Riding Jerseys, Page 51

Compression garments like the 2XU Compression Shorts have caused quite a stir in the last decade, and there are a lot of unsubstantiated claims about the technology floating around. These claims fall along a sliding scale from true to false, with the recovery benefits of increased circulation and muscle stability sitting at the true end and the effect on lactic acid build up and distribution sitting at the false end. The mid-activity benefits are less easy to categorize, so we’ll briefly touch on them below. During a workout or race, compression helps in three ways. The first way is through increased blood circulation through compression that graduates up the arms in order to maintain a consistent flow of oxygen. This technique has been used in medical treatment for decades. The second benefit compression provides is that it literally buttresses-up your flagging muscles, reducing fatigue by reducing vibration and the need for muscles to self-stabilize. The final benefit is that compression supplements your body’s proprioception. Okay, buckle up, cuz it’s science time. Many of our most basic, unconscious actions (like maintaining balance) rely on a network of proprioceptors in our bodies that, essentially, map our bodies’ positions as we move through space — hence the name proprioception or “sense of self.” This map consists of coordinates relating to things like the length and tension of specific muscles and the changing angle of a joint in motion. As you can imagine, these little guys are pretty important for athletes, whose success or failure typically hinges on how well they control their bodies. 2XU’s Compression Shorts actually increase the effectiveness of proprioceptors, giving you what might be best described as an increased awareness of where your limbs are in space. Of course, depending on the effort you’re suffering through, increased awareness of your quads, gluts, and hamstrings may not be the most desirable outcome. The Compression Shorts are the…