Compression: Does it enhance recovery?

Zoot CompressRx Compression

As I 'gear up', both literally and figuratively, for the current holiday season, I decided to take a strong look at compression apparel. Beyond an unmatched ability to mask the results of how much I love eggnog, compression has been highly touted in the triathlon world recently for its ability to enhance recovery (and 'improve performance', but we'll take one claim at a time).

These glasses are apparently specifically made for eggnog.

Eggnog, however, is a specialty best taken straight from the carton.

I have a personal interest in researching equipment that can improve recovery. My job requires me to stand quite a bit during the day, and I have been surprised by how much soreness I feel as a result. This soreness can then be compounded by my run-focused training regimen and make me more predisposed to injury while also inhibiting a quality training session.

I decided to focus on Zoot's CompressoRx line as I was impressed (so was Jordan Rapp ) by the apparent R&D that went into the product. As Rapp writes, Zoot even went so far as to publish a white paper on their product and make it available on their website. You can read it here on the CompressRx page of Zoot's website. Also, you can check out this video Zoot published on Youtube. It provides some excellent insight into the CompressRx line and the company behind it.

So Zoot appears to be an excellent choice for compression clothing, but is purchasing compression clothing a good decision? I decided to look at independent research from established medical journals that will shed greater insight on the value of compression on enhancing recovery (for the benefits of compression during activity, I'll have to write another blog entry).

Here I've listed a few primary journals that I found on the subject along with a short synopsis:

1) Compression Garments and Recovery from Eccentric Exercise

Michael I. Trenell, Kieron B. Rooney , Carolyn M. Sue and Campbell H. Thompson 

from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2006)

Source 1: http://www.jssm.org/vol5/n1/12/v5n1-12pdf.pdf

-Synopsis: Eccentric muscular contractions, according to our good friend wikipedia, "normally occur as a braking force, in opposition to a concentric contraction, to protect joints from damage." Running, by this definition, could then easily be categorized as an eccentric exercise. By measuring perception of muscle soreness and the concentration of hydrogen ions (pH) and other metabolic byproducts of exercise, the study found that, "Compression garments may alter potential indices of the repair processes accompanying structural damage to the skeletal muscle following eccentric exercise allowing a faster cellular repair" (Source 1).

2) The Effects of Compression Garments on Recovery of Muscle Performance Following High-Intensity Sprint and Plyometric Exercise

Rob Duffield, Jack Cannon and Monique King

from the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

Source:  Science Direct

-Synopsis: This study looked at the effect of compression garments on individuals following a 10 minute exercise protocol consisting of a 20 meter sprint and 10 plyometric bounds each minute. Before each test, and then 2 hours and 24 hours following each test, the muscles were analyzed for pretty much everything we would want to know ( muscle performance assessments and assays of metabolic byproducts were performed, or in the words of the study, "evoked twitch properties of the knee extensors, peak concentric knee extension and flexion force were assessed, with blood samples drawn to measure lactate [La⁻], pH, creatine kinase (CK), aspartate transaminase (AST) and c-reactive protein (C-RP)" ). Also,  Heart rate, exertion (RPE) and muscle soreness (MS) measures were obtained pre- and post-exercise. 

What did they find? " In conclusion the effects of compression garments on voluntary performance and recovery were minimal; however, reduced levels of perceived MS were reported following recovery in the garments."

My personal conclusions tend to mirror those above. I could, however, apply the above bold statement perfectly to ice baths, massage, and stretching. At this moment, I'm inclined to perform an 'N=1' study by purchasing a CompressRx recovery garment and testing it out for myself. If I do I'll certainly write about my experience.

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As a bonus, below I've listed a study that analyzed the performance benefits of compression socks. They found that "stockings with constant compression over the calf muscle significantly improved running performance at different metabolic thresholds."

Effect of Compression Stockings on Running Performance in Men Runners

Kemmler, Wolfgang; Stengel, Simon von; Köckritz, Christina; Mayhew, Jerry; Wassermann, Alfred; Zapf, Jürgen

from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

Source: http://journals.lww.com/nscajscr/Abstract/2009/01000/Effect_of_Compression_Stockings_on_Running.16.aspx

10km: You should train for one

If you don't know about Bruce Fordyce, and you consider yourself a serious runner, you should be ashamed of yourself. He has won the infamous Comrades Marathon in South Africa eight times and the London-to-Brighton race three times. Dr. Timothy Noakes, whose opinion on running I respect more than anyone's, writes of Fordyce, "Never before had the Comrades seen such poetic running, such effortless mastery, and such athletic perfection- indeed, such complete excellence" (Lore of Running, Noakes, 332). Coming from the man who literally wrote the book on running, that's quite a statement.

In his book, Dr. Noakes outlines some of the principles that Fordyce trained by to achieve his unprecedented success in ultradistance running. Of the 9 points, which you should purchase the book to learn, #8 is to Gauge Your Fitness by Performance in Short-Distance Races and Speed Sessions. Noakes writes, "Bruce wrote that when he can run 8km in close to 25:00 (at altitude), he is ready for the Comrades (Fordyce, 1984). American marathoners Frank Shorter and Alberto Salazar have said essentially the same for the standard marathon (Noakes, 339)."

