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Summer Sanders tests out new Olympic swimsuits (VIDEO)

I've been intrigued by the new Speedo swimsuits since 2008, so when my producer asked me if I would try one on, it was more of a "could I actually get my self into one of these" moment than a "would I do it." Of course I would do it. Challenge accepted. (I had no idea what I was getting myself into.)

What I learned is that these suits are nothing like the suits from my era. They have so much more fabric, they cover up as much skin as possible; where as in my day, we were worried about showing too much skin in our "paper" suits. The new models are all about compression and fabric. Lots of it.

I put on the 2008 suit first, the LZR Racer, and it was an intense effort. Partly because there was so much tight fabric and partly because it was so darn hot. I just kept sweating, and the more I'd sweat, the harder it became to pull up the fabric. But I did it. And I have to say, I was pretty excited about the result. I think I would've liked swimming in this, maybe just not the putting it on part.

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Next was the new suit, the FS3 Elite. I imagined that because this suit had less fabric, it would be easier and faster to put on. Boy was I wrong. Maybe the gripper gloves that came with the suit should have been a warning. It took me almost 25 minutes to get into it with the help of several pairs of hands. I had to step into the suit through its arm hole and the compression pockets felt like the Hulk version of Spanx.

But I made it, mission accomplished, and now I have the video and the cut-up knuckles to prove it. But hey, the swimmers tried to warn me.

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