Let me preface this by saying that I am usually weary of the latest and greatest triathlon gadgets. I am a big believer in training to get faster. I upped my training a lot this past season, and would like to up my training again for next year to try and get my elite card. I want to get better about helping my body recover so I can stay injury free with the increased training. I heard a lot of good reviews of compression clothing, like the stuff from 2xu and now Zoot. has anyone tried the tights/shorts? thoughts? are they worth it? I have really tight hamstrings and a history of hip flexor issues, and I am wondering if these might help.
the shorts may or may not help you recover faster from a hard workout, however, in no way would they solve any hamstring hip/flexor issues… art/yoga/massage should help with those problems
I’m the opposite of you… whereas you are weary, I jump right in. Compression clothing feels nice. I like it. In fact, now thats its getting colder, I wear it when i run, bike. I don’t notice recovery benefits… and i can almost guarentee compression clothing is not going to solve tight hamstrings or hip flexor issues. Stretching will though, and thats cheaper and time tested and expert approved.
Stretching made me faster. I only stretch during and after runs. Now that I run a lot, I stretch more. AND I am getting faster… so logically, stretching made me faster.
I wore it before it was cool. I had to because following removal of a tumor in my left femur about five years ago I was prone to blood clotting in my calves. I bought some Oxysox and have been wearing them for 8-10 hours a day since surgery to keep circulation going. They definitely help me recover from a hard run or ride faster. I bought some Skins tights for running in the winter and like the way they feel when I run long. I also bought some white CEP socks so I can feel totally gay out on the road - I like the support they provide. I doubt compression would do anything for tight hamstrings or hip flexors.
I’ve been using compression stuff (socks for more than 3 years) whenever I travel for more than 2 hours, whether by plane or car and I think it makes a big difference in recovery and “freshness” post-travel. I have also begun wearing tights on a regular occaisions when training. I’ve used botht the zoot and 2xu (full disclosure: I work at a bike shop that sells both) and greatly prefer the zoot. We’ve had problems with ripped seams on the 2xu and the 2xu stuff gets clammy when sweaty in my opinion. Before using the Zoot socks, I had been using the Juzo brand medical-grade socks (any drugstore, still expensive) that compressed well but became itchy after a couple of hours.
I have a question for you. Did you notice that after wearing compression socks so often that when you don’t wear them your legs will clot a lot faster than if you had never worn them? I guess I am wondering if your body gets too used to them aka barring some sort of injury like yours would it be better to save them for special occasion or wear them frequently. Thanks
I have a question for you. Did you notice that after wearing compression socks so often that when you don’t wear them your legs will clot a lot faster than if you had never worn them? I guess I am wondering if your body gets too used to them aka barring some sort of injury like yours would it be better to save them for special occasion or wear them frequently. Thanks
No. I haven’t noticed any “dependency” symptoms. I was in Kona and Maui for 8 days and only wore my socks for a couple of runs. The rest of the time I was just wearing regular socks. In hindsight I should have packed a pair to wear on the plane - my lower legs were noticeably sore and a little puffy on the return flight.
One thing I do notice is that when I have been wearing my compression socks for a long time (like a work day) when I take them off at night I feel kind of a relief of sorts and my legs feel great. If I have any soreness during the day from a workout it usually goes away pretty quickly after I take off the socks. Kinda weird. Also, I have some vericose veins in my legs and the vericose vein problem runs in my family.