Compression Garments During Competition - Y/N?

10
Dec

Compression Garments During Competition - Y/N?

Skins compression top Compression Garments are mainly promoted as a tool to enhance recovery. But what can they do for you during competition?

After consultation with staff at the Australian Institute of Sport, we concluded that compression garments could help with performance by:

Helping to keep the athlete warm
Decreasing muscle vibration
Maybe increasing blood flow (vascular return)

In short, compression tops or tights are unlikely to harm performance unless they make you too hot.

Personally, I’ve competed while wearing compression tops many times - I’ve used the slightly thicker Skins Snow top when it’s been cold as well as a regular long sleve top when it’s been warmer and thought both were great.

PS - Just found a great site for compression gear called Compress Yourself . They offer free worldwide delivery, recommendations for many brands and help with selection.

By Michael Blackburn, BAppSci (Hons), PhD (Sports Science). Michael has won two World Titles, competed in three Olympics in Sailing (winning a Bronze medal) and coached at a fourth (2008). Visit Website