You made it to the gym, and got there just after work. Despite your enthusiasm and your dedication to the iron sport, you’re struggling from one exercise to the next. Although you have a perfect workout routine, it’s not going very well. After only a few reps, you’re feeling the lactic acid burn. Even after you dropped down to lighter weights, it didn’t help much. Although you’re doing your best, each set just keeps getting worse.
In an attempt to turn things around, you go to the front counter and buy a bottle of pre-workout time and time again. This helps for a few sets, but then you’re back to feeling all washed up again.
What can you do?
Exercise with compression clothes. Compression products for men—like shirts, shorts, tights and socks—squeeze your muscles in a tight casing. This not only improves performance while you’re exercising, it also helps you recover faster.
How do compression clothes pull off this miracle?
Although it looks like magic, it’s actually science. The science is complicated, but the concepts are easy to apply.
When you move, your muscles contract and you move your bones around your joints. By wearing compression clothes over your extremities, you are encouraging more venous blood flow. In fact, compression clothes even work for people who are sedentary and at risk for conditions like lymphedma or deep vein thrombosis.
Sometimes, too, athletic activity forces the muscles to move out of their contraction plane due to a jolt or jar. For instance, when running on a treadmill, the belt is vibrating as you run on it. Compression clothing reduces the shock to the muscles and stabilizes them from external vibrations.
For athletes, compression clothes serve three main purposes: They improve performance, they speed up recovery, and they prevent injuries.
Compression clothing is the new normal
An article in CT post, entitled “Compression clothing: What is it and what are its benefits?’ gives a beautiful description of how this unusual idea has become a fitness trend:
“If you walked into any health club or gym a decade or so ago, you likely found people exercising in clothing best described as baggy. Loose sweatpants and oversized T-shirts were standard apparel because they were comfortable and had the added benefit of hiding the areas of the body people were trying to get into shape….Fast forward to the present, when everyone from runners and cyclists, to people pumping iron and others using exercise equipment are more likely to be sporting sleek, tight workout wear. Known as compression clothing, the snug garments are made for nearly every part of the body, including skull caps, hoods, arm sleeves, long-sleeve tops, vests, tights, calf guards and socks. Across the area, both salespeople at fitness clothing stores and those into fitness say the trend of buying and wearing the snug workout apparel is gaining speed.”
Compression clothes and weight-lifting
Compression garments help you exercise better in the gym. The reason is logical enough. The gentle squeeze improves blood circulation, as well as aids in the circulation of lymph fluid. More oxygen-rich blood is circulated to the muscles and lactic acid gets drained out faster.
Another interesting benefit is an improvement in proprioception. This is your sense of balance and bodily position. If you’re doing a deep squat, for example, better proprioception will help you raise and lower your torso in the most efficient way. By moving more efficiently, you’re reducing the number of supportive muscles needed to do the exercise. Instead of completely engaging your abs, hips, and calves (external oblique, gluteus medias, and gastrocnemius) you’re now keeping most of the focus on your buttocks, and front and back thighs (gluteus maximus, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and biceps femoris).
After the exercise, your legs should not be as fatigued and sore as usual. The compression clothes worked like two strong hands squeezing your muscles, and this increased blood flow to the muscles and flushed out unwanted exercise-induced biochemicals.
Compression clothes and cross-training
If you’re doing some cross-training, which might include some outdoor activity like running to burn off fat to get ripped, compression clothing will help you in many ways.If, for instance, you’re running on a trail, they will protect your legs, reduce swelling to your feet, and keep you warm. Compression tights will protect your legs from dirt, minor scratches and abrasions, as well as hazards like poison ivy. Compression socks will limit your feet swelling if you’re running a long distance. And compression shirts will keep you warm if you’re running on a cold day.
Unusual properties of compression clothes
Compression garments have many unusual properties not associated with normal gym wear. They keep moisture away from the body, which helps you stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer. They are made with an anti-bacterial material, which means that you can sweat heavily during a workout without reeking of body odor.
Should you try compression clothes?
Because compression clothes snugly fit the body, it’s easy to show off a ripped physique. But besides making you look good, they are also more comfortable to wear, preventing you from getting too hot or too cold. Finally, they help improve during a workout as well as reduce recovery time after a workout.