ok i have been doing triathlons for awhile but never with any compression gear. Any views knowledge on the subject?
I swear by my Zoot Recovery tights and shorts. After long runs I wear them for the rest of the day, sometimes over night depending on how long the run was. I save the shorts for summer when it is too hot for the tights. They feel great when they are on and in my n=1 experiment they help reduce muscle soreness. I got mine with a member 20% off coupon at REI so it was a little easier on the wallet.
I have had recurring achilles problems and swear by compression socks. I’ve also used compression tights and they feel like they do help recovery. The research on the effectiveness of compression gear is mixed. This could be due in part to the fact that off-the-shelf compression gear fits people differently, and therefore provides different levels of compression. Now you can buy custom-made compression socks, which appear to be much more effective.
Basically compression gear has been said to enhance blood flow, reduce muscle damage, improve recovery etc. In my opinion, so long as you don’t wear something too tight whether it works or it doesn’t, you might as well give it a go!
I’ve got a page on compression socks on my website if you want to read about how to choose and use them (http://www.intelligent-triathlon-training.com/compression-socks.html)