[Closed] compression tights for recovery

use skins, vest and 3/4 shorts for running in, tights for recovery, really impressed

+1 for Skins. Use my tights after skiing. First day of a trip I always push it too hard. Skins recovery tights really help.

which tights do you guys use? seem to be a few variations

You wont get better than these. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=30194

Fontmoss, I use these;
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/skins-m-recovery-tight/tights/bikes-components-bikewear/fcp-product/4261

£18 at http://subarmour.co.uk/
Happy with mine.

cheers guys, might give the subarmour a look at that price

I just ordered from sub armour, thanks for the link

Obi_Twa - Member

You wont get better than these. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=30194

Think those are just the normal tights? [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=30201 ]These[/url] are the recovery ones aren't they?

I've got some and they're great. Compression socks are a lot cheaper and might be worth a go first?

Something like [url= http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=c0225 ]this[/url] as an example?

Yes they are the normal tights. But in my world the best way to ease recovery is to not need that much recovery in the first place.

not sure socks would do that much for me, its to get the thighs and calves feeling decent so i can run couple days on the bounce and also so i dont feel dead if i do a long run rest a day then another long run

um cheers for the helpful advice obi?!

fontmoss - it might be an idea to take that advice. It has been given to plenty of others and they have reaped the rewards. You need to think about how they work and what causes you to need more recovery before making any rash decisions.

cheers obi but time demands mean recovery is going to be compromised and runs are going to get stacked up quick. there are no shortcuts to getting the mileage in and if a set of tights means my legs feel a bit better and i can train better then it seems a sensible route.

obi re reading your reply im still a bit confused by what you mean by not needing recovery?

I used some recovery socks for a while but then I got humungous cramps. Maybe it was coincidence - anyone else experienced that?

maybe your feet are more at risk being the most distal point? pure speculation on my part and assuming you're properly hydrated etc

fontmoss - let me explain it to you in simple terms. If you use a pair of compression tights during exercise you will massively reduce the damage that you need to recover from.

Obi_Twa - Member

fontmoss - let me explain it to you in simple terms. If you use a pair of compression tights during exercise you will massively reduce the damage that you need to recover from.

What about if it's really hot though? You don't want to train in full tights do you?

vdubber67 - this is the UK - it doesnt get really hot.

What about if it's really hot though? You don't want to train in full tights do you?

oh no - ive covered my body in UV protecting Sweat wicking material ..... ill probably be colder than if i just had bare skin .....

performace over looks im afraid -

ah i see, either way you still end up with tights then

i agree it doesnt get that hot in the UK (after running in Madrid) but ill stick with the running kit im used to (i use 3/4 tights in winter and prefer short shorts tbh) and get tights for recovery

trail rat i reckon [i]anything[/i] over your skin is going to impinge its ability to use sweat properly- my humble opinion of course but if sweat evaporating is intrinsic to cooling i would have thought nekkid is the way forward.

if its tight enough then no - seems to be a common misconception on these forums - hence baggy shorts and baggy merino FFS

are we talking about being dry or being cooled?

skins tights are very good at regulating your temperature. better than any other bas layer i have tried.

both ..... assuming you are asking these questions then i assume you dont yet have compression wear .... try it

ive used underarmour for years and recently moved to skins both do an excellent job of keeping me cool , i find they suck in winter as a base layer as im colder with them due to no trapped air barrier between

then why dont we see people wearing long sleeved tops and tights in warm events like triathlons, marathons etc?

Because when you are actually doing a race you are not thinking about recovery perhaps?

im asking in relation to keeping someone cool rather than recovery

oh no - ive covered my body in UV protecting Sweat wicking material ..... ill probably be colder than if i just had bare skin .....

Well the triathlon thing is a no brainer.

As for marathons - perhaps folk just dont know about the cooling effects yet.

