'With the dynamic movements people are doing, you're in a way more active setting in the gym,' says Leraris.

Now, with things like interval training, CrossFit, and workout classes, the needs have changed. Back when all you did was bench press and sit around between sets. Sure, standard issue boxer briefs could get you through your workout. Your shorts will tell you if they're designed as a base layer, or if they're appropriate for showing to the world. There’s a type of compression short for every activity. Of course, you do have runners who want to be aerodynamic, and you see them dash by in only compression shorts. Steph Curry takes the layered look a step further, wearing his uniform shorts over three-quarter length compression tights. You glimpse compression shorts squeezing the thighs of athletes, peeking out from under basketball shorts or running shorts. How did compression gear get such a tight grip on the market? And what are the real benefits-in other words, what does it do that your old workout clothes didn't? In a space where dominant brands are vying with savvy newcomers, and space age fabrics are becoming real options, here’s everything you need to know about compression wear, starting with the classic: the shorts.īlast Your Entire Body With This Workout: Įasy answer: underwear. And suddenly when you looked around the weight room, half the guys were wearing high-tech knee-length tights-either underneath their old shorts, or instead of their old shorts (which is a ballsy move-pun intended). Like any athletic trend, compression clothing hit the market with claims it would make you work out better, recover faster, and feel cool doing it. But you may not understand why they came to be such a big thing, or what they’re good for in the first place. Shorts whose only “performance benefit” was that they were made of mesh and had once had a workable drawstring. We’re talking raggedy T-shirt-maybe with the sleeves cut off-and shorts. Seriously, you’d look around and 90 percent of the dudes there would be in an outfit that would be equally appropriate for eating a whole pizza on the couch. In olden times, men at the gym wore… whatever.

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