Compression garments, once used for medical purposes only, are now common among athletes seeking to increase their training and performance performance in every way possible.
I first encountered her when I noticed that several of my marathon friends were running in multi-colored socks. At first I took it for a fashion trend.
The use of compression socks for running, triathlon and cycling is something of a trend too, but what is the science behind it - do these products really work and should they be used before or after a ride or run?
What does compression garment actually do?
According to some studies, compression socks worn during active sports can improve venous circulation and help remove lactic acid.
There are two types of blood circulation: blood flowing from the heart, carrying oxygen (called arterial blood), and blood that is already flowing through the muscles and returning to the heart for re-oxygenation, called venous blood.
Venous blood has a lower pressure than others, and since muscle contraction helps it return to the heart, pressure on the muscles is believed to be beneficial.
If the pressure on your limbs can stimulate blood flow, compression garments should increase the amount of oxygen your muscles receive, and therefore should help them perform better.
Compression clothing worn during exercise can also prevent excessive muscle vibrations that can lead to fatigue. If you have a lot of muscles (kidding, people have the same amount of muscles!), Think about how much your quads oscillate when you run?
Visualize the work of your legs as you run or watch a video in slow motion of the work of your muscles - you will be very surprised how much and how often they oscillate. The muscles of runners, for example, vibrate more than those of cyclists, simply because of differences in movement patterns.
What About Compression for Recovery?
Often, professional athletes wear knee-highs for recovery as soon as race day ends. The implication is that squeezing increases blood circulation, which should aid recovery.
Anything that increases the rate at which your blood can flush toxins such as lactic acid out of your body can only be good.
2xu compression leotard for recovery
There is a lot of conflicting opinions and information about cycling compression garments. I wanted to try it myself. I chose the 2XU brand from a couple of others that were recommended to me.
2XU has collaborated with the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) to support the wearing of sports compression clothing.
The benefits are stated on their website 2xu-russia.ru/compression/:
- 2% Power Improvement After Recovery Between Workouts
- 5% power boost at peak, 18% increase in blood flow in the quadriceps
- Increase power up to 1.4% in 30 min training sets
- Lactate is removed from the blood 4.8% faster. 60 minutes Recovery
- Decreases 1.1 cm of thigh edema and 0.6 cm of lower leg based on measurement of girth after wearing clothes in leak. Recovery
Appearance
2XU sent me the "Women Power Compression" leotard for review. In fact, I don't really want to ride a bike in recovery clothes - I like my ASSOS clothes. I am looking for help in recovery - this is what I always want to improve. So I started wearing the “2XU Power Recovery Compression” leotard after training.
The look of these leggings is truly sporty. Personally, I think all black looks cool, but they sent me black and green, which in my opinion looks a little crazy.
So I wore them at home. The wide waistband helps keep the leggings from slipping, which is important as recovery tights tend to be looser at the top than the bottom.
Technology
This leotard uses the highest level of 2XU compression - 105 den - in a highly elastic, yet tensile and compression stable fabric that feels strong and dense. The leggings are full-length, they go to the foot leaving the toes and heel open. Which is great, because clenched toes are a very unpleasant sensation.
Leotards have "distributed compression". I can't really explain what this means, but I can assume it means gradual compression - the level of compression decreases as you move up the leg.
The fabric is durable, moisture wicking, antibacterial and even has UPF 50+ sun protection.
Feelings and how it sits
It is very important to get restorative leggings that fit snugly or they will not work properly. 2XU recommends choosing a smaller size if you fall between sizes, but since this is not about me, I just chose the XS.
I have a rather small waist and hips, but relatively developed quads, the leggings fit comfortably on me. Putting them on is more difficult than pulling on regular leggings, it takes effort and dexterity.
The material is silky and pleasantly cools the skin. Flat seams prevent chafing. The compression is strongest around the calves and not particularly noticeable on the thighs. I guess this is because the idea is to speed up the flow of blood from the legs to the heart. True, I was hoping to feel more pressure on my tired thighs, simply because it would be nice!
The leggings have straps so the compression starts right at the feet. I didn't like the pressure on the foot, it was uncomfortable, so I'm going to cut off the bottom of the leggings. The leotard fits snugly enough around the ankle so that I maintain a high level of compression.
They work?
Hmm ... well, it's hard to say for sure - I didn't measure the indicators, but the clothes are comfortable to wear. I love the feeling of constant pressure on my legs, there is something soothing about it. When I put them on, I feel like I'm doing something good for my legs and give them a better chance of a quick recovery.
After reading various scientific articles about the compression effect, I decided that it is worth wearing such clothes, since even a slight improvement in the issue of recovery is worth it. Especially if all you have to do is wear a compression leotard for a few hours a day.
