Buzz
You've probably noticed them everywhere, and maybe you own a pair. Compression tights are believed to enhance athletic performance and reduce fatigue during exercise. But do they live up to the hype? A recent Nike-funded study says they don't. This research was unveiled at the American College of Sports Medicine's annual conference.
Sportswear brands suggest that compression tights help stabilize muscles, minimizing energy-draining vibrations. The theory is that fewer vibrations lead to less energy expenditure, resulting in less fatigue.
Many enthusiasts of compression gear swear by its ability to improve performance, claiming it allows them to run longer and faster.
To test whether compression tights truly deliver on their promises, researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center gathered 20 seasoned male runners. They brought the participants into the lab, outfitted them with heart monitors and motion sensors, and had them run on treadmills equipped with sensors. The athletes’ performance was tracked on two separate occasions, one while wearing compression tights and the other without.
The Ohio State UniversityStudy co-author Ajit Chaudhari stated that while the tights did reduce muscle vibrations, this reduction didn’t result in any decrease in fatigue. "In the study, runners performed the same with and without compression tights," he said in a statement.
After thirty minutes of vigorous effort, there was no noticeable improvement in jump height, jump landing loading rate, or muscle strength for the runners wearing compression tights.
Nevertheless, Chaudhari emphasizes that this doesn’t imply compression gear has no value. Athletic performance is partly influenced by mental state as much as by muscle tension. "There is nothing in this study that shows it's bad to wear compression tights," he said. "Every little bit of perception counts when running long distances, so they may help runners in ways we aren't able to measure."
