What are Compression Pants?
Compression pants whether you are an elite athlete, runner, weight lifter or gym junkie are a must-have!
Besides making your legs look more shapely, these garments are made from a highly engineered, elastic, gradient compression fabric. They are based around the medical concept of increasing blood flow and assisting with fluid drainage.
Just like getting the right support and cushioning for our feet, it’s equally as important to support and protect the muscles in our legs . Especially when we are undertaking physical activity.
Plus who wouldn’t want to minimise the effect of muscle soreness post-workout or fitness event?
How Do Compression Pants Work?
Well…compression wear was initially developed as a treatment for swelling disorders, like lymphedema.
Graduated compression stockings (where compression is highest at the ankle and tapers off towards the knee), creates positive pressure in the veins, encouraging blood to flow back towards the heart.
It wasn’t long before runners, athletes and now gym goers began to take interest in the positive effects. Especially the circulation and lymphatic systems, improving performance and recovery.
Since then compression wear has been found to be beneficial in preventing injury and improving our balance. It is no surprise that now when we walk into a gym or go to a sporting event, they are the norm.
This is because when we undertake physical activity our muscles, tendons, joints and ligaments have surrounding proprioceptive nerves, that help the brain to detect positioning and movement of the limbs.
Compression pants help facilitate this balance feedback mechanism to the brain. Similarly to how ankle strapping works to protect the ankle joint.
What Therapeutic Benefits do Compression Pants Have?
- Improve performance.
- Reduce fatigue and lactic acid buildup within the muscles.
- Increase circulation and facilitate the lymphatic system.
- Reduce recovery times and muscle strain.
- Provide better stability and muscle reaction times.
- Assist with injury prevention.
When to Wear Compression Pants?
Compression wear is beneficial in explosive movements, such as sprinting, leaping, jerking and weightlifting. They are also beneficial for endurance training, to help reduce recovery times.
Compression wear allows you to train longer, harder and more frequently. However, it is important to be undertaking the correct level of intensity for your fitness capacity. You should also ensure you are using the correct techniques.
If you are unsure about what the correct technique is, or level of training you should be doing, seek assistance from a sports professional or personal trainer.
Warm up and cool down pre and post exercise, along with using a Point of Relief can also be very important in the prevention of sporting injuries.
