianapolis, IN, as well as the during the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome. All styles were available to all competitors.
- The AMPhibian was approved by FINA in May (Click Here to view the approval letter).
- View all 6 approved models.
- Order online today, or call Tim Elson at FINIS to place an order over the phone: (925)-273-0974
A New Type of Tech Suit:
As the leader in technical swimming development, it was only natural for the FINIS Development Team to complement their advanced training gear with an advanced
technical racing suit.
The new AMPhibian suit shatters all preconceptions of a basic racing suit, as it introduces new features and technique aspects that have
never been seen before. The AMPhibian is the culmination of 3 years of physiological and kinetic research, practice and race observation, and hydro-dynamic
testing.
"While wearing the AMP, I literally felt like I am bred for the water. My walls are sharper, my energy boosted, and my stroke technique
improved. I feel so natural and smooth in the water. Now only if I had gills!"
- Mark Stephens
USA Swimming National Champion (200 IM)
5-Time USMS National Champion
Alternate Views & Sizing:
Product Features:
- Dual Fabric Composition
- "Frog Skin" Polyurethane – Watertight and durable, the sleek and slippery fabric is built to last
- Lightweight HydroSpeed Nylon/Lycra – 180gm "Scalex" compression fabric provides a comfortable fit without rubbing
- Smart Compression Network
- Uses 6 different tensile properties from 5 materials
- Compresses and streamlines the body into the ideal swimming signature without sacrificing proper range of motion
- Intelligent placement and panel design reduces excessive force at stitch lines, eliminating holes or split seams
- Stabilizing Strips
- Supports proper swimming posture and pinpoints key compression areas around the body
- Stabilizes core muscles while supporting the chest, back, and leg positioning
- Bonded Flat-lock Stitching
- Creates a sleek and durable seam line
- Intelligent placement reduces excessive force at stitch lines
- Low Profile Zippers
- Durable zippers positioned along upper-back and bottom of legs allow the suit to be easily put on and taken off
- Zipper placement provides specific compression and support
- Engineered Technology
- Material specific panels, strips, and stitch-lines promote a balanced swimming position
Understanding Drag:
Drag is commonly misinterpreted in swimming. Many people believe that the highest amount of drag in a race occurs as the water passes over
the skin. While this effect does cause some resistance, two other factors exist that produce exponentially greater drag effects
in the water:
- Volume Drag – The resistance of the swimmer’s body shape against the water
Simple physics states that a swimmer with a larger body shape will displace more water. Because of this, the more water that pushes
against a larger body shape, the further this water will need to travel in order to get around the moving swimmer.
The AMPhibian suit uses smart compression panels and stitching to tighten the body shape into its most compact yet natural form.
The result is a smaller ‘opening’ in the water and less displacement while swimming.
- Turbulence Drag – The wave and turbulence resistance around the swimmer as one moves through the water
Water does not stay still, and it is this constant movement of water that creates the largest resistance effect upon moving bodies.
Swimmers make waves while they swim and these waves bounce at varying angles and differing speeds, creating a chaotic effect of
motion around the swimmer’s body. This turbulence works directly against the swimmer’s path through the water, dramatically
decreasing their speed.
The AMPhibian suit uses an exaggerated low-profile design to help streamline the swimmer’s body shape in the water. By reducing the
various fluctuations and forms on the body, the overall turbulence that is created by the swimmer can be decreased. Essentially, the
AMPhibian aims to open up a small hole in the water and close it behind the swimmer to reduce any agitation in the water. Thereby
the AMPhibian creates a smaller turbulence wave around the swimmer, dramatically decreasing the adverse drag effects.
The AMPhibian suit and its dual fabric composition not only helps eliminate basic surface/skin drag, but its properties also significantly
decrease Volume and Turbulence Drag. By decreasing the multiple components of drag, not only will the swimmer increase their speed in the
water, but the swimmer will also require less energy to move forward. This saved energy can then be used to propel forward rather than
fight against water resistance.
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Creating Technical Cues:
Working with the top coaches and swimmers in the world, the FINIS development team integrated unique body-positioning
aspects into the AMPhibian. The result promotes the swimmer to maintain an optimal "Aquatic Signature" during their race.
- Stabilizing Strips reinforce correct posture in the water
- Smart compression panels help tighten the overall body shape in specific areas to create the most efficient body position alignment
- Low profile zippers squeeze and streamline the entire body
Durability & Functionality:
After watching many suits rip right off swimmers’ bodies during championship meets, the FINIS Product Development Team designed the AMPhibian
to last. Over 75 different types of fabrics were tested, and multiple types of bonding and stitching applications evaluated. The resulting
"Frog Skin" fabric is sleek, slippery, and tough.
- Lightweight porous polyurethane panels provide strength without adding weight in the water
- Tough flat-lock bonded stitching creates a smooth and strong seam line
- Zippers down the back and ankles allow the suit to be easily put on and off, greatly reducing stress points and general wear-and-tear
- Smooth lining creates a comfortable fit that does not rub or pull
- Smart panel positioning reduces excessive force at stitch lines
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AMPhibian – Bred for the Water:
Using their core technical knowledge, the FINIS Product Development Team has truly created a natural speed suit for swimming. The AMPhibian
takes a walking land animal and transforms them into an aquatic predator. Unique and proprietary engineering aspects allow the swimmer to
enhance their 'feel' for the water, reduce exponential drag effects, and support an improved "Aquatic Signature" for sustained energy systems.
Ultimately, the AMPhibian allows the swimmer to be more efficient in the water.
Tested and Proven:
Creating the AMPhibian was a very scientific process which required countless hours on pool decks and in laboratories. The following is a
quick sampling of the testing conducted by the FINIS Development Team in partnership with various world class athletes, coaches, medical
doctors, and engineers:
- Water Flume Testing
Powerful water jets are positioned in front of a swimmer or solid body to understand the fluid dynamic properties of a particular
shape, form, or fabric. A 3D model can also be extrapolated using sensors to analyze specific drag properties, while also determining
the ideal "Aquatic Signature" for a swimmer.
- Fabric and Stitch Testing
Stretch and performance testing was conducted on over 75 types of fabric material and 10 different stitching mechanisms. Tensile forces
were measured to determine the best combination of fabrics that would create ideal compression traits and maintain durability. Suits
were then UV and chlorine tested to determine longevity over 80 swims.
- Body Scanning
3D models were created by analyzing the body shapes of athletes around the world. The result provided detailed insight for specific
fabric panel placement and the integration of the smart compression network. Scans were also made with athletes in the suit to better
understand specific stress points and allow for a full range of motion and flexibility.
- The AMPhibian Tech Suit is NOW AVAILABLE, and was featured at the USA Swimming 2009 World Championship Trials in Indianapolis, IN, as well as the during the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome. All styles were available to all competitors.
- The AMPhibian was approved by FINA in May (Click Here to view the approval letter).
- View all 6 approved models.
- Order online today, or call Tim Elson at FINIS to place an order over the phone: (925)-273-0974