Health & beauty
Sports compression garments
Introduction
Higher, stronger, faster: we try 3 brands of sports compression garments to see if they really make a difference.
Compression garments - leggings, shorts and vests - are marketed as improving strength, endurance, muscle recovery, and joint support. We checked them out, looking at manufacturers' claims and evidence, expert opinion, and asked elite athlete Kate McIlroy to take them for a test run.
Kate McIlroy - steeplechaser
What athlete Kate McIlroy (pictured right) really wants is to sweep off the last turn in the Olympic steeplechase final and see an empty track in front of her. The steeplechase isn't a race where you hold back, conserve energy, and spring a last-gasp attack.
Kate explains: "You've got to run strong throughout. The steeplechase is full of barriers and water jumps; it's best to hit them first and clear them so you're not stuck behind other athletes. I want to lead from start to finish."
But the Olympics are four and a half months away. The New Zealand steeplechase champ first needs to make the Olympic qualifying time of 9mins 46secs (her personal best is 9mins 32secs). And then there's the training: Kate runs between an hour and a half to two hours every day, interspersed with track sessions, the gym, aqua jogging, and pilates.
Compression leggings are one of the tools Kate uses to recover from heavy training sessions: "Compression tights help me recover quickly. This means I get an extra one to two percent out of my training the next day."
Find what Kate thought of the leggings she tried in An elite athlete's opinion.
Claims and evidence
Compression garments are marketed as base-layer garments "engineered" to improve strength, endurance, muscle recovery, and joint support. They're now popular among both elite and "weekend" athletes.
We checked out three readily available brands of compression garments:
- Skins ($180)
- Under Armour ($100)
- 2XU ($160)
We looked at 6 independent studies on compression garments and the claims made by the garment's manufacturers. We also interviewed Dr Melanie Bussey from the Otago School of Physical Education (a specialist in biomechanics and athletic injury).
The compression leggings we tried are made from a mixture of nylon, polyester, elastane or lycra.
Do the garments work?
A number of claims are made for compression garments. We investigated how strong the independent evidence is for them.
Improved performance
Skins claims that wearing its sports gear will provide a physical edge during exercise by increasing blood flow to the muscles. Under Armour and 2XU say that compression garments reduce muscle oscillation - wasteful muscle movements - thereby improving power and slowing fatigue.
The bottom line
Two studies we read said that compression garments improved physical performance. But athletes who took part in one of the studies used thicker custom-fitted garments not available on shop shelves. Athletes wearing those compression leggings jumped higher because the thick neoprene material refined technique and acted like an elastic catapult.
The other positive study investigated the effect of compression garments on long-distance runners. It concluded "wearing compression garments may enhance overall circulation". The result was that the runners fatigued more slowly.
But, overall, the science seemed mixed to us. Another study of cricket players wearing two of our branded garments (Skins and Under Armour) found no added benefits in throwing or repeat-sprint performance.
Less lactic acid
All the brands we looked at were advertised as a way to speed up recovery after hard exercise. Skins, Under Armour, and 2XU say increased blood-flow also helps reduce the build-up of waste products like lactic acid. Most athletes believe that lactic acid limits running performance and causes that burning sensation during hard exercise.
The bottom line
The studies we found concluded that muscle repair sped up when compression garments were worn during recovery. Several reports we read said that this was caused by an increased blood-flow.
The most glowing report was a New Zealand-based study of rugby players. The study found that creatine kinase (a marker of muscle damage associated with heavy impact) quickly cleared from the bloodstream if the players wore compression garments for 12 hours after exercise. The researchers concluded that compression garments were an effective tool for recovery - but only as effective as a simple low-intensity warm down.
Greater muscle support
2XU and Skins garments apparently bind muscles together to "concentrate" strength and reduce the chance of injury. Skins maintain that heightened muscle awareness limits the chance of strains, while 2XU says muscle wrapping reduces soft-tissue damage in contact sports.
The bottom line
Thick neoprene compression garments prevent muscle strains by slowing your stride just before it reaches full stretch. They also reduce soft tissue damage because the material provides extra padding.
Skins says that it's wrong to think that only "thick" neoprene garments slow your stride: "There are several ways that recoil characteristics are modified including weave density, selection of fabric, direction of cut, and degree of reduction."
Dr Mel Bussey notes that injured athletes wear compression bandages around deep bruises to reduce whole muscle vibration (jarring), as well as swelling in the muscle. Based on this idea, she believes that compression garments may help reduce jarring and improve comfort with or without injury.
Better body temperature
Under Armour and Skins are supposed to moderate body temperature (both companies sell different garments tailored for different climates). The garments keep you warmer during winter because they provide an extra base-layer and supposedly "wick" away perspiration. But in summer? The companies say that sweat transferred to the outside of the garment evaporates quickly, speeds the body's cooling process, and keeps you cool and dry.
The bottom line
Compression garments increase skin temperature. That's a plus during warm-ups and in cool conditions. A thermal insulator keeps muscles at a good active temperature, and reduces the chance of injury.
