Just wondering what some of you may think is the best soorts compression gear
Best compression gear
itsmeyd on 05/04/2015 - 16:26
Last edited 05/04/2015 - 20:19
Last edited 05/04/2015 - 20:19
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I'm curious to hear from anyone who has used it and whether they genuinely feel they've seen a material difference from using it?
If you wear it because it's comfortable and 'fit for purpose' that's fine, but I'm more looking at the performance benefits. Everything I have read suggests it is a bit of a placebo effect.
I have a couple of friends who are sports science lecturers and researchers. The research they were doing showed performance increases, and even showed the difference between ionized and standard compression gear. Gains were a few %, which can make a big difference in competitive sport. I've personally only used them for the better recovery time.
I've been wearing skins since their original series and have really found it useful for performance and recovery.
I do a fair bit of running around with work (Refereeing - ~20km a weekend), and if my muscles are feeling sore afterwards, I just wear it to bed and it feels much better in the morning. In the past I have had issues where I'd cramp up during the night after a long day but it's not happened since wearing skins.
It's helped me performance wise as well. Was warming up for a match after a match the night before, and felt pretty tight due to not cooling down properly the night before and stretching as much as I should have. Put on my skins and felt a bit more comfortable within 10-15 minutes, and didn't feel the tightness in the legs during the match.
Have a quick lookup online about the research. I haven't looked for a while, but looking now, nothing much has changed. Basically there is both positive and negative research into whether there are benefits.
Here is a summary of various research papers that basically says there is no conclusive evidence : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25729293
This is another summary of research papers that says there is benefit : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23302134
Here is a link to an Australian fact sheet saying it's very beneficial (probably biased because it's from the Aus Sporting Goods Assoc) : http://www.asga.com.au/images/stories/file/fact_sheets/Compr…
Here is an article from the Australian Sports Commission, again saying it's inconclusive but generally positive : http://www.ausport.gov.au/sportscoachmag/sports_sciences/com…
From the most recently dated published papers I read showing positive effects, it appears there are a few common themes :
- Positive effect when using them for recovery within 48 hour period
- Doesn't matter what "strength" elasticity you use, you'll still get some kind of positive effect
- Major positive effects only really noticeable in elite/highly trained athletes
- During activity, only a small amount of performance increase in elite athletes (sprints, VO2 max)
- During recovery, perception of pain is reduced which may lead to perception of improved physical recoveryI've given running tights and compression multiple goes in recent years and to me, being a non-serious runner, it's not worth the money. I actually find compression tights (as opposed to running tights to keep you warm) are counter-productive in my performance because they restrict your leg movement, making you work harder therefore wasting energy. They also restrict blood flow which means less oxygen to my legs, and is definitely something I don't want happening for my long-long runs. However I can see potential benefits of my two negative points if you are a sprinter and can make use of the elasticity/rebound effect of the garment and are only running for a short period of time.
My advice : Go with whatever is comfortable for you. Don't be afraid to try and buy (or if it's cheap enough, buy then try). Do some research. If it works for you then awesome. Even if it's placebo effect, it's still a positive effect.
Goodluck!
Good response there, appreciate someone getting to the facts.
I've use compression gear for years, and find it far more effective to wear AFTER the exercise during the recovery phase (ie. get home, have a shower, throw on compression gear and rest)… than actually during the exercise. This has helped me reduce the impact of DOMS marginally, but enough for me to take notice.
BUT, that's not scientifically backed up… just my personal findings for my body (which may just be a placebo, but hey…. it works for me)
I find they help with recovery only a bit but stretching and a protein shake works better. 1 straight after and 1 before bed
for heat management dunking it (any) in water works great on a 40+ day especially if your cycling
Rebel has it