Compression Impressions

The runner today has many options with regard to types of outfits available for training. Gone are the days when you simply put on a pair of sneakers, a shirt and shorts and start running.

One of the more readily available running gear type is compression wear. Compression wear is form fitting and made from a spandex like material. It takes the form of short and long sleeve shirts, shorts, long pants, socks and even arm-wraps (Moeben wraps). The benefits of this wear are to provide support to muscles, the ability to not retain / wick away moisture(sweat) during your activity, and the elimination of skin chafing during prolonged wearing of the material.

I have purchased and used a pair of compression long pants, shorts, and a pair of socks. Only one web retailer carries the Moeben arms wraps, ZombieRunner.com, and they run $35 a pair. They are designed to protect your forearms from getting over-exposed by the sun without trapping in heat.

My favorite compression wear so far is a pair of long (non-insulated/summer) UnderArmor compression pants I found on sale at TJ Maxx for $20. They retail for $40.

During the cool-down phase after I run a fair distance, my legs feel like Jello. In fact, my gait closely resembles the wobbly sauntering of a newborn calf or foal for quite some time after I complete my runs. Wearing the long compression pants helps provide some sort of stabilizing exoskeletal shell to assist my chicken legs in supporting my frame.

While they literally do not massage my legs while wearing them, they do provide a massaging effect. However, as my wife has made me acutely aware, they appear as though I am wearing tights. I have worn them to work under my pants in an effort to expedite my legs recuperating from a run of the previous day.

Has compression wear been proven to enhance an athlete's performance ? Most neutral web sites state they do not enhance performance. Many athletes are superstitious and dogmatically follow routines. If a person believes the compression wear helps, it goes a long way motivationally. I worked out with a guy who routinely would sport Superman t-shirts, complete with the large S painted on his chest. Did it scientifically help him ? No. Did he feel better about himself and his abilities ? A most definite, yes.