Your Experience With Compression Clothing During and After Workouts.
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Demander2015
Posts: 31 Member
So here is the thing. I have heard a lot about Compression Clothing and its effects when worn during and after a workout. I have also done a bit of research on the matter. From my research here is what I found.
There was a study done with professional basketball players. The players with similar athletic abilities were divided into two groups - one with compression leggings and one without. They were asked to perform 20 vertical jumps in succession. The next time the groups were swapped and the same thing repeated. What the researchers found was that the power and height of the best jump did not change with the compressive leggings. However, the average power and height increased slightly.
Another study was done with professional runners. They were asked to run on the treadmill without leggings and the next time they were given compressive leggings and asked to run on the treadmill. There was no increase in the speed or duration of the running. However, the runners reported that they "felt" better when they ran with the leggings and they had less soreness the next day.
In another trial, researchers found that the compressive leggings reduced the muscle vibrations in the runners and this was the reason they "felt" better.
However, in total, the research suggests that there is not much benefit from these leggings.
But I have a problem with these research papers. All these studies were done in professional MALE athletes, all with LESS THAN 10% BODY FAT. I cannot find a single research on normal people or overweight people.
So here is the deal. As my job requires me to stand all day and my legs were starting to ache, I was prescribed Compression leggings to Prevent Varicose Veins from developing. After reading through the articles, I decided to try the effect of the leggings myself. Here is what I experienced.
Since I am on the highest number of my normal weight range and have a high-fat percentage, I always have a lot of "jiggle". All that was eliminated and I could really focus on the workout. My jumps were higher and my range of movement was much more and it was easier as I didn't feel like my body would fall all over the place while moving around.
I didn't cramp. Doing jumping jack intensive workouts used to give me serious cramps in my calves during the workouts. But with the leggings, I didn't feel the cramp. The muscle got sore but did not cramp. I believe it has to do with the fact that compression leggings improve the blood flow. This would allow lactic acid and other metabolites to be washed away easily and prevent cramps from developing due to their accumulation.
I was definitely much less sore the next day. I assume, this also has to do with better blood flow.
Even though I am hotter due to the leggings, I believe a legging with cooling technology could solve the problem. (They are expensive and I am barely scrounging by as it is). Meanwhile, I would still tolerate the heat for the benefits it provides.
Every time I do not wear leggings I definitely have more cramps and soreness than when I do (even though it decreases as my fitness level increases, it is still always less than when I wear the leggings). And I can always have higher jumps and a fuller range of motion. They are such a blessing for HIIT!
I wanted to ask if any of you guys have tried them and what has been your experience? What kind of changes did you see in your workouts and what kind of workouts did you see changes in and what workouts did you not see changes in? What were the drawbacks that you found? Also, after this information would you like to try them? Do you have access to any more research/info about them?
Thank you!
There was a study done with professional basketball players. The players with similar athletic abilities were divided into two groups - one with compression leggings and one without. They were asked to perform 20 vertical jumps in succession. The next time the groups were swapped and the same thing repeated. What the researchers found was that the power and height of the best jump did not change with the compressive leggings. However, the average power and height increased slightly.
Another study was done with professional runners. They were asked to run on the treadmill without leggings and the next time they were given compressive leggings and asked to run on the treadmill. There was no increase in the speed or duration of the running. However, the runners reported that they "felt" better when they ran with the leggings and they had less soreness the next day.
In another trial, researchers found that the compressive leggings reduced the muscle vibrations in the runners and this was the reason they "felt" better.
However, in total, the research suggests that there is not much benefit from these leggings.
But I have a problem with these research papers. All these studies were done in professional MALE athletes, all with LESS THAN 10% BODY FAT. I cannot find a single research on normal people or overweight people.
So here is the deal. As my job requires me to stand all day and my legs were starting to ache, I was prescribed Compression leggings to Prevent Varicose Veins from developing. After reading through the articles, I decided to try the effect of the leggings myself. Here is what I experienced.
Since I am on the highest number of my normal weight range and have a high-fat percentage, I always have a lot of "jiggle". All that was eliminated and I could really focus on the workout. My jumps were higher and my range of movement was much more and it was easier as I didn't feel like my body would fall all over the place while moving around.
I didn't cramp. Doing jumping jack intensive workouts used to give me serious cramps in my calves during the workouts. But with the leggings, I didn't feel the cramp. The muscle got sore but did not cramp. I believe it has to do with the fact that compression leggings improve the blood flow. This would allow lactic acid and other metabolites to be washed away easily and prevent cramps from developing due to their accumulation.
