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What is compression? Why is compression important to athletes?
Compression generally refers to any fabric or clothing that restricts muscle movement. In most cases, this is a pair of socks, or calf sleeves, or even shirts and shorts. Compression is becoming a slightly overused term: just because a shirt is tight doesn’t make it compression. Some people use ‘compression’ shirts to reduce chafing and other irritation, but there is limited science supporting compression in large garments such as shirts. Some shorts feature compression, which can be helpful, especially around your quads. Most compression gear, however, focuses on your calf muscles and takes the form of socks or sleeves.
While there doesn't seem to be much technical or statistical proof that compression has measureable performance benefits, there is quite a bit of evidence that compression has other benefit. First, compression helps with fatigue. When you’re working out intensely, running for example, your muscles endure a great deal of shock and vibration, as do your veins and joints. Compression is designed to limit the movement and vibration and, it is claimed, that this reduces your overall fatigue. There is also quite a bit of solid evidence that using compression reduces lactic acid buildup in muscles and increases circulation to move any lactic acid from your muscles more quickly than without. The circulatory support offered by compression is as important to athletes traveling after a big race like an Ironman. Compression socks are used in hospitals to increase blood flow and reduce the chances of blood clots, a sought after feature for triathletes traveling after great exertion.
There are so many companies now offering compression products and at widely different price ranges, it can be overwhelming to sort out what is the best for your needs and what is a reasonable price to pay. At Element, we hear about new compression products and lines all the time and we've tried to provide you with the best product selection in terms of performance and value. As well, this year, we'll be showing you a way to add a little fun to your compression gear. We'll keep you posted as new products arrive. For now, you can wear your compression socks and calf sleeves with and have confidence that you are doing yourself some good!
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