In the past ten years, compression gear has been slowly taking over the market of athletic gear. Long gone are the days when loose running shorts to stay cool and sweats for warmth dominated. The compression movement has spread across all sports and athletes of all ages over a short period of time. There is a use for it in every facet of the game: compression for the heat, compression for the cold, compression for performance enhancement, and even compression as a restoration tool. Here, the use and effectiveness of wearing this type of gear post-workout with the intention to speed recovery will be examined in the research.
A 2010 study by Sear et al., examined the effects of full-body compression on a metabolically taxing workout regime with interspersed bursts of high-intensity intervals and bouts of rest, specifically in team sports (1). They found that the compression produced a slight enhancement in tissue oxygenation and thus exercise performance (1). It was proposed that compression garments improve the availability of oxygen after high-intensity interval bursts, speeding reoxygenation of peripheral muscles and metabolic recovery between intervals (1). This can be traced back to the therapeutic use of compression in hospital patients, especially diabetics, to increase circulation and prevent blood from clotting. Some studies have found that compression garments decrease muscle oscillation during contraction and prevents venous blood pooling, leading to increases stroke volume (the amount your hear pumps with each cycle) and cardiac output (1).
The most well-known claim is that compression of the muscles can help speed post workout recovery, by virtue of its effects on the circulatory system. A study measuring the effects of compression garments worn in the 24-hour post-resistance workout coincided with this notion (2). The markers for muscle damage such as creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were both significantly reduced in the subjects who wore the compressive gear (2). Ultrasound technology was used to assess the muscle swelling in both the experimental and control groups and found a considerable reduction in swelling in the compression group (2).
Some athletes prefer to think that the elastic nature of the material gives them an added torque in speed and power production such as with jumping or sprinting. Unfortunately, there is little support for the use of compression gear for the recovery from explosive power-type workouts (3). Many research studies have found no positive correlation between recovery and performance enhancement with the use of compression during anaerobic exercise, however, aerobic performance demands respond very differently (3). One study aimed the focus on a 40-km endurance cycling time trial in which trained multisport athletes wore graduated lower-body compression gear, which applies the greatest pressure distally (at the ankle), and the least pressure proximally (at the hip) during the 24-hour recovery period between trials (3). There was substantial improvement in the compression versus the placebo group in the subsequent time trial performance, a 1.2% improvement observed (3). This may seem like a small benefit to reap, but in a number-crunching top tier athlete, these small percentage points may make all the difference in breaching the next level of performance.
What began as a therapeutic modality in medicine has truly evolved across athletics with a wave of acceptance and implementation. Much of the “performance enhancement” qualities of compression gear are mere anecdotal evidence or a placebo effect, rather than proven by true research. However, as discussed above, the use of compression gear as a means of post workout recovery has been validated several times over, and continues to be supported by the research across the full spectrum of sports.
References
- Sear, JA, Hoare, TK, Scanlan, AT, Abt, GA, & Dascombe, BJ. The effects of whole body compression on prolonged high intensity intermittent exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 24:7 (2010). Pgs 1901-10.
- Kraemer, WJ, Flanagan, SD, Comstock, BA, Fragala, MS, Earp, JE, Dunn-Lewis, C, Ho, J, Thomas, GA, Solomon-Hill, G, Penwell, ZR, Powell, MD, Wolf, MR, Volek, JS, Denegar, CR, & Maresh, CM. Effects of whole body compression garments on markers of recovery after a heavy resistance workout in men and women. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 24:3 (2010). Pgs 804-14.
- DeGlanville, KM & Hamlin, MJ. Positive effect of lower body compression garments on subsequent 40-km cycling time trial performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 26:2 (2012). Pgs 481-6.
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