I was definitely much less sore the next day. I assume, this also has to do with better blood flow.
Even though I am hotter due to the leggings, I believe a legging with cooling technology could solve the problem. (They are expensive and I am barely scrounging by as it is). Meanwhile, I would still tolerate the heat for the benefits it provides.
Every time I do not wear leggings I definitely have more cramps and soreness than when I do (even though it decreases as my fitness level increases, it is still always less than when I wear the leggings). And I can always have higher jumps and a fuller range of motion. They are such a blessing for HIIT!
I wanted to ask if any of you guys have tried them and what has been your experience? What kind of changes did you see in your workouts and what kind of workouts did you see changes in and what workouts did you not see changes in? What were the drawbacks that you found? Also, after this information would you like to try them? Do you have access to any more research/info about them?
Thank you!
3
Replies
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Subject n=1 here, but I find compression helps keep me comfortable (maybe leading to a reduced feeling of fatigue) in longer workouts (think 5+ hours). But that could be entirely mental/placebo. I have no data that suggest compression helps with time, speed, pace, etc. during my workouts.0
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The other half (strength and conditioning coach and biomechanist for pro and semi pro athletes) says they don't really do anything, and what they do is very minimal. Not enough that athletes really rely on them. His athletes do use compression suits (fancy, expensive ones) though, which is something they use for recovery not whilst working out.
I had some Skins years ago, I didn't notice any difference but I liked how they made me feel all tucked in!1 -
They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.4 -
tbright1965 wrote: »They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.
Believe the main reason is to cut down on wind resistance.2 -
tbright1965 wrote: »They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.
I'm almost positive compression garments, as in ones that even kind of approach that of prescription compression stockings, is far from de rigueur in cycling. Spandex? Yes. The compression garments the OP is talking about? No.3 -
Demander2015 wrote: »There was a study done with professional basketball players.
...
Another study was done with professional runners.
...
In another trial, researchers found that the compressive leggings reduced the muscle vibrations in the runners and this was the reason they "felt" better.
However, in total, the research suggests that there is not much benefit from these leggings.
But I have a problem with these research papers. All these studies were done in professional MALE athletes, all with LESS THAN 10% BODY FAT. I cannot find a single research on normal people or overweight people.
So here is the deal. As my job requires me to stand all day and my legs were starting to ache, I was prescribed Compression leggings to Prevent Varicose Veins from developing. After reading through the articles, I decided to try the effect of the leggings myself. Here is what I experienced.
Save for the whole anecdote not equalling data thing and questioning the idea of normal, I think it's really important to note that prescription compression garments provide significantly more compression than what you'll find a your average athlete who wears compression clothing wearing. I know a handful of people who wear compression garments and I was actually just talking about it this afternoon. That said, they do so due to lymphedema.
Additionally, what you actually would be looking for is not a study with "normal" people, rather people who are wearing prescription compression garments. More specifically, people who are wearing them for the prevention of varicose veins (I suspect most studies will be done in relation to lymphedema and probably mostly breast cancer related lymphedema).1 -
tbright1965 wrote: »They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.
And because this came up in doing a really quick google scholar search for my last post - from what is essentially a literature review Compression Garments and Exercise (B. A. MacRae et. al. 2011).Scanlan et al. found cycling power output at V̇O2max to be equivalent when wearing ankle-waist, lower-body CGs versus normal underwear for well trained male cyclists. Power and work during a 1-hour time trial was also unchanged by CGs in this cohort.
Nevermind that "normal underwear" is not typically worn by trained cyclists...0 -
Demander2015 wrote: »There was a study done with professional basketball players.
...
Another study was done with professional runners.
...
In another trial, researchers found that the compressive leggings reduced the muscle vibrations in the runners and this was the reason they "felt" better.
However, in total, the research suggests that there is not much benefit from these leggings.
But I have a problem with these research papers. All these studies were done in professional MALE athletes, all with LESS THAN 10% BODY FAT. I cannot find a single research on normal people or overweight people.
So here is the deal. As my job requires me to stand all day and my legs were starting to ache, I was prescribed Compression leggings to Prevent Varicose Veins from developing. After reading through the articles, I decided to try the effect of the leggings myself. Here is what I experienced.
