“Active-Wear” is a term used to describe clothes that are to be worn when doing any kind of workout. This blanket term covers anything from gym clothing, sports jerseys, to compression clothing. Over the years, there have been certain myths that have developed around these type of clothes in terms of their performance-enhancing abilities. Some of them are true, while others are debatable at best.
We at FINO Sportswear are always looking to help our customers make informed decisions when choosing the clothes they will wear during their workout. So let’s take a trip up the research hill to find out which claims are true and which are myths.
First, let’s make a distinction between gym clothes – which are largely synthetic clothes that are light to wear and compression clothes that are synthetic clothes that fit very close to your skin. A good example of gym clothes are the Active 4035 T-Shirt and the Duo Active 7012 Shorts. These are synthetic clothes that are light but have a comfortable fit. Typically found on the average gym goer, these let you set your own pace when working out. And a perfect example of compression clothes are the Avant 4105 T-Shirt and the Performax 7016 Shorts. These are synthetic clothes that are very lightweight. In the case of FINO’s Avant 4105 T-Shirt, there are no seams. Since these are supposed to fit very snug, there are no seams to hinder your comfort. This type of clothing really has to feel like a second skin and is typically worn by gym junkies and professional athletes.
“Active-Wear” refers to any light and synthetic clothes to be worn when exercising. So, Active-Wear covers both Gym clothes as well as Compression clothes. But the myths that people believe are largely based around compression clothing. Hence, that is what we will be discussing in this blog post.
The inception of compression clothing was made with professional athletes in mind. Therefore, the design and feel of these clothes had practical applications. And that is why we believe the following things about what happens if we wear these clothes.
Myths
- Less Fatigue
The thinking for this particular myth is simple – compression clothes are tight fitting and thus massage the muscles lightly as you move. And this would make sense in theory, unfortunately there is no research to suggest that compression clothes work in ways to reduce your fatigue.
- Better Performance
The tighter fit, should also translate to better blood flow and faster supply of oxygen to the muscles. But there have been some studies that show that athletes performing with compression wear and without it didn’t have a significant increase in performance.
- Increased Proprioception
Proprioception is the sense of knowing where your arms are legs are in space. Better proprioception can help athletes be more efficient and better hand-eye coordination. Once again, the feel of compression clothes as a second skin should translate to better proprioception. But no studies are able to show that athletes wearing compression clothes have better performance due to better hand-eye coordination.
Don’t be discouraged if you are a fan of compression wear. The issue is that research around compression wear is difficult to conduct. There are many cases to test, studies done with athletes might not yield significant results where studies with average gym goers might. Also, there are benefits to wearing compression clothes that have been found:
Truths
- Faster Recovery in Some Situations
Studies show that athletes playing sports that have a lot of abrupt stops and faster moves do benefit from wearing compression clothes. Their muscles seem to recover faster.
- Placebo Effect
Studies show that athletes playing sports that have a lot of abrupt stops and faster moves do benefit from wearing compression clothes. Their muscles seem to recover faster.