How Compression Socks Can Enhance Your Post-Workout Recovery

How Compression Socks Can Enhance Your Post-Workout Recovery

How Compression Socks Can Enhance Your Post-Workout Recovery

Active recovery refers to doing a light form of exercise, including yoga, walking, or active stretching, to aid your muscles after completing an intense workout session. Also known as a cool-down, it’s vitally important for athletes who wish to remain in top shape. Compression socks are an essential part of active recovery workouts. In fact, wearing them offers improved circulation, reduced muscle soreness, and faster recovery. 

What Is Active Recovery? 

Active recovery can provide performance benefits due to its increase in blood circulation. Performing these light movements will help your body get rid of waste products in your soft tissues. In turn, your fresh blood flow will deliver important nutrients that help with the process of rebuilding and repairing ligaments, tendons, and muscles. 

Active recovery examples include: 

  • Light jogging

  • Tai Chi 

  • Yoga

  • Active stretching 

  • Walking 

  • Swimming 

  • Rowing machine 

  • Elliptical machine 

  • Cycling 

  • Light weightlifting 

Compression socks are part of the broader category of active recovery footwear. They provide you with stabilizing support, reinforced comfort, heel protection, a unique arch band, and advanced technology. Wearing compression socks during your workouts and active recovery sessions offers a faster recovery process than choosing not to wear them. 

The Science Behind Compression Socks and Recovery

Graduated compression socks force your blood not to pool at your feet. Instead, the blood flows upward, which may help your heart health and blood circulation. Additionally, they’re able to reduce the amount of lactic acid buildup in your muscles. Lactic acid can cause cramping, fatigue, muscle weakness, and a burning sensation. As you can imagine, reducing this buildup leaves you in better shape post-workout. 

Compression socks work well for intense workouts and active recovery days. Either way, increasing blood flow, reducing swelling, reducing the buildup of lactic acid, and removing waste products from your body via lymph drainage are all beneficial. 

Key Benefits of Compression Socks for Post-Workout Recovery

There are multiple compression socks benefits that will help you with your post-workout recovery. What follows are the top three muscle recovery techniques: 

Enhanced Blood Circulation

Again, compression socks are able to enhance your blood circulation by preventing your blood from pooling in your feet. Increased blood flow has significant benefits for recovery and overall performance. In fact, wearing compression socks is one of the top post-workout recovery tips because it’ll keep your blood flowing freely. 

Reduced Muscle Soreness 

It’s normal to feel some muscle soreness after a workout, but compression socks offer faster muscle repair and reduce your overall soreness. How do they do this? Through improving your blood circulation, of course. 

Compression socks are able to minimize swelling, remove waste products, reduce muscle soreness, and provide faster recovery. If you want to get the most out of a consistent training process, it’s vital to wear your compression socks each and every single time you work out. Failure to do so can make your muscles hurt, along with causing weaker blood flow. 

Faster Recovery Times

By enhancing blood flow to your muscles, they’ll have an easier time removing waste products and delivering nutrients and oxygen throughout your body. In turn, you’ll experience less soreness and inflammation, which will assist you with faster recovery times. Essentially, compression helps aid your body’s natural process of healing. 

Are you an athlete with a tight training schedule? Choosing compression socks will enable you to heal and recover quickly, thereby enabling you to stick to your schedule. 

How to Use Compression Socks for Active Recovery

Wearing compression socks on an active recovery day requires you to utilize the following steps: 

  • Put them on when you wake up in the morning. 

  • Make sure you’ve got a pair that fits properly. They shouldn’t be too tight or too loose. 

  • Prevent your socks from bunching up. 

  • Elevate your legs when you’re not working out. This is another proven way to improve circulation and reduce swelling. 

  • It may take a few wears before your compression socks become comfortable, so be patient. 

  • Don’t forget to wash them on a regular basis. Otherwise, they’ll lose their effectiveness. 

  • Be sure to speak to your physician if you’ve got swelling, discoloration or extreme pain that lasts for more than two days. 

To get the most out of your socks, it’s critical to keep wearing them post-workout. The exact amount of time you should wear them for hasn’t been determined. However, wearing them for at least 12 hours per day, for one to two days post-workout, seems to work best. Of course, it’s necessary to ease yourself into wearing compression socks for longer periods of time. 