Save for the whole anecdote not equalling data thing and questioning the idea of normal, I think it's really important to note that prescription compression garments provide significantly more compression than what you'll find a your average athlete who wears compression clothing wearing. I know a handful of people who wear compression garments and I was actually just talking about it this afternoon. That said, they do so due to lymphedema.
Additionally, what you actually would be looking for is not a study with "normal" people, rather people who are wearing prescription compression garments. More specifically, people who are wearing them for the prevention of varicose veins (I suspect most studies will be done in relation to lymphedema and probably mostly breast cancer related lymphedema).
Do you realise that they are one and the same thing? Compression Leggings for varicose veins as well as the ones for "athletes" have the same technology and they both come in the same compression levels. The idea for athletic compression clothing was actually copied from the ones for varicose veins and pasted in athletic wear. And mind you, I do not have varicose veins. They were just prescribed to "prevent" the development of any because I complained that I had tired legs and have to stand for hours. It was not necessary and I had a choice and decided to wear them and see.
Many people in the discussion seem to have missed the point completely. BECAUSE my experience was different from the studies done on pro athletes, I am questioning whether compression might help people with higher body fat percentages than the pro athletes who are completely shredded and the personal experience of the people (of any category) who might have tried them. If a study is not considering the effects if the wear on "NORMAL" people, it is hardly speaking for the possible effects on the majority of the population of the world, now is it?4 -
tbright1965 wrote: »They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.
I'm almost positive compression garments, as in ones that even kind of approach that of prescription compression stockings, is far from de rigueur in cycling. Spandex? Yes. The compression garments the OP is talking about? No.
They don't fit loosely, so I'd put them in the same category. They may not be sold as compression garments, but fit exactly the same. Same components, other than the added chamois pad too.5 -
Demander2015 wrote: »Another study was done with professional runners. They were asked to run on the treadmill without leggings and the next time they were given compressive leggings and asked to run on the treadmill. There was no increase in the speed or duration of the running. However, the runners reported that they "felt" better when they ran with the leggings and they had less soreness the next day.
In another trial, researchers found that the compressive leggings reduced the muscle vibrations in the runners and this was the reason they "felt" better..............
........... But with the leggings, I didn't feel the cramp. The muscle got sore but did not cramp. I believe it has to do with the fact that compression leggings improve the blood flow. This would allow lactic acid and other metabolites to be washed away easily and prevent cramps from developing due to their accumulation.
I was definitely much less sore the next day. I assume, this also has to do with better blood flow.........
......... I wanted to ask if any of you guys have tried them and what has been your experience?
I have used compression sleeves on my calves, as have a number of my training partners. Our use has been during and after endurance activities such as cycling and running. I'd say our general consensus has been that while compression sleeves often make us "feel" slightly better during the activity, our primary use has been post workout to aid in recovery. In fact, two of my friends have gone to the next step and purchased Normatec boot systems, which produce very significant levels of compression achieved by airflow through the leggings to massage leg muscles to aid in recovery.0 -
Demander2015 wrote: »Demander2015 wrote: »There was a study done with professional basketball players.
...
Another study was done with professional runners.
...
In another trial, researchers found that the compressive leggings reduced the muscle vibrations in the runners and this was the reason they "felt" better.
However, in total, the research suggests that there is not much benefit from these leggings.
But I have a problem with these research papers. All these studies were done in professional MALE athletes, all with LESS THAN 10% BODY FAT. I cannot find a single research on normal people or overweight people.
So here is the deal. As my job requires me to stand all day and my legs were starting to ache, I was prescribed Compression leggings to Prevent Varicose Veins from developing. After reading through the articles, I decided to try the effect of the leggings myself. Here is what I experienced.
Save for the whole anecdote not equalling data thing and questioning the idea of normal, I think it's really important to note that prescription compression garments provide significantly more compression than what you'll find a your average athlete who wears compression clothing wearing. I know a handful of people who wear compression garments and I was actually just talking about it this afternoon. That said, they do so due to lymphedema.
Additionally, what you actually would be looking for is not a study with "normal" people, rather people who are wearing prescription compression garments. More specifically, people who are wearing them for the prevention of varicose veins (I suspect most studies will be done in relation to lymphedema and probably mostly breast cancer related lymphedema).
Do you realise that they are one and the same thing? Compression Leggings for varicose veins as well as the ones for "athletes" have the same technology and they both come in the same compression levels. The idea for athletic compression clothing was actually copied from the ones for varicose veins and pasted in athletic wear. And mind you, I do not have varicose veins. They were just prescribed to "prevent" the development of any because I complained that I had tired legs and have to stand for hours. It was not necessary and I had a choice and decided to wear them and see.