This principle is fundamental to swim, bike, and run training. Simply put, by pursuing speed work, the athlete can raise their 'cruising speed' for longer distance races. As an extreme example, take the course record setting 6hr 32min finishing time at the most recent White River 50 Mile Trail Running Championships. Anton Krupicka, a by-all-appearances incredibly humble and likable elite ultrarunner, ran the final 6.6 miles, over very technical single-track trail, averaging 6:49 min/mile (after running the previous downhill segment averaging 5:45 min/mile). You can bet that having a background racing 5km's certainly supported Krupicka's phenomenal performance. In his blog report of the race, he cites a marathon PR of 2:42 and a PR of 2:21 for second place finisher and defending White River champion Mike Wardian.

Krupicka on the White River 50 Course, Photo credit to Glenn Tachiyama

If you're reading this blog, you're most likely training for an Olympic distance race or an Ironman. Having the speed derived from 10km training will be invaluable when you come across the 'race to T2' warriors halfway through the marathon of your next Ironman.

I have the a Turkey Trot 10km on November 26th. I'm excited for the race and as I've mentioned previously, it has helped get me out the door when it's dark, rainy, and 40 degrees outside. My goal is to continue to train for a 10km race each year, as this will both help me track my progress in running and also prepare me for longer distance races.

But more than that, I'll get a T-shirt with this logo on it:

The best race logo in the world

Jonnyo's Cervelo P4 Commercial

The Cervelo P4. No other bike, save maybe the very first one, has ever been as heavily anticipated. Given the phenomenal success of the brand's P2C and P3C frames, the latter of which was and still is considered the industry standard for aerodynamics, the P4 was set to take the throne of ultimate time trial machine even before it's release.

While awaiting that moment myself, I remember coming across a commercial that professional triathlete Jonathan Caron made in anticipation of the machine. I believe that it is brilliant, and until I figure out how to embed video, you can watch it here.


You can find Jonathan's website at http://www.jonathancaron.com/ and read his highly entertaining blog, Jonnyo World, here.

Nutrition: Nutritiondata.com

Nutritiondata.com is a site that I came across quite some time ago and it's quite an excellent resource. I don't know if you saw this coming, but the site provides nutrition information on an ever expanding list of food items. Rather than reading about it, check it out for yourself. Here's Spinach:

 http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2

As you can see, each food entry has several main components:

-the Nutrition Facts Label (which can be adjusted by serving size)

-a Nutritional Target Map, which graphically represents how nutritious and filling the food item is

-a Caloric Ratio Pyramid, which shows what percentage fat, carb, or protein the food item is

-a quick assessment by Nutritiondata

-a Nutrient Balance graph, along with the corresponding 'completeness score'

-a Protein Quality Graph, which depicts the amino acid profile of the food item

image courtesty of http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/food/review2.php

  One of my most common lunches now is a Spinach salad (with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, sunflower seeds, celery, some cranberries if I'm lucky, and light shredded mozarella cheese to top it off). I recommend it highly.

   A good friend and previous housemate of mine, who has muscular definition beyond description, would eat a massive bowl of spinach (just spinach, nothing else) before bed and have a big bowl of spinach mid-day. He practically ate his bodyweight in Spinach daily, and given the nutrition facts posted at the link and his personal results, it appears that Spinach is the way to go. Nutritiondata can help you find other excellent food choices as well. For example, I was surprised to learn how highly pickles score (http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/3013/2 ).

Here's another real world example that demonstrates the benefit of sites like Nutritiondata.

"You're in Starbucks. You just had an excellent morning session at Master's and, as a reward for moving up a lane and cementing yourself in the elite class of the buoy-line enforced hierarchy, decide to purchase a tasty beverage. A frappuccino catches your attention, and your mind rapidly decided, you realize that there could be no other. Suddenly, you spot the Starbucks logo and realize you never really looked at it before.

"That mermaid is topless," you say to yourself, and your mind wonders as you contemplate why it appears to have two tales.

The cheerful cry of a distant barista brings you back to attention. It's nearly time to order. Having settled on a delicious frappuccino, you know that you need to try and mitigate the damages. You pull out your trusty iphone (given how many people have these things it's likely that you do) and pull up nutritiondata.com. You know that only a caramel frappuccino will satisfy your perverse desire to undo the the benefits of exercise that you worked so hard for. Searching for 'caramel frappuccino' you find this-http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/foods-from-starbucks/9603/2  - and learn that a Grande will run you 260 calories and 45 g of sugar. But you remember that beneath the Caramel Frappuccino on the search listing was a Light option. You pull it up - http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/foods-from-starbucks/9623/2 - and learn that a Grande Light will only entail consuming 167 calories and a paltry 25g of sugar."

As clearly demonstrated in the above true-to-life scenario, websites like nutritiondata.com can be useful assets to optimize your diet to truly take advantage of your training. The site has quite a few more features than those I've mentioned, you should give them a look.

Obligatory note: other than using the site, I have no relationship with nutritiondata.com