The benefits of doing active recovery sessions and wearing compression socks are quite similar. Whether you’re stretching or foam rolling, keeping your socks on for an active recovery day can vastly improve your recovery. Similar benefits include: 

  • Increases oxygen delivery and blood flow to your muscles. 

  • Reduces soreness and muscle inflammation. 

  • Improves your sense of movement and joint stability. 

  • Reduces your risk of deep vein thrombosis and blood clots. 

  • Enhances damaged tissue recovery. 

When you combine active recovery with compression socks, you’ll achieve the best possible results. 

Choosing the Right Compression Socks for Recovery

There are many different pairs of compression socks available, which may make it difficult to figure out what pair is right for you. Fortunately, checking out each pair’s compression level, fit, and material will make the process much easier. 

Compression Level 

You can find basic compression socks in five different categories: 

  • Mild Compression: 8-15 mmHg

  • Medium Compression: 15-20 mmHg

  • Firm Compression: 20-30 mmHg

  • Extra Firm Compression: 30-40 mmHg

  • Medical Class Compression: 40-50 mmHg

Wearing graduated compression socks provides the best form of help. When a sock is graduated, you’ll experience the highest level of compression around your ankle. The socks will then gradually decrease compression as they work their way up your lower leg. 

Runners should choose graduated compression socks that offer between mild and firm compression. Mild compression works great for daily wear. It’ll offer relief to achy legs, along with preventing fatigue, which makes this a good choice for recovery days and general training. 

Fit

As previously stated, you’ll need to select a pair of compression socks that aren’t overly tight or too loose. They should feel tight around your legs, though, and you’ll be able to feel the pressure. The best way to make sure you get a good fit is to check the manufacturer’s size chart.  

Material 

A wide range of materials are used to make compression socks. It’s important to select a blend that provides you with durability and comfort. Common materials include: 

  • Spandex (also called lycra or elastane) 

  • Nylon 

  • Polyester

  • Cotton 

  • Bamboo

  • Merino wool 

  • Microfiber 

TRUEENERGY® makes compression socks that contain Tru-X Technology. Inspired by NASA, these socks offer targeted compression and infrared energy. Not only does this use your body’s heat to promote recovery, but it’s also 7X more durable than standard athletic socks. 

FAQs About Compression Socks and Recovery

"What is active recovery?"

Active recovery assists your body with the process of recovery and rebuilding after an intense workout session. Best choices for active recovery include doing a lower key exercise such as yoga, swimming, or walking. 

"Can I wear compression socks all day?"

Yes. Put simply, unless your physician specifically tells you not to wear them all day, compression socks are the best way to ward off blood clots and make you recover more quickly. 

“Can compression socks be worn during an active recovery day?”

Yes! Compression socks are made to be worn during your workouts and active recovery days. It’s been proven that wearing them for at least 12 hours per day for the first 24-48 hours after a workout can aid the recovery process. 

"Are they better for recovery or performance?"

Compression socks are good for recovery and performance. Athletes who wear them for enhanced performance take longer to become exhausted, and they also experience reduced inflammation and muscle damage. 

Meanwhile, athletes who choose compression socks for recovery are treated to reduced pain and fatigue, along with enhanced endurance, power, and strength. The best way to use compression socks is to wear them when you work out and when you’re in the recovery process. 

“How do compression socks improve blood circulation?”

By compressing the ankle, compression socks are able to prevent blood pooling and promote better overall blood flow. 

Post-Exercise Recovery Essentials 

Active recovery is an important part of overall fitness. Therefore, if you wish to reach your best level of fitness, it’s wise to invest in a few pairs of compression socks to wear during exercise and post-exercise recovery. Wearing them on a regular basis will help improve blood flow after workouts, provide faster recovery times, and reduce muscle soreness. Overall, compression socks can make you a better athlete who is able to train more consistently. 

TRUEENERGY’s Compression Socks

Explore TRUEENERGY’s line of compression socks to help you with your recovery needs. Our socks feature infrared technology, which can provide an even faster recovery process. Shop now to achieve the next level in your fitness!    



 

 




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