Why should I work out in compression clothing?

July 23, 2015 Ashley 0 Comments

When you watch fitness vids (probably from a couch, if you’re like me), you hear the chick saying stuff like:

“SQUEEZE! Now squeeeeeze your butt!”

And unless you’ve only ever familiarized yourself with the down phase of the squat (from the comfort of some sorta furniture) you know what she means. She’s not asking you to reach around and get a grip full of gluteal. Obviously, she wants you to actively contract your rear meat. But, when it comes to having a successful workout, the experts may actually have a new interpretation for squeezing your back ham. And the stems protruding out of it that you use to get around. And… well… everything else, too. Because when it comes to your choice for sudoriferous duds, baggy gear is so last year. That’s not just on a myofascial fashion level, either. The idea, it’s said, is that clothes which compress – even just form fitting stuff – help improve circulation, recovery speed, and proprioception (which in turn helps with performance overall).

That’s cool ‘n all, but as ever, I wanna know: why?

I mean, you don’t have to tell me twice. I’m in jogging tights whether the weather outside is frightful or delightf-… (Oh, wait. We don’t get “delightful” weather in VA. Nevermind. Moving on.) Point is, if I wasn’t wearing compression-esque threads to start with, I’d wanna know why science is suggesting it before I wasted money. (And so do you, probably.) So, what’s the claim? While the theory is that it “increases blood circulation and thus oxygen delivery for improved sport performance,” the actual experimental gatherings can’t seem to really explain why compression clothing’s so effective. I mean, plenty of test subjects are confirming their workouts are better with it. But they can’t prove anything. So, what they suggest is that it may have to do with a “belief” that it’s a performance enhancer.

Which does not mean that any resulting benefits are not real, Dr. Sperlich said. “Since beliefs are strong performance enhancers, I would recommend compression clothing to persons who believe in the performance-enhancing effect,” he said.

Yeah, I suppose that might have to do with it. Belief.

In fact, I’ve at least three other suggestions regarding “belief” for why tight attire might trump frumpy sweatpants:

1. Lithe versus leaden.

Maybe those giant tee shirts and track pants come together to hide your adipose inner tube you worked so hard to attain last winter. But, seeing as you never managed to jettison it at the gym before your trip to Barbados, something’s not right here. (Unless you have a crash water landing en route to your holiday. Then it might make for a great flotation device.) But what if it were as simple as what you’re wearing? I myself notice that when I cover up less and avoid that loose stuff, I tend to work harder ‘cause I’ve got a visual reminder of what I wanna improve. But when I’m in sweats, it’s easier to forget what sort of biohazard level catastrophe I’ve got hidden under there. (Protip – I’ve noticed that suppertime in skimpy stuff also prevents emotional overeating.)

2. Sneak preview.

Now, given number one, you might be thinking “if I’m less covered up and seeing all my Jell-o that not even Cosby’d wanna cocktail, it’s just gonna depress me till I quit.” And you would be right. Except that this is compression fabric, which means that it’s hugging you in nice and tight. Are you Heidi Klum yet? No. But with these acceptable versions of body Spanx you can work out in, it’s like you’re being granted futuristic realistic insight. One that shows how you’ll look in a few weeks if you keep it up. You don’t get that preview coming in dressed like Missy Elliot’s double for the video in the gif a paragraph up.

3. And last, but opposite-of-least, I’ll leave you with a rhetorical inquiry:

Have you ever seen Batman or Superman or anyone else we trust to save the world from evil…

…showing up in effing leisure wear?

(No X-cuses from Prof X; even he has the decency to at least suit up for life. )

So, no. The answer is no. Everyone here has squeeze-able butts ‘cause they let their threads squeeze ‘em first during crunch time. So, there you go, kids. Where science fails to offer clear answers about the mysteries of the universe, you can always trust in this quill equipped superhero to communicate to you important insights. Like why form fitting workout clothes are superior for sweating to sweats.

Tomorrow’s paper: “Captain Obvious saves everyone’s arses again. Literally, this time.”