MORE PRESSURE, MORE POWER, MORE PERFORMANCE
Compression Gear belongs to the basic hardware of ambitious athletes in many different kinds of sports.
The versatility and benefits of the equipment also makes compression gear commonplace in team sports like Football, Basketball, Handball, Rugby and Volleyball, as well as endurance events such as triathlons and marathons, where numerous participants run with the distinctive socks. As the gear supports fast and solid movement patterns, strong lifts, endurance sessions and recovery, it fits perfectly into the sport of fitness.
Combining style, enhanced performance, improved recovery and enhanced muscle sensitivity, compression gear is a solid choice to assist your progress and see you through the toughest of WODs.
Have you ever tried “Murph” before? So I’m sure that feeling of sore, cramping arms and a tight chest on the push ups sounds familiar. Or how about the lactic acid in those legs after the 300 squats just before the second run? How desirable it would be to have gear that could supports you in those moments, to help you maintain constantly excellent and efficient form, and to flush lactate from your exhausted legs.
HOW DOES COMPRESSION GEAR WORK?
5. CONTROLLED POWER AND ENHANCED LIFTING
2XU compression gear helps your body to hold muscles in a better position and allow you to proportionally apply your energy much more effectively. Combined with great technique, these optimised movement patterns lead to a higher, more efficient power output. The result is faster WOD times, focused lifts and a reduction in wasted energy.
This is one of the reasons why sprinters, football players and other professional athletes like to wear compression clothing so much: Less movement of your muscle results in less energy required to keep you muscles in position.
This works for both low rep lifts (Olympic weightlifting, strength work and 1 rep maxes) and workouts with high volume sets of repetitive reps (150 wall balls for time for example). It is also useful for pure endurance work and your active recovery sessions.
4. POSTURE AND PROPRIOCEPTION
PROPRIOCEPTION “Relating to stimuli that are produced and perceived within an organism, especially those connected with the position and movement of the body.” (Oxford Dictionary)
In simple terms, proprioception is your ability to understand and feel the movements and position of your own body. A clumsy person has poor proprioception. It is clear then why this is such an important skill for lifting, running, jumping, squatting and all the specialised exercises you perform in training and competition such as double unders, pull ups, burpees etc.
The proprioceptive sensibility is an automatic sensitivity mechanism that receives information from the body’s senses and then sends message through the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS then sends messages to the rest of the body governing exactly how to react with the correct amount of tension and force to apply using the muscular system.
This means that your body is able to understand how much force to apply and how to move. Think about the difference in degrees between the force you utilise during a 1 rep max deadlift in comparison to a set of 50 light lifts of the same exercise. It is your sense of proprioception that allows you to make the necessary adjustments in the amount of force you use.
Proprioception is also linked with balance and posture, which are incredibly important aspects of your fitness. Compression gear helps to enhance your sense of propriception, enabling you to improve as an athlete. It is never a crutch for bad form and poor movement, but it is a valuable addition to optimising good form and quality movement patterns.
3. WARMER MUSCLES
Compression gear keeps you muscles and joints warm both before, during and after exercise. Warming up properly is the best way to prepare your body for a hard training session or competition, but the addition of compression wear is an effective way to maintain this warmth throughout the entire workout. It is also useful for post workout mobility and stretching work, which also requires warm muscles in order to be fully effective.
2. REDUCES THE RISK OF INJURY
2XU Compression gear:
- Promotes faster muscle warm up
- Minimises muscle oscillation and micro-tearing
- Graduated compression reduces risk of deep vein thrombosis and blood pooling
1. IMPROVED RECOVERY
Athletes use compression gear for better recovery. In order to help your body recover faster from a tough competition or a hard workout, you need a high level of compression. During the compression process more blood is drawn to the compressed area. As a result, oxygen finds its way into the muscles quicker, which speeds up the transport of lactate from your muscles. Rinsing these lactates from your muscles will help them recover much faster. This is especially important during long and hard training sessions. Some athletes even sleep in compression gear because it reduces swellings and stiffness.
Find out how compression gear will improve your performances
Studies that demonstrate the advantages of compression gear in sports
Better oxygen saturation in muscles
(Studie Dascombe, B. et. al., 2006; Further information on this study in part 6)
Less use of oxygen from the muscles
(Studie Bringard et. al., 2006; Further information on this study in part 6)
Improved muscle performance
(Studie Dascombe, B. et. al., 2006; Further information on this study in part 6)
Faster repair of muscle damages
(Studie Gill, N. et. al., 2006; Further information on this study in part 6)
Less muscle pain
(Studie Ali, A. et. al., 2007; Further information on this study in part 6)
Better jumping power
(Studie Kraemer, W.J. et. al., 1996)
Compression Gear Russian Twists © 2XU
Female Athlete Weightlifting © 2XU
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