Fiona Russell finds performance under pressure with leggings designed for running recovery.
The brand claim the Compressport Full Legs Recovery 2.0 – they are ‘sleeves’ for the legs – will reduce inflammation after exercise with “medically-controlled, graduated compression targeting large muscle groups” and provide up to 50 per cent decrease in DOMs “thanks to extremely fast toxin elimination and reduced inflammation”.
Fiona Russell recommends
On balance, the compression wear helped my body to recover for multiple days of strenuous physical exercise in the mountains, when combined with fuelling and training.- lightweight
- packable
- effective
- looks
| Quick Specs |
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| Price: US$110 | £90 (available from SportsShoes.com) Weight: 52g per sleeve Materials: 79% Polyamide, 21% Elastane Features: 3D waffle knit, anti-bacterial properties, medically controlled, graduated compression, reduced pressure on knees, left and right body mapping Sizes: 4 sizes, T1 to T4 Unisex compressport.com |
Age brings some benefits – greater freedom and a bit more wisdom, but it also dishes out plenty of negatives, including strength and muscle depletion, fatigue and slower recovery from exercise. This is especially true for women during peri-menopause and menopause. I do what I can to mitigate some of this with cardio exercise, weight training, a healthy diet and a handful off daily supplements topped with HRT. Yet, during the buildup to a summer mountain race in Switzerland and Italy, the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa, I still struggled with DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). The event, in the Alps, demanded day after day of endurance running, which I knew would be painful without good overnight recovery. A friend recommended compression wear and, while sceptical, I read some academic research that suggests that it can aid post-exercise recovery by relieving muscle soreness and improving blood flow. So, you can imagine my high hopes of a miracle recovery when I read the Compressport Full Legs Recovery 2.0 product blurb!
I chose size T1 based on measurements around my calf and thigh. The length suited me with full cover from ankle to upper thigh. The sleeves need to be quite tight so they are a bit of a struggle to get over the foot when pulling them on and off. Once on, I found the Q-skin yarn, created in a 3D waffle knit, to be surprisingly comfortable and very supportive. The leg wear feels like it hugs the muscles, while allowing for reasonable flexibility at the knees.
OK, perhaps they aren’t the most attractive – think black, knitted tights – and I had ‘sausage thigh’ at the top of the sleeves, but most of us will wear them in the privacy of own own homes. I paired the leg sleeves with a skort while in the company of other people each evening of the UTMR. The sleeves also left my legs patterned with waffle when I took them off, although this did disappear after 20 minutes or so.
What’s important, though, is the Compressport Full Legs Recovery 2.0 did seem to do what they said they would. I found that when wearing the sleeves for some five to eight hours after a long run, my muscles were surprisingly fresh the next morning, I need to add that I also made sure, after each trail outing, that I refuelled with food and water, supplemented with electrolytes, a protein shake and creatine powder. I also used a foam roller to massage my muscles. In addition, I had trained well for the event.
On balance, I think that all these things combined, including the compression wear, helped my body to recover for multiple days of strenuous physical exercise in the mountains.
How we tested
Fiona used the recovery wear during training and for a four-day ultra endurance stage race in the Swiss and Italian Alps. She is slim and 173cm tall.
