How Compression Gear Boosts Performance and Recovery
You don’t have to be a fashionista to realize that compression gear is definitely one of the hottest gym trends at the moment. Just take a peak when you’re passing by at the gym and you will realize that wearing compression clothes might be worth a shot. But, why? What is the difference in wearing regular clothes and compression gear while working out? Namely, wearing compression gear while doing exercise can significantly enhance your performance and improve your recovery, and here’s how:
Compression gear has roots in medicine
The roots of compression clothing lie in medicine. Basically, it was, and it still is, very common to use compression on patients whose blood pressure is low after an operation, or for patients who experience poor blood circulation. Compression is generally used in medicine to increase blood flow, while also helping in dispersing lymphatic fluid. This has been taken from medicine and introduced into sports, so wearing compression gear while working out will most certainly increase your blood flow and thus make your workout much more effective.
It was designed for a certain purpose
Even though it’s a very popular trend, not everybody wears compression gear in the proper way. It’s not only about having tight-fitting clothes that you will wear at the gym. In order to give it true and useful compression, you need to choose the clothes that have been designed for a certain purpose. They need to be measured to fit the individual who’s wearing it, and it’s also very important to know that there are different compression clothes for pre-activity, post-activity and during exercise. This means that you should wear stronger compression clothes while working out and lower ones for recovery, when your heart rate is lower and your body is resting.
The choice of clothes
The market is filled with compression clothes this very moment, so it’s impossible to enter a sports store and not see these clothes hanging from the walls. And the choice is really huge — you can choose from shorts to t-shirts, and the most popular choice of compression gear — the tights. Wearing high-quality compression sports tights is probably the most important, as these can help you in various ways. Make sure that you choose the right tights for you, as you want the ones that are engineered to promote maximum blood flow. Moreover, wearing them will result in a faster warm-up, and this is definitely where you want to save your time. Not only that, but they will reduce the chances of fatigue through less muscle oscillation and minimize the muscle soreness.
Lower risk of DVT
Compression clothes are also good regarding prevention of any injuries and treatment of the ones that athletes might be having at the moment. Athletes very often suffer from deep-venous thrombosis syndrome, and this is where compression can be useful as well. This happens because the fitter we are, the lower our resting heart rate tends to be. A great way to prevent this is by wearing compression garments every time when you’re travelling as you will get a lighter feeling and definitely feel fresher.
The post-workout advantages
As already mentioned, wearing compression garments while working out can definitely boost your performance. However, they do so much more, especially if you’re wearing them after your workout. First of all, you will experience less muscle soreness, which is always a positive thing. In order to prevent the pain, you don’t have to wear these garments while working out, so you can basically choose the time when you want to wear them. If you don’t like wearing them at the gym, never mind — simply put them on after your workout and you will see how they will reduce your muscle soreness.
Wearing compression gear outside the gym
Even though compression wear can be very beneficial for your performance at the gym, there are those people who like to wear it outside of the gym as well. This is particularly good for those who struggle with leg cramps or numbness on long-distance flights. So, next time you have a long flight coming along, make sure to bring your tights if you want to relax more. The pressure and the humidity in the airplane can cause temporary changes in your body — such as dehydration and lowered blood pressure. This can cause the veins in your legs to collect more blood, especially since you’re not very active and cannot walk that much while flying. Wearing compression sleeves, tights or stockings can help you get that blood moving.
Hopefully, you have realized how much good wearing compression gear can bring you. The great thing is that you don’t only have to wear them during your workout in order to feel the benefits; if you don’t like wearing them while working out, you can wear them after, and it’s still going to do the trick.
