Monday, 13 December 2010 15:22
Gear Guys
BSC Athletic Longs
The duty of compression kit is to reduce muscular pain during and after strenuous activity. We’ve tested compression clothing that was little more than thick lycra and that produced questionable compression of any benefit. On the flipside there are highly-technical products that are durable, well-made and get the job done.
These athletic longs fall into the latter group.
BSc (for Body Science) is endorsed by World Ironman champion Craig Alexander and worn locally by adventure racing outfit Team Cyanosis and cycling icon Andrew McLean.
BSc is Australian-designed and manufactured. The attention to detail is evident. There’s an airy mesh in the crotch and a ‘V’ of the same material in the small of the back. The crotch is pre-formed, something we’ve not seen in other longs tested. And then there are the stitched panels: Just trying to count their number gets confusing. They run around, across and down.
The theory is that this causes differing tension in different areas, called targeted compression.
Athletic longs are best used after big sessions. We ran in the BSc longs several times and the flex at the knee is compromised. You feel like you’re fighting them to maintain motion. Cyclists and triathletes get the best results from athletic longs, since biking hammers the quads. Given a choice for running only, separate calf sleeves win every time as in the tester’s experience they produce a stronger compression. BSc produce these too. Best of all, you can train and race in sleeves as well as wear them afterwards. Compression is here to stay and BSc is certainly one of the foremost brands to relieve muscular pain and improve athletic performance.
Body Science 071 893 1684
Retail R1 525
www.bodyscience.com.au
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