Compression shirts are made of stretchable materials. They are similar to spandex shirts. Compression gear has been popular for decades now, mostly among athletes. Fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders too have joined the bandwagon.
Compression shirts are no longer confined to the realm of compression gear. Those who do not work out every day can also experience a few benefits. Here are ten benefits of wearing compression shirts.
1. Assured Comfort
Compression shirts are comfortable. They can make you feel cooler or warmer depending on the variety of the material. They fit snugly on your body but without any unnecessary exertion of thrust.
While it is normal to presume such shirts will make you feel a little constrained and have a limiting effect on your range of motion, yet the reality is quite the opposite. You will feel more comfortable wearing such shirts, whether you are at the gym or working in your office.
2. Enhanced Oxygenation
Compression can improve blood circulation to and from the heart and to the lungs. Muscles need enough oxygen to be healthy and strong. The supply of oxygen needs to be enhanced during workouts.
Compression shirts can induce an optimum pressure on the muscles that increases blood circulation. Better supply of oxygenated blood also improves the flow of deoxygenated blood from the muscles. This improves comfort, blood flow and hence the functioning of muscles.
3. Boost to Perceived Strength
Improved blood circulation does have an effect on muscle function. You can flex your muscles more easily if there is better supply of oxygenated blood. There is also an effect on the perceived strength in different muscles.
Technically, compression shirts do not improve strength. They are not going to enable a person to lift an additional thirty pounds all of a sudden but the perception of strength does improve. This has more to do with the better blood circulation and enhanced control.
4. Sweat Absorption
Compression shirts come with varying degrees of sweat absorption ability. The exact combination of materials and their quality will determine how much sweat they can absorb. You can choose a quality depending on the kind of activity you are likely to engage in.
Those who live in tropical regions and especially in a humid climate can wear such shirts even when they are not working out. Such shirts can be a more compatible innerwear or outerwear in many hot and humid settings.
5. More Breathable
Compression shirts are more breathable than ordinary apparel. The materials do not block aeration and hence the skin does get to relax even though you have a piece of apparel that is basically clinging onto your body.
The materials are also soft so there is no feeling of suffocation or sense of tightness. The level of compression is always optimum, provided you choose a good brand.
6. Reduced Fatigue
Muscles suffer from fatigue after intensive workouts. Even those who do not work out regularly can have sore muscles due to excessive physical stress. Sedentary lifestyles can also cause muscle fatigue due to weakening of the tissues.
Compression shirts can reduce the fatigue and even prevent soreness. Compression gear is popular among fitness enthusiasts because its facilitating effect on performance and preventive effect on common fallouts of intensive workouts, such as muscle fatigue and soreness.
7. Strain Prevention
Muscles can get sprained or strained. These are common side effects of regular workouts and for others. The sustained pressure applied by the compression shirts enables the right positioning and movement of muscles.
The sprains and strains occur when muscles are subjected to any kind of unusual pressure while being in an abnormal form or posture. Compression prevents such abnormal poses and regulates the manner in which force is exerted using the muscles.
8. Cures Soreness
Compression shirts can cure delayed onset muscle soreness. This is not the same as muscle fatigue. As the term implies, the onset of such type of soreness in the muscles is delayed. One does not get to realize it till after a few hours, in some cases days, of working out or getting injured.
Compression shirts can facilitate the elimination of lactic acid due to increased circulation of blood. Lactic acid buildup is unhealthy, not just for muscles but anywhere in the body. When there is more lactic acid in muscles than necessary, one can experience delayed onset soreness. This can be prevented and also cured by compression shirts.
9. Reduced Friction & Chafing
It is not uncommon for people to have an irritation or a rash on their skin after working out. Many types of fabrics cause friction and chafing, not only during exercise but also when someone is physically active at their workplace or home.
Excessive chafing and friction can cause skin problems. Compression shirts can reduce such friction and chafing. They actually cause no friction or chafing, thereby eliminating the chances of irritation or rash on your skin.
10. Better Posture & Appearance
Compression shirts reflect the natural form or structure and the posture of a person. They fit on the body neatly. While the look can be stylish for those who have a well sculpted body, the fit also complements ordinary people as the appearance can be sleeker or trimmer.
Those who work out every day can have a better understanding of how their body looks and feels at different stages of an exercise. Ensuring the correct posture at all times is one of the quintessential prerequisites to exercise safely and effectively. Wearing loose clothes does not let a person have an accurate assessment of whether or not their posture is perfect.
Conclusion
Compression shirts are a great choice for athletes, sportspersons, fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders. They are appropriate if you are a jogger. You can wear them while doing yoga. Even if you are going out for a leisurely walk, such shirts are perfect and you will feel much more comfortable. These types of shirts are for everyone, men or women, adults or children.