The increased cooling effect is due to an increase in surface area. Think about this before you respond.

perhaps folk just dont know about the cooling effects yet.

seriously? radcliffe wore a cooling vest in Athens, im fairly sure they may have worked out cooling effects of tights

You do realise that Paula Radcliffe using compression kit in competition don't you? Has done for a lot of years.

tights? or shorts?

my question is that if compression tights are that good at keeping cool as trail rat said then why arent more athletes using long sleeves and tights rather than vests and shorts?

im not suggesting that it doesnt happen but that i thought the real benefits of compression lay with holding stuff tighter and not losing energy etc and with lactate recovery processes and that the keeping cool element is conjectural (in fact i think most of the effects are still under researched?) and more of a side effect than a primary benefit

to be fair most of that belief is based on info from mates who compete internationally and what they've been told by a variety of people inc reps so im open to ideas just dont understand why if theyre so good at promoting heat loss they arent used more widely with that role in mind? hence asking about long sleeves and tights

If you are such an expert with lots of international level athlete friends then why the hell are you asking a forum whose core demographic is overweight, middle aged, middle management IT professionals about compression clothing?

because they respond with the authority of international athletes?

ive never claimed to be an expert and ive asked the opinion of people who are using the kit here, when ive not understood the claims made ive asked people to clarify and why paid professionals dont use it in the way you'd expect given the claims. which comes back to why i asked if compression kit is so good at wicking sweat then why dont we see it being used in that role?

didnt think it was a controversial question

Perhaps you haven't seen it used in that role, but that might be because you haven't been looking.

Given the ridiculous mileage that Trail_rat does and some of the results that he gets I'd take it as read that he knows what he is talking about.

i know trail rat does a lot hence me asking him for more info

Obi_Twa, those ones you linked to from CRC - do they have a chamois built in? Can't tell on the CRC website and I can't find that model on the skins website.

there is next to no evidence for what i say - there is also next to no evidence that compression tights work ....

so on the grounds of that given that compression tights have meant that i can get up the day after 300kms @ 28kph on a loan breakaway and knock out 200k the next day without feeling bad. i tried the same the weekend before sans compression tights and i was in alsorts of trouble by the 50th km on the second day !

as for the heat thing in pro runners - i have no idea perhaps the lack of speed for them creating the drying effect on the base layer.... tbh im coming from a cycling perspective - i do wear them for running but its not warm enough here for me to notice long sleave short sleaves . I did notice a difference between an L/S merino top and bare arms in nz in 35degrees - and it was certainly the L/S top that was cooler to ride in

trail_rat....can you answer my chamois question?....cheers!

nah they do not have chamois in them.

the cycling shorts - which i fully intend to buy are 135quid of so ....the tights were an experiment - a successful one

atm i wear my skins over my shorts when im doing timetrials - never under as they have a wide flat locked set of stitches running under the crotch , not an issue till you try doing a ride with them under the chamois lol

curious to try them for longer multi day rides but id like to get the shorts for that

tights = girls
compression tights = stuffing knob between thighs and pretending to be a big girl

cheers trail_rat

lol at simon, surely everyone cycling in lycra fits into the latter category

trail rat, yeah i did start wondering about the ventilation (for want of a better description) with running v cycling

did you find much dif between subarmour and skins? they'll just be for recovery not for running in

never had subarmour - was underarmour i had - they are a similar price to skins tbh and very similar in action tbh they are both very thin - but tight. I suggest prestretching hte neck in your hands before you put them on they are rather tight round the neck although that might just be because im a medium size with out of proportion shoulders/neck.

remember to use the chart and if in the middle go for the smaller size - they will stretch !

I've used Skins for years. I sometimes use them during multi-day races to let my legs recover a bit and also sleep in them quite a lot. They are not warm so don't try and use them as winter tights but they work for me. I've snorkelled in mine, paddled for 23hours in them, bike for far too many hours to think about and in most cases they seem to do something for recovery. And yeah don;t wear them straight onto your skin as those flatlocked seams are ther work of the devil on your undercarriage.

fontmoss - Member
...radcliffe wore a cooling vest in Athens

When I saw that I predicted she was going to bomb - that and pouring water over herself instead of drinking it.

I have spent a large part of my life in very hot places, much hotter than Athens. I used to run for long distances and there is no substitute for water. Loads of it and inside you. Drink it frequently and there's no need to add salt because your body will maintain its isotonic level.

right im 5 10 and 72 kg so by skins chart im a medium, does that mean i should go for a small??

don't worry epi when i head back to madrid i wont be doing much running 🙂

Drink it frequently and there's no need to add salt because your body will maintain its isotonic level.

only if your tongue is long enough to lick the salt off your skin...

simonfbarnes - Member
'Drink it frequently and there's no need to add salt because your body will maintain its isotonic level.'
only if your tongue is long enough to lick the salt off your skin...