But can compression tights keep you cool in warmer weather? We didn't discover any research to support this claim (the closest we got was a report that found compression garments didn't cause additional "thermal stress"). But Under Armour cited a research article that it says proved its garments moderate body temperature.
Heightened awareness of movement
Under Armour, 2XU and Skins say their compression garments improve the body's awareness of position and movement.
The bottom line
Dr Bussey says that compression bandages are sometimes applied to damaged joints to "remind" joint position receptors in the area to keep working and protect the joint. She thinks that compression tights might help here - but she wouldn't "tell an injured athlete to rush out and buy a pair of branded compression garments on that basis".
Recovery from injury
Skins says that its garments will help aid recovery from injury through "direct compression and improved muscle oxygenation".
The bottom line
Compression garments were first used by healthcare providers to reduce peripheral swelling in vascular patients, because they assisted blood flow back to the heart.
Dr Bussey told us that compression garments are commonly used in sports medicine to treat injured athletes. But she's referring to compression bandages and tape - not branded compression tights:
"Compression bandages are usually bound around an injured joint to reduce swelling. Primarily, swelling is reduced by increasing the pressure and pushing the fluid back into the blood vessels. Secondarily, excess fluid may be forced up away from the injured area and into an area with more or larger blood vessels. Through these two mechanisms compression garments may reduce joint swelling."
Dr Bussey doubts that compression tights are as effective as compression bandages: "Bandages are bound to the point of being uncomfortable - I don't think tights give the necessary pressure. The practice also depends on fluid being forced elsewhere. It may not work if pressure is applied evenly across a large area."
An elite athlete's opinion
We asked athlete Kate McIlroy to take the compression garments for a test run.
Kate's comments:
2XU compression tights
- Price: $159.90
Good points
Kate liked the material used in the 2XU leggings the most. They were comfortable to train and recover in, and they were a great fit. Kate noticed a slight improvement in her recovery when she wore 2XU compression garments.But
Kate didn't think the tights enhanced her training performance.
Under Armour heat gear leggings
- Price: $99.99
Good points
Kate says that the Under Armour leggings garments were a good fit length-wise, and that they were made from comfortable material.But
They didn't come with sizing instructions. The stitching around the ankles was too tight and a lack of stitching further up the leggings meant that Kate had to keep re-adjusting them during training. These compression leggings were also more like basic running tights. Kate didn't notice any recovery benefits.
Skins long tights
- Price: $179.99
Good points
The Skins leggings were a great design. The material was comfortable and breathable - and Kate found the bold stitching supportive. Kate felt a big improvement in her recovery when she wore Skins.But
Kate didn't notice any performance-enhancing attributes.
An amateur athlete's opinion
Are compression garments any use to the average Joe? Luke Harrison (right) bought a pair of compression leggings to help train for the Wellington Round the Bays Fun Run. Here are some of his training notes
Running in tights
- Day 1: (Time: 27min 45sec) Pulled on a new pair of Skins and set off on my normal route up Mt Victoria (6.3km). It's a hot day ... the tights are more breathable than I suspected, but they still make me sweat more: "Man drowns on Mt Victoria".
- Day 2: (Time: 27min 20sec) It's cooler today; easier to concentrate on the "performance-enhancing" effect of compression tights. No noticeable difference - Mt Victoria feels as steep as it ever did.
- Day 3: (Rest day)
Running without tights
- Day 4: (Time: 26min 29sec) Good run. Didn't sweat nearly as much with my legs al fresco. Still, I felt remarkably limber today and yesterday (the effect of compression tights?)
- Day 5: (Time: 27min 37sec) I'm getting slower!
- Day 6: (Rest day)
Recovering in tights
- Day 7: (Time: 26min 12sec) Change of tack. The leggings are too hot to exercise in, but perhaps they'll help my recovery. I'm now sitting at the kitchen table - post run - writing my diary dressed in tights. My flatmates seem uncomfortable.
- Day 8: (Time: 25min 28sec) Extra bounce in my step with the "real" run only two days away. Legs feel good: definitely prefer the tights as a recovery tool. Should probably wash them at some point though ...
- Day 9: (Rest day)
Round the Bays
- Day 10: (Time: 24min 44sec) Noticed many different types of compression garments being worn by some of the 10,000 people backed up around the starting line (I expect they melted mid-race). Am currently wearing the tights post race - which makes me a convert to some degree. It might be psychological, but I feel more limber the next day if I wear compression tights after running.
Our advice
- There's mixed evidence that branded compression garments help improve physical performance during exercise. Kate (our elite athlete) and Luke (our amateur athlete) didn't notice any performance benefits when they tried compression leggings. However, the garments will keep your muscles warmer - and that might help improve your performance while training in winter.
- Compression garments may aid recovery after exercise. So if you want mild relief, compression leggings should help. But we'd recommend you consider a simple, low-impact warm-down first.
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Report by Luke Harrison