Whether you are an athlete in training or someone who just loves to work out and stay fit, who doesn’t like to see instant results? Seeing yourself in front of the mirror and realizing that your hard work is starting to pay off keeps you motivated and ups your drive. Often times, however, results may seem slower than expected, and you may start to doubt yourself…don’t do that!
With the help of a compression shirt, believe it or not, your workouts can get a personal assistant. By a garment that fits your body – a compression shirt. It is designed not only for you to see your form, but to work on your blood and lymphatic flow. Let dive in and discover whether compression shirts work or not, and discover what exactly makes them tick.
Contents
- 1 What are the best compression shirts of 2020?
- 2 Our Top Pick: DEVOPS Athletic Compression Shirts
- 3 Best Short Sleeve: ATHLIO Cool Dry Short Sleeve Compression Shirts
- 4 Best Long Sleeve: Under Armour ColdGear Armour Compression Shirt
- 5 Honorable Mention: DRSKIN Mask turtleneck Compression Shirt
- 6 What are compression shirts?
- 7 Why do we use compression shirts?
- 8 5 Fitness Benefits of Compression Shirts
- 9 Do compression shirts make you look slimmer?
- 10 How tight should compression shirts be?
- 11 Conclusion
What are the best compression shirts of 2020?
Our Top Pick: DEVOPS Athletic Compression Shirts
Having a design suited for all seasons, DEVOPS Athletic Compression shirts have excellent performance in both warm and cold weather. It also enables you to wick sweat and moisture away from the body quickly and allows sweat to air dry and stop clothes from sticking to your body.
Our personal preference has always been the tank versions over the full-sleeved ones. It may depend on how you work out, but we find it can limit arm movement in intense upper body workouts. Running might be a different story
| PROS | CONS | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable stitching | No Back Tag | DEVOPS |
| Excellent Mobility | ||
| Recovery |
Best Short Sleeve: ATHLIO Cool Dry Short Sleeve Compression Shirts
The ATHLIO Cool Dry Short Sleeve Compression Shirts has multiple variations in color, fit and sizing. This is usually a good thing as it allows you the flexibility to find your fit. Most users find it is most suitable for sports such as running, baseball, basketball, football, and other fast active workouts. That said, calisthenics and gym workouts we have found still work well.
| PROS | CONS | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent elasticity and durability | Sizing, ensure to review | ATHLIO |
| Amazing moisture control | ||
| High Quality Compression |
Best Long Sleeve: Under Armour ColdGear Armour Compression Shirt
The Under Armour ColdGear Armour Long Sleeve Compression Shirt has an ultra-warm, brushed interior for a smooth, fast-drying exterior. Probably the best cool-weather shirt in the list, the construction of the shirt seems to allow better movement in every direction than most full sleeve shirts. It also has an anti-microbial fabric that prevents odor-causing microbes.
| PROS | CONS | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent cool weather shirt | Durability | Under Armor |
| Odor Control | ||
| Surprising Mobility |
Honorable Mention: DRSKIN Mask turtleneck Compression Shirt
This one gets an honorable mention due to our COVID restrictions in the gym. If your looking for a great fitting stylish workout compression shirt – with a built-in mask. Look no further.The DRSKIN Mask Turtleneck Compression shirt has a smooth and ultra-soft fabric that provides extreme comfort with very little weight or restriction. Its mask feature is still highly functional and will serve added protection in cool weather as well.
| PROS | CONS | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| Mask and Neck Warmer | Heat on the neck | DRSKIN |
| Moisture Wicking | Neck Sizing | |
| UV Protection |
What are compression shirts?
Whether you are an athlete in training or someone who just loves to work out and stay fit, who doesn’t like to see instant results? Seeing yourself in front of the mirror and realizing that your hard work is starting to pay off keeps you motivated and ups your drive. Often times, however, results may seem slower than expected, and you may start to doubt yourself…don’t do that!
Compression shirts are clothing that fits tightly around your skin. Usually worn by athletes, and generally designed in a durable, lightweight, breathable fashion that can wick moisture quickly. In contrast to the standard loose workout shirt, compression shirts hug your body tightly, for fashion and function.
Why do we use compression shirts?
Compression shirts are typically made out of a spandex-type material. Their primary benefit is to increase exercise tolerance and to help speed up recovery. Compression shirts are designed in a way that increases both blood and lymphatic flow to the compressed area. It is this mechanism that provides the primary benefit.
The compression in the material needs to be distributed evenly to get the results you are looking fo. In fact it needs to be distributed to the areas that need blood flow maximization. They are not just tight fabrics, they are, when designed properly, an excellent tool in your fitness arsenal.
There are many brands of compression shirts available on the market today, which makes choosing the best pion all the more crucial.
5 Fitness Benefits of Compression Shirts
1. Helps provide support
Compression shirts enable you to have access to improved support and provide you with a means to stabilize specific body parts as you workout or train. As you progress with your training, these compression shirts increase the pressure in your muscles which improves blood circulation. This pressure aids your body in activity and recovery..
2. Helps reduce muscle soreness.
Research points out that wearing compression clothing seems to eradicate muscle soreness and fatigue. Muscle tightness is reduced during your workout and soreness is reduced in the post-workout recovery period as well.
3. Helps improve flexibility.
Wearing compression clothing when working out enables you to execute what your movements more safely, in a similar manner to how a wrap acts. are doing more safely. Wearing compression shirts will not only increase your stability but they may also help in improving flexibility.
4. Helps speed recovery.
Wearing compression clothing enables you to speed up your recovery and allow your body to repair muscles after training. Compression shirts reduce muscle strain and increase blood pressure, which as pointed out, aid in repairing damaged muscle tissue.
5. Helps keep you dry.
As seen in the compression shirts listed above, they are usually made of either or both polyester and nylon materials. These materials do not necessarily repel sweat or water but they do help in pushing the moisture out away from the skin. This allows for rapid evaporation, which in high-intensity activity is a major plus.. It is highly uncomfortable to train while being soaked in sweat!
Do compression shirts make you look slimmer?
With compression shirts having polyester and spandex materials, the garment hugs your body tightly. The materials are also thin and less bulky, which gives a feeling of lightness. Because of its composition, it can make you feel slimmer and tighter. Who doesn’t like that?
How tight should compression shirts be?
Even though compression shirts are made to be tight and body-hugging, it should still be a garment that is comfortable to wear (unless working with a trainer). Some compression shirts can serve other purposes. In general, though, it should not constrict your movement. To answer the question, it should be tight enough to facilitate proper blood flow and reduce swelling but not so tight that it brings you discomfort and pain.
Conclusion
Compression shirts not only help you look better and visualize your body while working out but also provide faster muscle recovery and muscle/tissue repair. If you are thinking of buying compression shirts soon, hopefully we have helped you determine what is the best compression shirt. The top four brands listed above are some of the best options you should consider.
