Sports clothing

Compression Clothing.

What’s all the hype about?

What do they mean by compression clothing?

Compression clothing is loosely defined as a piece of clothing which is focused on compressing particular body parts and the skin. 

Are there benefits to wearing compression clothing?

The main befits to compression clothing include;

• Improved athletic performance by reducing the build up of lactic acid.
• Reducing muscle fatigue by reducing muscle vibration.
• Improving muscle recovery by improving blood circulation. 
• Reducing muscle stiffness post exercise by reducing delayed onset muscle soreness.
• Consistent body warmth during warm-ups, exercise and recovery.
• Moisture removal (taking the sweat away from the body), enabling a more consistent body temperature.
• UV protection.

Does compression clothing actually work?

Numerous studies have been done which compare exercise recovery with or without with/without compression clothing. The general conclusion from these studies people wearing compression clothing show improvement after longer forms of exercise and with short explosive exercise there is minimal improvement.

Is it all just a placebo effect?

There is no doubt that if you buy well marketed specific clothing and it feels good then you are likely to perform better.  So does compression clothing work on the top 5cm of the body – the brain?

What to look for when buying compression clothing?

When looking for compression clothing keep these following tips in mind:

• What purpose are you buying them for?  Are you buying them for comfort during moderate to short exercise or are you buying them to reduce muscle fatigue after long exercise sessions? 
• What type exercise are you doing? Look for short or half-tights if you intend to use them for cycling and opt for the long tights for calf compression if your intend to use them for running.
• Sleeves or no sleeves? again think about the type of exercise you are doing. Sleeves are great for warmth protection and sleeveless tops are a great under garment. 
• How much do you want to spend? You can very easily spend from $70-160 on tights. However, it is worth starting with the lower end and moving up as you get comfortable and see value in compression clothing.  

How do I look after them?

Compression clothing are delicate and expensive clothing. But they will last a long time when cared fora long time when cared for properly. It is best to follow the manufactures recommendation for washing and dry