Performance Benefits of Compression Sportswear
This post is part 2 of Enerskin’s series on compression sportswear about the performance benefits of compression. To read an intro on compression, its history, and the different types, check out part 1 here - What Is Compression Sportswear?
In our previous post, we introduced you to the exciting world of compression sportswear. The different compression shorts, shirts, and sleeves that you’ve seen both professionals and everyday athletes wear come with a host of benefits for performance and recovery.
This post will focus on the many important performance benefits of compression sportswear, backed by numerous studies and reports. We’ll look into injury prevention, lower perceived exertion, better muscle oxygenation, and more.
Performance Benefit #1 - Injury Prevention
When you’re in the middle of an intense match or workout, your muscles experience numerous motions and stress to help you stay coordinated. An Ohio State University preliminary study found that wearing compression reduced the amount of muscle vibration in the legs, potentially leading to fewer injuries.
In addition, wearing compression keeps your muscles warmer, which also helps prevent injury. An illustrative example is to picture your muscles as a car engine. A colder engine that hasn’t been warmed up experiences reduced fuel economy and performance.
Our new E75 collection of compression sportswear takes it one step further by combining compression with kinesiology taping, a popular rehabilitative taping technique. The patented silicone support tape is mapped to the major muscle groups on the body, offering enhanced compression and optimal injury-preventing support.
Performance Benefit #2 - Lower Perceived Exertion
Compression sportswear has been proven to lower perceived exertion. This complicated-sounding term is actually a very simple concept - wearing compression helps you experience a more effortless workout.
To help with your workouts, Enerskin recommends the E75 compression shorts, which offer targeted compression zones that increase circulation, support enhanced performance levels, and accelerate recovery times. A 2016 Sports Medicine study concluded that compression sportswear improved perceived exertion for endurance runners. In many athletic activities, even the smallest mental improvement provides an edge. If you’re feeling fully dialed in because of compression gear, which also provides comfort and utility, your perceived exertion goes down and your overall performance goes up.
Performance Benefit #3 - Better Muscle Oxygenation
During a workout or race, your muscles need oxygen in order to reach peak performance. Compression sportswear helps increase the amount of oxygen that your muscles receive, similar to the original compression leg garments prescribed by doctors to patients suffering poor circulation which improved blood flow back to the heart.
According to a study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, compression sportswear helps improve blood flow and oxygenation of muscle tissue. In addition to the performance benefits, increased muscle oxygenation has important recovery benefits as well, which we’ll cover in our next post.
At Enerskin, we go even further. The silicone support tape in our E75 compression gear is infused with Germanium, a semiconductor element that’s been shown to increase circulation and reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling.
The bottom line: compression sportswear has important performance benefits that will take your workout, training, or competition to the next level. Even better, we’re excited to cover the many recovery benefits of compression sportswear in our next post. Stay tuned!
Sources:
https://www.mcdavidusa.com/blog/top-10-benefits-wearing-compression-shorts-workout/
