SS Football 2012: Compression and You

Back in late 1998, my football team was handed out these thick cotton shirts with our uniform numbers on them. They were thick cotton to get the sweat off of our bodies, and insulate our skin from the scratchy nylon lining that our shoulder pads had that would rough up and literally take the skin off of us. And these were nice pads! While the shirts did their job in protection, during early season games they would resemble that of heavy rags at a car wash. Thankfully, speed wasn’t as important in middle school football. (UA Founder Kevin Plank was having a similar problem while he was playing for U of Maryland, where he was proclaimed “The Sweatiest Guy on the Field”. And he did something about it.)

It’s 2012 folks. And we’re here to help.

Since 1996, the combination of moisture-wicking and compression has been the choice of those who take the sport a bit more serious, and now it’s prevalent in all sports and not just football. The idea is simple- a light but tough shirt that pulls the sweat off you and doesn’t get soaked. And it’s not just Under Armour making it these days, Nike and others have followed suit after seeing UA’s success.

The compression effect helps in a number of areas:

  • Compression unleashes the power of your muscles:
-increased power and stamina to stay stronger for longer by reducing the muscle vibration to lessen fatigue and maintain power output; keeps muscles aligned to increase repetitive muscle power.

-compression enhances proprioception-the body’s recognition of muscle patterns and spatial awareness-to increase muscle efficiency.

 

  • Compression creates a faster recovery to get your muscles back to full strength faster:
-creates a healing environment around muscles and circulatory system.  Post-workout, reduces swelling, decreases soreness time and promotes muscle repair.

  • Compression offers a superior comfort to stay cool, dry, and light:
-wicks moisture to keep you 53% lighter than regular cotton after 60 minutes of athletic performance.  Speeds evaporation to regulate your core temperature.

Sounds a good deal better than an ol’ soggy t-shirt. And hey look, SCIENCE PEOPLE AGREE!

For some prime examples of this good stuff, check out our selection of both Under Armour and Nike Pro Combat. We’ll be adding more as the season draws near.
-Dan

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