A lot can be said when every Super hero, saviour, evil-fighting, end-of-the-world stopping, Supernatural being wears a "Superhero suit."
Yes, Lycra spandex is ridiculously exposing and only flattering for 5% of the population with a shapely defined physique. It does demand the attention that you mean business and that you are in fact on a top secret mission to save the world and in our (mere mortals) case, save our bodies from what could be longer more painful periods of DOMS (delayed onset muscle syndrome)ice baths, deep heat, gruelling sports massage sessions and pain killers.
All of this which stunts and draws out recovery. Which in the end is priority for any athlete. The faster you can recover, the faster you can hit it hard. Other NB factors not mentioned are the obvious; 1) rest 2) feed 3) sleep.
The psychological factor of wearing your "Superhero suit" aka Compression Kit, in my opinion plays a big part in the success of your world saving mission, I meant workout. Yes Bruce Fordyce never wore Compression Kit (Runnersworldza: 2012), but I have, and when wearing it at the end of my week after completing 13 gruelling sessions, I am able to run faster, harder and stronger. Yes not every run is the same but my God, did my joints, knees, quads, everything, feel like I haven't just done 7-8 leg Focussed sessions that week. I was flying. It regulated my temperature and over the last year I've noticed that my body takes longer to heat up and lubricate than before.
Definitely fatigued and clearly mentally unstable as the very next day was legs again, doubling up some isolation and then another leg focussed Kettlebell session (Mondays). I space my sessions out in the day so that I get a refuel in and a little bit of time to recover. As I do with my cardio sessions too. I never train for more than 1hour solidly as in my experience it has just counteracted the efforts in the lifting arena, decreases my strength and breaks down my hard earned muscle. It also just tires the hell out of you. There are easier ways to die.
Compression Kit on the Tush
I wear my Superhero gear in between workouts and during some of them and every Sunday I sleep in my Compression socks too. I am obsessed and I don't know where I would be without it? Come Thursday and it's training back for a solid hour - isolation, my upper body feels like its been poured into a muscle mould as, it's already, chest, biceps, triceps, shoulders down. Sceptical about the Compression top, it literally saved my life. I would recommend a top and pair of shorts / tights, maybe even socks too.
My favourite are Linebreaks from Australia. Available online and deliver worldwide Linebreaks
I look like this:
But in my mind I feel like this...
How Does It Work?
Explained in a nutshell from (Linebreakau: 2012)
Applying graded compression to working muscles improves blood circulation and that has a bunch of benefits.
Compression gets oxygen rich blood from your heart to your muscles faster which means they perform better. Getting fresh blood into the muscle means getting nasty by-products out of them also (most people know the main one which is lactic acid). This is one way compression Improves Your Performance – good stuff in, bad stuff out.
So now you’ve got working muscles getting fresh blood supplied and yuck removed for better performance but what about Recovery? Again, getting oxygen rich blood to tired muscles is the key. Like a massage, compression promotes better blood flow to traumatized muscles (but for a whole lot less dollars, time and pain). Better blood flow means faster and more effective recovery to the muscle cells. It’s recommended they be worn for a couple of hours after exercise for maximum benefit.
Besides circulation, compression can reduce your Risk of Injury (is there no end to good news) and extend your endurance by supporting your muscles. Picture super-slow-mo video of a runner’s foot striking the ground. Imagine the downward shockwave through the thigh followed by a reverberation of the shock as the quad bounces back up. All this violence causes the muscle fibres to tear. Don’t panic, this is the natural degradation of muscles that lead to fatigue. What compression does is to act like a firm set of hands gently holding the muscle in place to reduce the shock. the better you can do that, the less damage you cause and the longer you can go for. Also, you will have caused less damage to recover from. This benefit applies to all working muscles and isn’t limited to just legs.
As if all that wasn’t reason enough, LineBreak garments also Control Your Body Temperature in hot and cold conditions. When you sweat in the heat, our fabric draws the sweat to the surface of the garment and spreads it over the entire garment to increase your evaporation surface area. The bigger that area is, the more efficiently you’ll be cooled (a bit like having a cool flannel over you on a hot night). In the cold, this evaporation means you’ll dry quickly if you sweat and when you’re dry, the undergarment helps keep your warmth in. Besides being comfortable, a regulated body temperature conserves energy for your sport - energy that would have otherwise been used fighting temperature fluctuations.
There are also local brands Medac Rockets gear check out there Medac Rockets Facebook Page. Rocket offers customisation and tailored my pants to fit me snug :)
These are Rockets socks... no they are not a fashion statement.
We all wear and own that special garment needed on emergency days... Whether it be a special pair of underpants cc Justin Pearce (@JuiceFordyce) who swears by his Batman underpants, a lucky pair of shoes, or a sexy LBD, psychological or scientific, wearing your form of a "Superhero suit" will work for you with the task at hand and set you apart from the rest, so others can identify that you take your talent, task and job seriously.
In the gym, in this industry people can define a 360 Specialized Training PT and a 360 Legionnaire by our "Superhuman Tee" and killer legs... Upon identification you know that we take pride in our responsibility to put your body's best interest first. Belief and trust in the 360 Team :)
360 across our hearts...
To save the day....
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Rushda Moosajee
Personal Trainer | Lifestyle Coach | Marketing
360 Specialized Training
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