Many people in the discussion seem to have missed the point completely. BECAUSE my experience was different from the studies done on pro athletes, I am questioning whether compression might help people with higher body fat percentages than the pro athletes who are completely shredded and the personal experience of the people (of any category) who might have tried them. If a study is not considering the effects if the wear on "NORMAL" people, it is hardly speaking for the possible effects on the majority of the population of the world, now is it?
Your use of the word prescription is very different to mine. That is to say, I was assuming you quite literally got a electronic or hard copy prescription for a non-OTC product. I'm also used to people needing compression stockings for lymphedema. In their case the pressure they need is greater than stockings for varicose veins.
Again, what is normal and were you reading journal articles that essentially said, "this worked/didn't work for this population so we're going to generalize those results to all populations"?
For what it's worth I have, in the span of five minutes, found at two studies that don't appear to be using professional athletes. Though having said that, I have access to a number of institutional journal subscriptions through my university's library. The two that I found were, Effects of compression stockings during exercise and recovery on blood lactate kinetics (D. Rimaud et. al. 2010) and Graduated compression stockings: Physiological and perceptual responses during and after exercise (A. Ali et. al. 2006). Unfortunately both studies only consisted of men but it's very clear in the 2010 article that the participants were not professional athletes as they trained on average less than 5.5 hours per week. The other article didn't say how many hours the people in the study trained, but classed them as "recreational runners" who competed in other sports that required running such as soccer. That said, at least in the 2010 study they were - well, "normal". "None of the subjects had cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic diseases, venous insufficiency, peripheral vascular disease or took medications." That could be too normal for what you're looking for.
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I wear compression shorts, leggings and shirts simply because they feel/look good, add a layer of warmth when I need it and because they do not hold moisture and dry quickly as the sweat evaporates.
I started wearing them long before it became trendy to do so, when UA was created and you could only get their gear by mail order because it wasn't carried in any dlstores yet. So, it's nothing new to me.1 -
Just to be clear - are we talking about tight/form fitting clothes, or compression-specific clothes. Yes, there is a difference.5
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tbright1965 wrote: »tbright1965 wrote: »They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.
I'm almost positive compression garments, as in ones that even kind of approach that of prescription compression stockings, is far from de rigueur in cycling. Spandex? Yes. The compression garments the OP is talking about? No.
They don't fit loosely, so I'd put them in the same category. They may not be sold as compression garments, but fit exactly the same. Same components, other than the added chamois pad too.
As @jjpptt2 said, tight fitting clothing and compression garments are two different things. Yes both material is tight but they are very different and have totally different functions. Raspberries and blackberries are both caneberries but are very different.0 -
Demander2015 wrote: »Another study was done with professional runners. They were asked to run on the treadmill without leggings and the next time they were given compressive leggings and asked to run on the treadmill. There was no increase in the speed or duration of the running. However, the runners reported that they "felt" better when they ran with the leggings and they had less soreness the next day.
In another trial, researchers found that the compressive leggings reduced the muscle vibrations in the runners and this was the reason they "felt" better..............
........... But with the leggings, I didn't feel the cramp. The muscle got sore but did not cramp. I believe it has to do with the fact that compression leggings improve the blood flow. This would allow lactic acid and other metabolites to be washed away easily and prevent cramps from developing due to their accumulation.
I was definitely much less sore the next day. I assume, this also has to do with better blood flow.........
......... I wanted to ask if any of you guys have tried them and what has been your experience?
I have used compression sleeves on my calves, as have a number of my training partners. Our use has been during and after endurance activities such as cycling and running. I'd say our general consensus has been that while compression sleeves often make us "feel" slightly better during the activity, our primary use has been post workout to aid in recovery. In fact, two of my friends have gone to the next step and purchased Normatec boot systems, which produce very significant levels of compression achieved by airflow through the leggings to massage leg muscles to aid in recovery.
So do you feel they indeed aid in a faster recovery?1 -
My only experience is with my feet. When I walk/hike I need to wear compression socks (the ones with compression on the foot only, not the calves) and shoes I can lace tight enough to get extra compression on my right foot. I have osteoarthritis of the duboid, anterior process of the calcaneus, and Lisfranc's joint on that foot. The compression minimizes inflammation and speeds up recovery. I can walk fo hours without pain afterwards if I wear the right gear and especially continue don't remove it for at least an hour after getting home.0
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tbright1965 wrote: »tbright1965 wrote: »They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.
