The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Self-experiment: what are the benefits of compression underwear?

2020-08-25T21:58:17.243Z


Munich - Two readers made the self-experiment at the marathon: They wanted to know exactly how wearing compression underwear affects sports.


Munich - Two readers made the self-experiment at the marathon: They wanted to know exactly how wearing compression underwear affects sports.

Grandma's support stockings are just becoming very fashionable! More and more endurance athletes are putting on tight stockings or pants that put pressure on the muscles. Such compression garments are designed to promote performance and accelerate subsequent regeneration. But the scientific tests contradict each other.

Medicine has long used compression stockings to prevent thrombi (blood clots) in the leg veins. The targeted pressure from outside promotes the flow of blood, especially the return of blood to the heart. Transferred to sport, the faster blood circulation is supposed to cause an increased transport of oxygen to the muscles. That would mean: higher performance with the same effort.

Some studies seem to support this effect. The Erlangen physician Dr. Wolfgang Kemmler, for example, compared the performance of ambitious hobby runners with and without cep compression running socks on the treadmill. He was able to determine significant differences, which brings him to the conclusion: "With compressive sports stockings, a higher speed could be achieved, so that the question of an improvement in performance can be answered in the affirmative."

A study by Dr. Billy Sperlich (Sport University Cologne). He carried out tests with 15 endurance athletes with various compression garments from the company Craft and with non-compressing comparison clothing. None of the parameters showed statistically significant differences. Sperlich concludes "that the items of clothing with different compression surfaces had no effect on performance." After all, Sperlich also recommends compression stockings for regeneration. The increased blood circulation should remove metabolic waste products such as lactate more quickly.

Two tz readers tried it out on their own. They trained in compression underwear from Skins (A400 collection) for the Munich Marathon and completed the race last Sunday. Read their experiences here.

Steffen Schmitt: "You have less heavy legs"

Steffen Schmitt (44) is an aerospace engineer, has been running marathons for more than 20 years and has been running triathlons since 1993. He ran with socks (45 €), a short (80 €) and a long-sleeved shirt (100 €) from Skins.

“You have to be careful when putting on clothes so that the laundry fits correctly,” reports the Munich-based man. Schmitt doesn't dare to say whether compression underwear leads to an increase in performance. But: “I have definitely noticed that the legs feel less heavy after the exercise. This effect is increased if you keep the trousers or leg warmers on for a while after the exercise. ”He also believes that compression on the upper body makes sense because it allows you to better perceive the muscles. The handsome price for the laundry seems justified in view of the high quality of workmanship.

In the end, Schmitt completed the Munich marathon in 3:30 hours, which he is satisfied with. After all, he couldn't train much in the summer and had a feverish infection the week before the run.

Martin Zerenner: "A very positive wearing comfort"

Martin Zerenner (40) is a correctional officer and has been running marathons for ten years. Since early summer, the man from Munich has been training for the home marathon in a top (€ 100) and pants (€ 100) from the A400 collection. "My first impression was: the clothes are way too tight," says Zerenner. “But once you put it in, it feels very good to wear. As if body tension was being built up from the outside. ”Another advantage: The tight laundry does not rub anywhere. “At last you no longer have to tape the nipples,” explains Zerenner.

However, the textile second skin is very thin. Zerenner often had to put on a shirt to keep from freezing. And: taking off the sweaty clothes was always very difficult.

During training, Zerenner noticed that he felt "surprisingly relaxed at the back" on long runs. That, he says, could also have been due to his generally good fitness level this year. Zerenner completed the marathon himself in 3:14 hours - ten minutes below his previous best time. “I cannot say whether the clothing caused this increase,” analyzes Zerenner. "In any case, I'll continue to walk in this lingerie in the future."

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-08-25

You may like

Life/Entertain 2024-03-14T17:25:29.151Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.