Top 13 Benefits of Wearing Compression Shorts During Exercise
What Is Compression Wear?
Compression wear basically comprises apparel woven with spandex-type fibres. Compression wear is skin tight. Even tighter. The principle is that it compresses your muscles to support and contain them, and increases circulation by squeezing the blood back to the heart.
It is not just about what it offers in terms of moisture management, performance benefit, comfort, and support. It is also about the psychological advantage of how you put compression wear on and lock it in.
What Are Compression Shorts Made Out Of?
Compression shorts are made from a high-grade fabric that offers the wearer compression. The fabric is usually made from a mixture of materials such as nylon, spandex, lycra, and polyester.
And what do compression shorts do? In a nutshell, they get rid of sweat, compress the specified area, and let your skin breathe. This goal can be met by any of the fabrics mentioned above.
Benefits of Wearing Compression Shorts During Workouts
If you enter any sports store or your local gym, you will see that almost every athlete is wearing stretchy and thick shorts. They are quite snug and are 15% smaller than your regular-sized exercise shorts. They are engineered to hug the calves, thighs, and buttocks to improve the performance of the wearer without causing muscle soreness. Below are some impressive compression shorts benefits:
Reduced Muscle Fatigue During Workouts.
Compression gear helps boost athletic performance by decreasing fatigue. They significantly decrease fatigue and muscle aches during and after training sessions, ensuing improved, longer and faster runs without feeling quite as exhausted when you wear compression shorts. Wearing them can also improve warm-up by increasing the temperature of the skin faster and reducing the risk of injury.
Decreased Muscle Soreness.
Compression shorts are an effective way to decrease your risk of delayed onset of muscle soreness. And as a runner, you will always have sore muscles. But the shorts can significantly lessen the pain.
If you wish to boost your performance for a prolonged period, the shorts can do the trick for you by extending your workout time without stressing your muscles by getting rid of soreness. Not only does this impact happen when you wear shorts during workouts, but it also lasts after the workouts.
Improved Anaerobic and Aerobic Threshold.
The aerobic threshold is a fairly consistent effort that you can perform for hours. Athletes really need this to perform better. The anaerobic threshold is the point at which lactic acid begins to build up rapidly in the blood, making it challenging to exercise. Compression shorts can improve both threshold levels in health enthusiasts by as much as 6.2%, enabling them to sustain their energy for long durations.
Improved Flexibility.
One of the most important features of compression gear is the stretchiness. When you exercise, you do a lot of different actions, such as lifting, extending, and stretching.
Compression shorts are the best pick that supports you with all those exercises, and it won’t hold you back. Plus, by wearing tighter shorts, the flexibility of the gear lets you exercise effectively and safely.
Better Proprioception.
Proprioception is the body’s ability to perceive movement within the joints and joint position, and by adding compression, you can improve posture and stability, and potentially improve movement efficiency.
Enhanced Perceived Exertion.
When you’re practising for extreme sports activities or endurance racing, it’s important to have less perceived exertion for a more effortless workout session. This can make practice sessions more tolerable and enhance athletic performance.
According to a study published in Sports Medicine in 2016 compression wear such as socks, tights, and shorts can improve the perceived exertion in endurance runners.
Groin Support.
Looking for something that offers a little extra groin support? Compression shorts with cup pockets are made specifically just for this function. They offer an efficient and comfortable way to defend sensitive parts of your body while you practice or compete. These shorts with cup pockets are ideal for baseball and soccer players who want additional protection but don’t want to compromise on comfort.
Improved Muscle Oxygenation.
It is extremely important to get oxygen to your muscles during your training sessions. According to a publication in Research Gate, compression gear, like shorts, is engineered to boost the amount of oxygen the muscles receive. They promote blood flow and enhance muscle tissue oxygenation. By boosting blood flow and enhancing the oxygenation, they enhance athletic productivity and ensure that your muscles function effectively.
Provide Muscle Support for Injuries.
If you get injured a lot, then you need to consider compression gear. It can help you by significantly decreasing your chances of getting injured or straining your joints. Plus, it is also amazing when it comes to strain recovery. If you are looking for some extra support to prevent strains, compression shorts are the way to go for you.
Faster Recovery After Strenuous Exercise Sessions.
Recovering after a strenuous workout session can be a time-consuming procedure, and muscle aches are more likely to happen when you’re just starting at intense training sessions. You would want your muscles to recover as soon as possible after working out. Fortunately, compression shorts help with muscle recovery after intense workouts. Their use also improves the circulation in the legs and, thus, boosts the delivery of nutrients to the muscles of the leg.
In fact, they also help with weightlifting, cross-training, and strength training days. They facilitate strength recovery after you have completed a resistance training program. Since the shorts increase the blood pressure, help in rebuilding muscles while healing tissue apart from easing swelling faster.
Better Jumping Ability and Enhanced Power.
Want increased power during and after workouts, and enhanced jumping ability? Compression shorts can help you boost your jumping performance, especially after endurance activities. Compression wear makes it much easier to regain full jumping ability after a workout session, which is a plus when after a strenuous exercise you are trying to get back on the court, track, or field.
Help You Stay Dry.
Compression wear is usually made of a material like nylon or polyester, which helps the body dry faster when you sweat. Compression gear doesn’t repel water but lifts it upward instead, so the sweat can evaporate from the surface of the clothes. So, with compression wear like shorts, you won’t have to deal with the uncomfortable experience of drenching in sweat.
Provide Comfort.
While compression shorts do apply pressure to the thigh and hip area, they cause very less friction and chafing as compared to most traditional athletic shorts. Moreover, they don’t ride up when you run, squat, stretch, or perform sit-ups among other exercises.
The tight material of the shorts holds quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back in place. Because the muscles are held in place, they offer the wearer a great deal of comfort and support when completing workout routines.
Do Compression Tights Work?
Another type of compression wear that a lot of athletes wear is compression tights. But do they work? Well, compression tights are really effective, when it comes to reducing the chances of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Moreover, they also enhance post-workout recovery by decreasing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).
Are Compression Shorts Underwear?
Compression shorts serve as active underwear. They are not meant to be worn over normal underwear. So, they become underwear by default. You don’t need to worry about bunching or rubbing of your underwear when wearing compression gear. They keep everything safe in place and let you concentrate on your workout.
What about when you’re not engaging in athletic events, though? It is completely your choice if you want to wear them as your underwear for your day-to-day activities. That being said, most compression gear is made of synthetic materials. And they are not the most comfortable materials to be worn as underwear. Semi-tight underwear with a light cotton lining can offer much better comfort than them.
The Final Takeaway
Compression shorts are gaining popularity quickly, and before you even know it, they will be your favourite product in your bag as well. Plus, there are way too many compression shorts benefits to just ignore. They don’t only protect you from unwanted injuries but also help you enhance your physique. So, it is about time that you ditch your sweatpants and college t-shirt and get yourself compression gear.
Also Read: Top 12 Benefits of Strength Training That Boost the Health.
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