I'm almost positive compression garments, as in ones that even kind of approach that of prescription compression stockings, is far from de rigueur in cycling. Spandex? Yes. The compression garments the OP is talking about? No.
They don't fit loosely, so I'd put them in the same category. They may not be sold as compression garments, but fit exactly the same. Same components, other than the added chamois pad too.
As @jjpptt2 said, tight fitting clothing and compression garments are two different things. Yes both material is tight but they are very different and have totally different functions. Raspberries and blackberries are both caneberries but are very different.
Okay, are we talking about medical compression garments or just run of the mill fitness garments called compression garments?
I'd say yes, there is a difference between the medical garments and the fitness garments.
However, I don't think there is all that much difference between the compression shorts a basketball player might wear under his uniform shorts and the bike shorts I'd wear on the road.
I would agree, the term is overloaded and I may be assuming the type worn by basketball players vs a full bore medically prescribed garment.
But I contend the difference between the ballers and the bikers shorts is small if any at all.2 -
garystrickland357 wrote: »So do you feel they indeed aid in a faster recovery?
While they are not a "miracle cure", yes, I do feel they help my recovery. During high volume bike/run training weeks, I try to get off my feet after each workout and I wear compression sleeves for part of the day.
(My wife says I look like a geek when we show up at a family event and I'm wearing a pair of golf shorts with compression sleeves on my lower legs and OOFOS recovery sandals on my feet, lol. )
0 -
tbright1965 wrote: »tbright1965 wrote: »tbright1965 wrote: »They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.
I'm almost positive compression garments, as in ones that even kind of approach that of prescription compression stockings, is far from de rigueur in cycling. Spandex? Yes. The compression garments the OP is talking about? No.
They don't fit loosely, so I'd put them in the same category. They may not be sold as compression garments, but fit exactly the same. Same components, other than the added chamois pad too.
As @jjpptt2 said, tight fitting clothing and compression garments are two different things. Yes both material is tight but they are very different and have totally different functions. Raspberries and blackberries are both caneberries but are very different.
Okay, are we talking about medical compression garments or just run of the mill fitness garments called compression garments?
I'd say yes, there is a difference between the medical garments and the fitness garments.
However, I don't think there is all that much difference between the compression shorts a basketball player might wear under his uniform shorts and the bike shorts I'd wear on the road.
I would agree, the term is overloaded and I may be assuming the type worn by basketball players vs a full bore medically prescribed garment.
But I contend the difference between the ballers and the bikers shorts is small if any at all.
My compression sleeves are very different to my bib shorts and bib tights. Commercially available, rather than prescription.
Fwiw I'm not sure that is be comfortable riding in compression kit for any length of time. I'll run ultras with calf sleeves though.1 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »tbright1965 wrote: »tbright1965 wrote: »tbright1965 wrote: »They are de rigueur in Cycling. Of course they also have a chamois pad for comfort.
If they didn’t have some benefit, I wouldn’t think cyclists would be wearing them for years now.
I'm almost positive compression garments, as in ones that even kind of approach that of prescription compression stockings, is far from de rigueur in cycling. Spandex? Yes. The compression garments the OP is talking about? No.
They don't fit loosely, so I'd put them in the same category. They may not be sold as compression garments, but fit exactly the same. Same components, other than the added chamois pad too.
As @jjpptt2 said, tight fitting clothing and compression garments are two different things. Yes both material is tight but they are very different and have totally different functions. Raspberries and blackberries are both caneberries but are very different.
Okay, are we talking about medical compression garments or just run of the mill fitness garments called compression garments?
I'd say yes, there is a difference between the medical garments and the fitness garments.
However, I don't think there is all that much difference between the compression shorts a basketball player might wear under his uniform shorts and the bike shorts I'd wear on the road.
I would agree, the term is overloaded and I may be assuming the type worn by basketball players vs a full bore medically prescribed garment.
But I contend the difference between the ballers and the bikers shorts is small if any at all.
My compression sleeves are very different to my bib shorts and bib tights. Commercially available, rather than prescription.
Fwiw I'm not sure that is be comfortable riding in compression kit for any length of time. I'll run ultras with calf sleeves though.
Correct. I've got compression bibs and regular lyra bibs. Not the same thing. At. All.
How meaningful the difference is... I think that's what this thread is about.0
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