If you are sweating salt it's because you either started off with too much or your fluid levels in your body have dropped.

I used to run long distances in temperatures between 30 - 40 degrees and regarded salt on my skin as a sign I wasn't keeping my fluids up. (Spent 30+ years in Far North Queensland and outback). I drank water only.

Your body only excretes salt if the loss of fluid raises the concentration of salt. Your body is trying to maintain the ratio of salt to fluid.

No - it means you go for a medium.

If you are sweating salt it's because you either started off with too much or your fluid levels in your body have dropped.

is this true or did you just make it up ?

SFB - sounds like it could be true to me. In this country we have way too much sat in our bodies.

SFB - sounds like it could be true to me.

is that how accuracy is established ? How long will it be before they discover that salt is very good for you after all ?

LMAO

Before going and slagging an idea it might be an idea to go and find out the role of salts in the body.

Before going and slagging an idea it might be an idea to go and find out the role of salts in the body.

I'm only slagging off assertion with evidence, as I have no idea if epicyclo is right or wrong

how many glasses of water on an average none exercise day does a 23 year old male need to drink and how much extra when exercising? loads before or just a steady pace within the exercise?

I did find this:
"As the name implies, the biggest difference between salty sweaters and other athletes is that salty sweaters lose more sodium when they sweat—in some cases, a lot more. Consider this: In a study of 10 football players, sodium losses during a two-hour practice ranged from 0.8g to 8.5g. In another study of top male tennis players during matches on a hot, humid day, average sodium loss was 2.7g per hour, but one player lost 12g of salt in an hour. " [url= http://www.training-conditioning.com/2007/08/salt_in_their_sweat.html ]< http://www.training-conditioning.com/2007/08/salt_in_their_sweat.html> [/url]

which says that some people become salt depleted due to sweating, presumably not merely due to dehydration

[correction of previous post] I'm only slagging off assertion with[b]out[/b] evidence

i know that in some sweat cells Sodium is excreted and as water follows sodium it goes out and can evaporate (the water) which should cool the body, the sodium should be re absorbed. I don't know a huge amount about it and i know it in relation to CFTR channels in cystic fibrosis rather than in exercise, maybe a sports scientist on here can explain what happens?

WTF -is a sweat cell?

WTF -is a sweat cell?

sweat [b]gland[/b] perhaps ?

Ive been using skins compression tights for recovery from running since march. Best bit of kit I've ever bought. I find it is too hot to wear the tights over night just now, and so bought a pair of the knee length socks, and they work brilliantly as well. I will be buying another set to run in during winter time and for my next half marathon. I get no pain or aches after wearing them over night.

Try before you buy though, fit is crucial.I tried on 2xu but didn't find them as nice as skins.

Best of all, they are slinky 🙂

they are cells that secrete sodium and cholride in order to secrete water, i can try put up a couple of lecture slides but not sure it'll make more sense. As I said I only know about how they function in relation to CF but it was because simon said about salt depletion due to sweating rather than dehydration-ie i know if you lose salt then water will follow it but i dont how it interacts with dehydration

Go on then. fire up the lecture slides.

I use Skins compression tights and they work for me - not used other compression clothing or just normal tight leggings etc. so can't compare them anything else. Also got Skins compression socks but can't see any difference when I wear them - IMO the fit isn't as good.

Not sure it'll shed much light but fill yer boots

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simonfbarnes - Member
'If you are sweating salt it's because you either started off with too much or your fluid levels in your body have dropped.'
is this true or did you just make it up ?

Practical experience gained in a very hot country. Think desert type heat and also jungle level humidity.

It may not fit current theory, but the practical application of this has enabled me to keep going in hot weather when fitter and faster people were dropping like flies.

but the practical application of this has enabled me to keep going in hot weather

but you may be a low salt sweater, in which case the experience is non transferrable

simonfbarnes - Member
'but the practical application of this has enabled me to keep going in hot weather'
but you may be a low salt sweater, in which case the experience is non transferrable

If I don't maintain fluid levels I sweat salt like everyone else.

