John – Have you used compression skins or compression shorts to aid in recovery or increase performance? Do you think they work and if they make a difference in your training or competition?

James D.

COMPRESSION SKINS#1
James – While my experience wearing tight spandex is extensive after a career in the NFL, I am not an expert on compression gear. But I have worn compression shorts during my career when I pulled my groin and injured my quad. They worked great for getting the muscles to fire and reduce swelling. Recently, my experience is limited to wearing them on planes to keep swelling out of my knee…which I can attest to working. I have been wearing the shorts in my training and they are good at keeping things snug. I simply do not do the volume of high motor burn that guys training for the CrossFit Games do. So I forwarded your question to Ben Kelly from CrossFit Performance in Milford, CT.

Ben is a big proponent of compression skins and swears by them and send me a pair of leggings and shorts to try out. He shot this to me…“I personally have used Body Science Compression gear for over 2 years and back the results of the Aussie companies gear 100% BSC knows the importance of sports science. While many companies claim compression, BSC boasts the new generation Multi Directional Targeted Medical Grade Compression Garment. Sounds technical – it is, but it still looks and feels great. BSC range is designed for maximum athletic results.”

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It seems a number of competitive CF athletes are wearing compression wear with the list being headed by James “OPT” Fitzgerald and Rob Orlando. OPT wrote…”I’m a CrossFit athlete. I need to be able to Clean and Jerk, perform on gymnastics rings and run fast; sometimes alone, sometimes all together. What makes the CF athlete is the knowledge about the intricate balance away from the gym to allow skill work on the constantly changing environment while in the gym. The BSc gear allows me to recover faster, period. If I can do that, it means I am back at training faster than the next guy. Combine that with a polished back ground of skills and you make a deadly match”

COMPRESSION SKINS#2
If you are interested in more information or giving compression skins a try contact Ben at bsc@crossfitperformance.com for a 10% discount on any product. BCS offers a 100% money back guarantee if not completely satisfied.