Compression garments are among the best quality-of-life improvements in the world of athletes. These tights and sleeves protect muscles, limit muscle oscillation, reduce pain and recovery time, and look great!
They are form-fitting garments fashioned from spandex material (with a bit of nylon). Compression sportswear is commonly worn for extreme sports, endurance races, and training.
It Reduces Pain
The primary reason that many professional athletes, like a World Cup soccer player, a National Basketball Association point guard, or an Olympic gold-medal winner in short-track speed skating, wear compression material is for muscle recovery. Whether designed to fit snugly around the arms or legs, these clothing pieces can reduce creatine kinase, promote functional healing, decrease the perception of soreness, and increase blood lactate removal during exercise.
They also help prevent the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles, which can cause pain. This is particularly important during competition periods when a team’s members have to work out intensely for extended amounts of time.
Additionally, these garments can prevent deep vein thrombosis by helping your body move blood through the lymphatic system without creating swelling. This enables you to feel more energized after exercising. A study showed that it can even help you regain your jumping abilities quicker. In addition, these garments are sweat-wicking, allowing the fabric to dry faster after you sweat so your skin doesn’t remain damp.
It Encourages Recovery
During exercise, compression garments increase blood flow to the muscles, which helps with recovery. The tight fit of the garments also supports muscles, which reduces aches and pains. This allows athletes to perform better during exercise.
Compression fabric wicks the moisture away, unlike cotton, which gets soaked with sweat. This allows the skin to dry quickly and prevents chafing. This means that you can stay comfortable during exercise and avoid injury.
Compression gear also encourages muscle recovery after exercise by helping circulate waste materials like lactic acid and other toxins. This allows the muscles to recover more quickly and improves the movement of the joints, which can help prevent injuries.
Compression clothing can also help prevent blood clots by improving blood flow to the legs and feet during long periods of sitting or travel. This can be particularly important for people with certain medical conditions that can increase the clot risk, such as vascular disease, cancer, or blood clotting disorders. It can also be helpful for those who are overweight, smokers, or who spend long periods sitting down.
It Keeps You Cool
The compression created by a good pair of tights or leggings will help you stay cool during your workout. This is because the fabric will spread out your sweat so that it evaporates more efficiently, cooling you down. It also makes it more difficult for your muscles to heat up and become tired.
While breathable fabrics like cotton are usually used for compression clothing, some products come with 37.5 technology to create the right amount of compression. This technology helps your body maintain the optimal temperature and humidity levels next to your skin, which reduces muscle fatigue and improves performance.
A study found that wearing compression clothes can lower your perceived exertion, making exercising easier for extended periods. Additionally, it can help you recover faster and boost your jumping ability post-workout, which is excellent news for athletes.
It Keeps You Stable
If you’re prone to muscle strain, adding compression garments to your wardrobe may be worth adding as they reduce fatigue, boost recovery, and keep muscles in place. This helps prevent injuries and means you can keep exercising to your full potential.
The fabric envelops the muscles to create a second skin that reduces vibration, which can be damaging to the joints and muscles. It also stops loose clothing rubbing against the body, which can lead to chafing and rashes.
Compression garments create pressure gradients that improve blood flow, ensuring more oxygen gets to the muscles and removing waste products such as lactic acid, an essential process in maintaining and improving muscular performance. This will help you feel less tired and make workouts more bearable, which can lead to increased stamina and power.
You can find compression gear in all forms, from shorts and tights to shirts and socks. Leg and arm sleeves are a great option as they’re easier to put on mid-game than changing into a new base layer and can provide targeted compression for crucial muscle groups.
It Helps You Perform Better
There’s a reason that athletes from all walks of life—from National Basketball Association point guards to Olympic gold medal-winning short-track speed skaters, MMA competitors to professional wakeboarders—are wearing skin-tight, colorful, medically-grade compression wear. The top compression gear is designed to provide real-world benefits to the hardworking muscles of these athletes.
The key benefit is that compression improves blood flow. This boosts oxygen delivery to working muscles and has been shown to reduce muscle soreness after workouts significantly. The increased blood flow also helps remove creatine kinase, an enzyme that causes muscle damage and pain.
The result is that you can work harder and longer before feeling any pain. Compression gear also provides stability, which can help you avoid micro-injuries and strain during exercise. It can also reduce vibration, a common cause of muscle pain athletes experience during running, cycling, and jumping. It can benefit those who suffer from chronically strained or sore muscles, such as those found in the calves, quads, and glutes.
