By Jake Owen
If you’re not yet familiar with compression equipment, where do you actually live? – don’t worry as this is the definitive article on the subject. Compression garments are extremely tight-fitting garments often worn by athletes in training or on game days. Alternatively called compression garments, they include t-shirts, tights, socks, sleeves or underwear and are often made largely from a spandex-like material, a synthetic fiber known for its extreme elasticity , or sometimes nylon and latex.
This article thoroughly reviews the current literature on this topic and highlights their many purported benefits.
Often cited benefits of compression equipment
Until recent years, aside from the anecdotal claims of many professional and amateur athletes, there was virtually no scientific evidence supporting the many supposed benefits of compression equipment. Due to their growing popularity and widespread use, significant progress has been made, with the publication of several peer-reviewed articles on the subject.
Claims of reduction of late onset muscle soreness, improved performance, faster recovery and less fatigue, joint stabilization as well as improved oxygenation and circulation in the compressed muscle have been made. – and still are – regularly made, but do these claims stand up to scientific scrutiny?
On reducing exercise-induced muscle soreness
A study on the effects of compression garments after intensive resistance training, evaluating eleven men and nine women who underwent intensive resistance training, concluded that there were significant benefits to wearing compression gear. Namely, there were differences favoring compression garments in post-workout assessments of vitality, resting fatigue, muscle soreness, and swelling measured by ultrasound, among others. In conclusion, it appears that the use of compression appears to greatly aid recovery from intense resistance-based workouts in both sexes.
Another study investigating the effects of compression garments on short-term recovery after sprint and running performance over 3 km in rugby players, just like the previous one, was conclusive in its results: Compared to the placebo, compression socks and clothing improved sprint times, reduced fatigue, and significantly reduced delayed onset muscle soreness.
A third study, where seventeen female subjects followed a intensive plyometric training, indicates much the same thing as those mentioned above. Compression garments appear to be an effective recovery strategy following exercise-induced muscle damage.
Long distance, endurance exercise
Previous studies have investigated cases where the subject’s strength (dumbbell movements), explosive power (plyometric movements) were heavily stressed, as well as intensive speed training in the form of sprinting and high-speed circuit training. intensity simulating a rugby match. So far, the evidence appears to be conclusive in favor of compression garments. But is this also the case when it comes to long-distance endurance running?
According to this study, when studying moderately trained athletes, no difference was observed between exhaustion times achieved with or without compression sleeves. A second study, once again comparing compressive and conventional running clothing, shows that there were no differences in submaximal and maximum oxygen consumption, arterial lactate concentration, oxygen saturation and pressure partial oxygen between the two. Overall, the use of compression garments provided no performance benefit.
A third study, however, begins to suggest something different. At higher speeds, lower extremity compression equipment produced an increase in regional blood flow and a significant decrease in heart rate. While these results are certainly interesting and show that compression equipment results in some cardiorespiratory and psychological benefits, the weight of these improvements seems rather small, as they do not correspond to equal improvements in endurance running performance.
Are compression garments right for you?
So far, we have presented the results of six separate scientific studies investigating the effects of compression equipment on athletic performance. The evidence seems to indicate the following:
- Compression garments are not a fashion statement. There are a large number of proven benefits that can be experienced from wearing them while exercising.
- You are more likely to reap the majority of their benefits if you do intense anaerobic exercise such as strength training or plyometrics, or if you run at very high speeds such as sprinting.
- If you want to improve your performance in long-distance running (and probably similar activities, such as long-distance cycling), compression clothing is unlikely to have a significant positive or negative impact on your game.
Overall, as is probably obvious by now, there is really no reason not wear compression garments. They have many well-documented benefits that will improve your performance in certain areas of fitness and appear to have no adverse effects. When you couple their scientifically proven benefits with the widely held anecdotal claims about their positive impact, you have virtually no reason not to try them.
Conclusion: The Verdict on Compression Equipment
The only thing that is certain is that compression equipment does not work like a magic pill. It certainly won’t make you an elite athlete overnight. But it might just be a relatively inexpensive asset to add to your gym bag. This might give you a slight edge when it comes to plyometrics, strength training, and high-intensity running, and you’ll surely feel comfortable and “perfect” while training.
Therefore, if you want to improve your sports performance, compression clothing is something to consider and, in all likelihood, a good investment. This article has deliberately neglected to focus on the stylish side of compression gear, but it’s also something to keep in mind. These days they come in many designs, shapes and colors and with a little looking you can definitely find something you like to improve your appearance on the field.
On the one hand, compression garments are very likely to improve your performance – or at least not negatively affect it. On the other hand, it is the “fashionable” thing to wear them, whether you are a professional or recreational athlete, and it will improve your appearance and style during training. What’s not to like? We highly recommend you at least try them.
