Compress and Impress... Yourself!

Once again, not me!

Any of you that have been in the fitness and exercise world for even just a little while have probably seen these by now.  You've probably seen them even if you've never set foot inside a gym, watched a professional sport on television, been to a major department store, or have any really macho friends.

Compression tee shirts; the new fad that is catching on.  The only thing is, it's a shame that they haven't caught on before!  However, it is possible that you still don't know exactly what a compression shirt (or compression clothing, for that matter) is used for.

Compression clothing serves two purposes.  The first purpose is to... compress... you.  The clothing is made of a tight material like spandex that is meant to be very form-fitting.  They smooth out your cellulite wrinkles, push fat and excess skin into it's proper place, and keep your skin and fat from moving too much in general.  For this reason, they are prescribed to a lot of people that undergo plastic surgery because they keep the newly cut skin from moving too much.  They are also recommended for a lot of people with obesity issues, enlarged body tissue (like breasts and thighs), and liposuction recipients.  

The second purpose this type of clothing serves has exercise in mind.  A lot of this material has the added bonus of wicking sweat away from the body during intense activity.  They essentially keep the body cool and dry while in warm environments.  Some types of compression clothing are also designed to keep the body warmer than the outside environment.  These types have people like joggers and professional athletes who perform outdoors in mind.

For a fat guy like me, they're a really nice addition to my gym clothing repertoire.  It took me a while to get used to the fact that people weren't coming to the gym to stare at the fat guy on the treadmill and make fun of him.  Still yet, I couldn't help but be a little self-conscious when on a cardio machine and all my flabby parts were moving around.  The compression shirts helped with that a lot.  The other great thing that they do for me is keeping me cool when I'm exercising.  I never used to realize how hot and sweaty a person would get until I went last week without wearing one of my shirts.

The bottom line is this:  I'm not saying that you have to buy and wear a piece of compression clothing every time you go to the gym.  Cotton t-shirts and jogging pants still work just fine.  But if you are looking for something to help you with a physique that you aren't comfortable with other people seeing, and you have a tendency to sweat more than others, a compression shirt may not hurt!