You’ve probably seen some form of compression sportswear in your gym or on the TV. Numerous NBA athletes use it, footballers use it and it seems like compression clothing really plays an important role when it comes to performance. If that wasn’t the case, why would all these professionals wear it? Compression sportswear ranges from socks and sleeves to underpants, shorts and shirts. And the main goal of compression clothing is to boost your performance. However, many doubt whether compression clothing really does improve an athlete’s performance. Let’s take a look at a few arguments that could help us decide for ourselves.
How Does It Work?
Compression clothing puts pressure on your muscles due to its tightness, it squeezes them and betters the blood circulation. Numerous studies claim that compression clothing actually helps muscle recovery. There have even been claims that compression clothing refines proprioception. Better proprioception results in better movement and a reduction in the number of muscles involved while performing a certain physical activity. The increase of blood flow also rids you of unwanted biochemicals formed while exercising. Therefore, your workout will be less tiring and your muscles won’t be as sore as they used to be if you start wearing these clothes. The aforementioned studies have been conducted on athletes competing in sports such as track and field and basketball. However, there are numerous bodybuilders that have stated how they felt less sore after their workouts. Other than that, there is an obvious benefit of wearing this type of clothes and that is body temperature. Let’s say you decide to go out for a jog, but it’s raining. Maybe it’s even windy and cold. You know that wet clothes ultimately lead to a sore throat and a clogged nose. If you wear compression clothes while running outside in the rain, your body temperature will be just fine. You’ll stay warm. But some may argue that during the summer you might get too hot and feel extremely unpleasant. Have no fear, there is superb compression clothing designed to evaporate your sweat and cool you down.
Types of Compression Clothes
If you ever watched the NBA or NFL, you’ve probably seen how famous athletes always wear at least one garment of compression clothes. You’ve witnessed LeBron’s dunks and you can clearly see that he wears a compression sleeve on his hand. Dwayne Wade usually wears compression undershorts, a compression shirt and a long sleeve. You can see it under his jersey. You’ve probably realized by now that there is all kinds of compression apparel: compression cuffs for joint support, compression wrist sleeves, compression knee sleeves, elbow sleeves, leg sleeves and shirts. We could go on and on. Some compression clothes even have added protective cushions; for example, you can buy a sleeve with a protective cushion that will help you should you fall. We all know how knees are important and essential when it comes to sports and bodybuilding. You can even buy compression underpants with special protective cushions placed right on your knees. You’ll want to avoid knee injuries, trust us. Volleyball players will surely agree with us on this one. Falling inevitably hurts, but this piece of clothing will reduce the pain.
To Buy or Not to Buy?
We can’t really see why you shouldn’t at least try this out. Compression clothing comes to your aid during a workout or training or even a game. It depends on what you like to do. We’ve heard positive feedback from both athletes and bodybuilders. However, we have to stress that you should always look for quality compression clothing. You can find it online, but you should beware of cheap knockoffs of compression clothing. Another thing worth mentioning is that you should not wear it at all times. Doctors underline how it is not good to wear compression clothing all the time. If you are not being active, take it off. Of course, there is a thing called supportive compression for recovery; for example, you can take off your compression socks after a workout and put a pair of supportive compression socks when you’re done. It is comfortable and your legs will feel better. You must decide for yourself, but the benefits are clearly many and they are extremely useful.
About the Author:
I’m a fitness and health blogger at Ripped.me, and a great fan of the gym and a healthy diet. I follow all the trends in fitness, gym and healthy life, and l love to share my knowledge in this field through useful and informative articles.
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