Muscle Recovery and Compression stuff

[jeane]

I was surfing the Under Armor website recently and saw that they advertise a line of clothes to aid in muscle recovery after workouts or performance.

Does anyone have experience with these items? Generally I find myself skeptical of their claims.

I wonder about this because at this point I am having quite a bit of soreness from my current activities, and I would actually like to keep a steady (albeit slow) rate of increase, but find that soreness isn't my friend.

[Ketsueki]

I also find myself doubting those claims. Even if those items do have some measurable positive impact, I'm pretty sure your diet is going to be a dramatically more significant and controllable aspect of your recovery.

Just curious.. are you micro-managing your intake? A lot of people have terrible ideas about fitness nutrition that they get from fitness mags and fad diets, but your nutrition is incredibly important to keep gaining muscle at a steady rate.

Also, you mention "slow" in connection with your increases. This is normal. Unless you are truly genetically gifted, you can't build more than about 10 lbs of muscle per year.

[ChenPengFi]

Compression wear is supposed to reduce fatigue by supporting the muscles against gravity and jarring and to aid in recovery by helping flush interstitial fluid/waste away.
These types of apparel are very popular amongst athletes in many disciplines.
The socks are huge at the Ironman in Kona for the (run leg of the) event itself and recovery.

[jeane]

Thank you for that info, Chen.

I think I will try out some compression wear over the course of next week's training.

[ChenPengFi]

I work at the Ironman every year and its pretty much the thing to do of course triathletes are notoriously hungry for gimmicks.
My clients seem to like them, especially for recovery.
Fit is obviously pretty important, so ordering "blind" online is probably a bad idea.
The pharmacy ones are great for recovery as well (but not for training/events) and are much, much cheaper than the athletic ones.

[jeane]

point about fit, taken. there is a sports place not too far that keeps that gear in stock.

[elipson]

Chen, are you able to explain in a little more detail your point that "Compression wear is supposed to reduce fatigue by supporting the muscles against gravity and jarring and to aid in recovery by helping flush interstitial fluid/waste away."

I'm skeptical and not sure I see the connections here. How would a compression shirt (for example) support the pec muscles against gravity, when its not so much gravity that the pecs counter-act?

[ChenPengFi]

Now first let's be clear i make no assertions of the validity of the claims, i am merely familiar with the ad-speak.
The first idea is that some energy is devoted to a muscle supporting it's own weight.
Anyone who has jogged with sore muscles can tell you that yes, even your pecs can feel the jarring.
Fluid return via the lymphatic and vascular system flows against gravity with the aid of the compressive forces of the muscles; a good example is the "second heart" of the gastroc and soleus combined forcing lymph and even venous blood back "uphill".
I see it to be fairly reasonable that compression wear could help in both of these regards, but i have not however done any research.

[Ketsueki]

I am personally still very skeptical, but I appreciate your ad-speak breakdown nonetheless. Sounds as odd to me as the people who are buying up trampolines "for lymphatic health."

[ChenPengFi]

Found this with a quick look:

Compression garments has been demonstrated to
improve the venous function and blood circulation in
many studies over the world during the last decade
[12-15]. Berry and McMurray conducted initial
exercise-related research on compression garments,
finding a decrease in post exercise venous lactate
concentrations and lower blood lactate concentration
fol lowing maximal exerci se when gradua t e d
compression stockings were worn [16]. Recently,
advanced compression athletic wear has been developed
by Speedo (Fastskin FS-Pro), Skins, Under Amour,
Nike, Adidas, Champion, CW-X, etc., which has been
commercially applied in training and competition to
aid improving physiological performance during sports
and after exercise to speed recovery. Experimental
researches have demonstrated the benefits of
compression athletic wear towards physiological
performances and comfort as follows [13, 17-23].
● Reduced post-exercise trauma and lactic acid buildup
● Reduced perceived muscle soreness and oscillation
● Promoted recovery of force production
● Enhanced repetitive jump power
● Improved proprioception and core stability
● Increased oxygen delivery and minimize DOMS
● Regulated core temperature and keep user dry
● Enhanced circulation by promoting venous return
However, no benefit was found when wearing CAW
for repeat-sprint or throwing performance. The clinical
trial conducted by Berry et al. indicated that the use of
elastic tights would not significantly affect post-exercise
response or circulating lactate levels [24]. The influence
of compression athletic wear on sprinting speed remains
controversial [25]. Therefore, the effectiveness of CAW
on sports performance and physiological parameters
requires ongoing investigation.

Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics link

..so it seems there is some demonstrable benefit but your skepticism also appears warranted.