Have you ever noticed guys at the gym wearing thick, stretchy shorts and wondered, what’s the deal with those? Compression shorts are becoming more and more common at gyms and health clubs, and they fall somewhere between a pair of shorts and a girdle. Many people wonder how to wear compression shorts as they are noticeably tighter than regular shorts, usually around 15 percent smaller than the average size.
Compression shorts are made with bands that are snug around your thighs and buttocks, and they come in several different lengths, but are most commonly seen in the mid-thigh length. Some of the compression shorts benefits are seen by athletes to improve their speed recovery, their workouts, and stop muscle soreness. By increasing blood flow to your muscles, they also reduce the risk of injuries while contributing to improved athletic performance, so there are a lot of benefits of compression shorts for all different activity levels from running to professional basketball playing.
Studies have found that compression shorts help to increase blood flow and the oxygen consumption in triathletes and runners. Other studies have found that they help to lower heart rates and less lactic acid forms when they are worn, plus runners were able to jump higher with less apparent exertion when they are wearing compression shorts.
You will find there are benefits of compression shorts for all kinds of sports like soccer, running, football, cycling, or just for working out. There are several muscles that benefit from wearing compression shorts including:
- Upper Body
- Quads
- Glutes
- Hips
- Calves
- Hamstrings
How to Wear Compression Shorts
Designed to squeeze your muscles and shape to your form, compression shorts can be revealing and some people prefer to wear clothing over them. You can purchase either outerwear compression shorts or compression undergarment base layers, but the outerwear compression shorts will be the most durable and give you a tighter compressive fit making them more effective and functional.
Compression shorts are also meant to fit close to your body, so you do not need to wear underwear under them. Since many of the brands will wick away moisture, you will stay nice and dry in your compression shorts, plus, as they are engineered to control your body temperature, wearing underwear with them reduces their effectiveness.
How to Wear a Cup with Compression Shorts
Some people wonder how to how to wear a cup with compression shorts, and it is actually pretty straight forward. If your compression shorts do not have a built-in pocket that will hold the cup, put the cup on first and then put on your compression shorts. Make sure your shorts fit tightly so your cup is held in place and do a few bends and squats to make sure the cup is positioned correctly, and that it doesn’t pinch or chafe your thighs.
benefits of compression shorts for basketball
There are many benefits of compression shorts for basketball besides just supporting your muscles and improving blood circulation. Compression shorts will also help to prevent the buildup of lactic acid and many pairs feature moisture wicking that breathe well and make the wearer more comfortable.
Top 8 Compression Shorts Benefits
1. Compression
If you need a lot of muscle support, compression shorts can be your answer. Similar to medical-grade garments, athletic compression shorts provide therapeutic compression that does not restrict your movement. Made of materials like Spandex, compression shorts tend to be about 15 percent smaller than regular shorts.
2. Improved Circulation
Studies have shown that compression shorts are able to provide increased blood circulation in your legs, as well as improve tissue oxygenation. When more oxygen is reaching your muscles, your athletic performance is enhanced and your risk of stiff and sore muscles are reduced.
3. Reduced Muscle Soreness
One of the more popular features of compression shorts is the benefit of reduced muscle soreness. Researchers have confirmed that compression shorts have awesome post-workout recovery benefits, and they provide less discomfort and you have an easier time eliminating waste materials.
4. Control
If you are a sprinter, you will find that compression shorts have an elasticity in their spandex-type material that assists your hamstrings to control your leg movement at the end of the swing phase. And, at the end range of the required motions, compression shorts give you more extension and flexion torque.
5. Prevent Damage
Not only do compression shorts reduce muscle soreness, but they can also compress the muscle tissue to the point that less damage will happen. Plus, the recovery of muscle force capacity is recovery is enhanced when you when compression shorts.
6. Thrombosis
Compression shorts can also protect you from getting a venous thrombosis which is a condition that happens when a vein that is deep inside your body has a blood clot form.
7. Reduced Chafing
If you participate in intense athletic activities like biking, jogging, and running marathons, you may have experience chafing in your groin area. No matter how soft or where the stitches are placed, this is a common occurrence with regular sports shorts. However, if you wear compression shorts, you will see the possibility of chaffing reduce dramatically.
Image courtesy of top10homeremedies.com
Compression shorts feature seams that are flat with strategically placed stitches, so you will not have to suffer through any chaffing or rubbing. There is minimal risk of irritation and compression shorts do not restrict your range of motion. Anyone that does frequent intensive physical activities should get a pair of two, especially if they have suffered from chafing in the past.
8. Regulating Temperature
Compression shorts can also feature fabrics with moisture wicking qualities that can absorb sweat and moisture. Most high-quality compression shorts will feature material designed to keep your body dry.
When compression shorts absorb moisture and sweat, they work by quickly dispersing the moisture allowing your body to cool down quickly after a workout. If your body is staying cooler than you are more comfortable and your athletic performance will increase.
The End Result
Compression shorts benefits are numerous and lots of athletes see the advantages of wearing them. Not only do they support your muscles and help prevent injury, they help you maintain your body temperature and wick away moisture, so there are awesome benefits of compression shorts for running. Don’t worry about how to wear compression shorts, they are easy to adjust to and they will help you increase your athletic performance in no time.
