Compression sportswear

Compression sportswear

Compression sportswear is clothing usually worn by athletes. They may be shorts, tights or underwear. They are form-fitting garments and when worn cover the athlete's waist to mid or lower thigh. These garments are often made from a spandex-type material.

The main benefits of compression sportswear is that it keeps the muscles warm to prevent muscle strain and fatigue, and wick sweat away from the body to prevent chafing and rashes. In addition, there is some evidence that compression shorts may enhance athletic performance.[1] They are also used as a way to keep the male genitalia in place. Compression sportswear also helps to keep undergarments in place, and for certain sports, like baseball and softball, come with padding at the hips to protect players from injuries due to sliding.

There are many types of compression garments that serve a similar function, such as compression t-shirts, socks, sleeves & tights. Common brands are Nike, Under Armour, Skins, McDavid, Easton, Zensah, and Adidas.

More recently, jockstraps have fallen out of favor with young male athletes, and garments such as compression shorts have seen an increase in popularity, arguably because of their comparable function and less embarrassing looks.[2]

Compression shorts are also popular among female athletes, especially among those who wear skirts or kilts during games. In those situations, athletes wear compression shorts under the skirt so if they fall over and their skirts ride up, their underwear will not be exposed. This is seen particularly in women's lacrosse and field hockey, both being no-contact sports in which players often wear skirts. In this situation, compression shorts are often referred to as spandex shorts, the material they are often manufactured with.

Benefits

The alleged benefits of wearing compression tights are:

  • Improving athletic performance by maintaining repeated jump performance
  • Reduce muscle movement and vibration and focus the direction of the muscle
  • Reducing the risk of sports injuries
  • Maintaining body temperature and moisture wicking
  • Reducing the build up of Creatine kinase which is an indicator of muscle tissue damage.
  • Reducing the time taken for muscles to repair themselves[3]
  • Reducing muscle soreness during post workout recovery
  • As an alternative to compression stockings they can be worn during long flights to reduce the risk of Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) caused by pooling of blood in the lower legs

These factors allow an athlete to increase both the duration and intensity of training and competition.

See also

References

  1. ^ Doan BK, Kwon YH, Newton RU, et al. (Aug 2003). "Evaluation of a lower-body compression garment". J Sports Sci 21 (8): 601–10. doi:10.1080/0264041031000101971. PMID 12875311. 
  2. ^ ""Where have all the jockstraps gone?". Slate Magazine (2005-07-22). http://www.slate.com/id/2123007/. 
  3. ^ Kraemer, WJ; Bush, JA; Wickham, RB; Denegar, CR; Gómez, AL; Gotshalk, LA; Duncan, ND; Volek, JS et al. (2001). "Influence of compression therapy on symptoms following soft tissue injury from maximal eccentric exercise". The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy 31 (6): 282–90. PMID 11411623. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Compression shorts — are undergarments usually worn by athletes. They are form fitting garments and when worn cover the athlete s waist to mid or lower thigh. These garments are often made from a spandex type material, similar to cycling shorts. A major benefit of… …   Wikipedia

  • Compression tights — or Compression sportswear are specially made leggings which mold to the user s physique. They promote blood circulation and increase oxygen flow to working muscles. They also help to wick away sweat and channel moisture away from the skin. All… …   Wikipedia

  • Compression stockings — and socks are specialised hosiery items designed to increase blood circulation. Their main theraputic purpose is to provide graduated pressure on the lower leg and foot and, in some cases, the thigh, to alleviate circulatory problems such as… …   Wikipedia

  • Warnaco Group — Warner Brothers Corset Company redirects here. For the film studio, see Warner Bros.. Warnaco Group, Inc Type Public (NYSE: WRC) Industry Textiles, Apparel Luxur …   Wikipedia

  • Swimsuit — A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or… …   Wikipedia

  • Clothing — in history Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn depends on functional… …   Wikipedia

  • Panties — are a form of underwear, usually light and snug fitting, designed to be worn by women or girls in the area directly below the waist. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genital area (usually lined with… …   Wikipedia

  • Temple garment — circa 1879 (GSR 1879). A Temple garment (also referred to as garments, or Mormon underwear)[1] is a type of underwear worn by members of some denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, after they have taken part in the Endowment …   Wikipedia

  • Clothing terminology — comprises the names of individual garments and classes of garments, as well as the specialized vocabularies of the trades that have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold clothing over hundreds of years. Clothing terminology ranges from the… …   Wikipedia

  • Bikini — This article is about the women s bathing suit. For other uses, see Bikini (disambiguation). Woman wearing a bikini The bikini is typically a women s two piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”