If I don't maintain fluid levels I sweat salt like everyone else.

but how can you tell this? For all we know you may be deducing how hydrated you are by how salty your sweat is, in which case it's a self-fullfilling prediction

simonfbarnes - Member
but how can you tell this?

It may not fit your theory, but it worked for me in a climate where cold starts at 25 degrees.

Edit: just checked - it's midwinter where I used to live and the daytime temperature is 25-27 degrees.

It may not fit your theory

I haven't got a theory. However, what you described is exactly what I suggested as a circular argument ("For all we know you may be deducing how hydrated you are by how salty your sweat is")

Philosophy has never helped me when I'm hot, so you do it your way, I'll do it my way 🙂

so you do it your way

this is me doing it my way

calling sports scientists and physiologists to the forum! step forward please!

calling sports scientists and physiologists to the forum! step forward please!

not needed when the main protagonist is licking himself (or the windows ?) ...

You asked the question, I gave the answer.

How do you determine your hydration levels - carry a laboratory about with you?

Anyway, it probably doesn't matter in this country because it doesn't get hot here for long - if at all.

Ok, this sweating thing has been just getting utterly ridiculous.

There is some basic and very well understood physiology behind this that doesn't support the rather odd ideas being bandied about here.

Firstly.

Drink it frequently and there's no need to add salt because your body will maintain its isotonic level.

Pretty much every physiological system within the body operates to maintain homeostasis. That is operating within normal limits, go above or below these and you get in trouble. Fontmoss' lecture slides showing Na2+ is correct as it is the only way to transport water across the cell membrane against the osmotic gradient. This means that salt is lost during sweating.

However as you lose Na2+ you also lose water so the concentration of Na remains relatively similar. This dehydration results in the cardiac drift that you will notice on your HRM as your heart rate increases to compensate for the dropping pressure through fluid loss. Without drinking this will result in hypovolemic hyponatremia, i'll talk more about this in a minute.

When you begin to take in (pure not isotonic electrolytes) water two things happen. Firstly the hypotonic osmotic gradient in your intestines will draw more electrolytes into your gut. This results in some of the stomach cramps and funky stomachs during endurance events. Once this water starts to get absorbed, the net electrolyte concentration (Cl- K+ Na2+ etc) in your body begins to drop as you have increased the volume of liquid but not replaced the solutes that have been lost.

Continue down this road for too long and [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia ]hyponatremia[/url] begins to set in. More specifically this is hypervolemic hyponatremia where water levels have been kept high but sodium has steadily decreased.

With low sodium levels outwith the cell, fluid begins to flow into the cell, where the higher ion concentrations are (water will always flow from a high concentration to a low concentration but within a cell ion movement is carefully controlled). This results in the cell swelling and eventually bursting. This becomes a serious problem within the central nervous system as the brain begins to undergo oedema and swell within the skull which being a solid lump of bone is unable to undergo this same expension.

At its most serious this results in compression of the brain stem and eventually death. Very similar to what happens during a brain bleed.

This is hyponatremia at its most extreme but is not an uncommon occurrence in endurance athletes. In case you don't believe me here are some scientific papers on the subject.

[url= http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/1989/10001/Dehydration_and_hyponatremia_during_triathlons.17.aspx ]Hyponatremia during Ironman[/url]
[url= http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W9K-4C4877C-7N&_user=121723&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F1994&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1377759069&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000009999&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=121723&md5=f197d9edaf2b2718807355482fe47b71 ]Ultra-endurance marathons[/url]

Even though these are extreme examples, dehydration is the number one cause of failure in endurance events. Any exercise over an hour in length really requires some electrolyte replacement.

Here's an article about cycling, even a 1.8% dehydration had a marked effect on performance. [url= https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/sportsmed/doi/10.1055/s-2007-1021076 ]Effects of dehydration on cyclists[/url]

This is why people use isotonic drinks, or salt tablets during racing, its just sensible. If your serious about training and racing then i strongly suggest looking at some training manuals or some basic sports physiology books, you'll probably find your performance shoots up.

Again fontmoss is right, what do you think sweat glands are made up from? Sweat cells!

Or you could just be magic and get by through licking yourself? LMAO.