Zensah Cycling Compression Leg Sleeves

Compression recovery with out the premium price.

Review: Zensah Cycling Compression Leg Sleeves

By Scott Mares | Published Feb 5, 2011

We Liked

So what is the deal with compression garments you ask? Great question! Compression helps stabilize muscle tissue after a workout, keeping the swelling of muscle fibers at a micro and manageable level. The compression support helps the muscles to rebuild themselves after a workout or injury, leading to a faster recovery. Also, gravity can cause a build-up of fluid in the muscles and surrounding tissue, especially after exercise or in an area that is inactive because of injury. This build-up of fluid increases swelling and increases recovery time. Compression will control inflammation in order to decrease recovery time and get the athlete back into action. However, more compression is not better! (Scott)"Ill take compression for 1000 Alex!" ( Alex Trebek)"Too much compression and you can cut off blood flow to the muscle".(Scott) "What is a Tourniquet". (Alex) "Correct!" This is (repeat after me) BAD unless you have a severed limb and you are bleeding out.

We asked Zensah what makes the Zensah cycling compression sleeves different from all the rest? They were happy to respond with some interesting facts. First, lets start with the construction. The leg sleeves are made of Polyamide. Poly-What? Basically its a type of Nylon. Zensah makes this garment with a polyamide which is a higher form of Nylon.Translation: The garment is of a higher quality and will last longer.

Another point is the 3D design or the pin-point compression which targets each specific part of the lower leg. This allows them to have graduated compression by design. Bottom line, the correct amount of compression where you need it most.

The fabric is moisture wicking, thermal regulating and embedded with silver ions which makes the product antibacterial, preventing odor build up. You won't over heat when you are wearing them. That means that you can wear them under your regular cloths! Having a tough day at work standing on your feet? Slip them on and you won't need a Icy from 7-11 to stay cool. Human sweat is orderless and it only smells when there is bacteria present in it. With the antibacterial properties (silver ion embedded fabric) your Zensah compression sleeves wont stink up the place if you don't wash them right away. This means that while your in the car with your buddies they wont be looking at you wishing you would wash your underwear once in a while. It might make you start looking for underwear with silver ions in the fabric.

Ease of use and convenience is a marque point with this garment. The compression cycling sleeves are just that, easy and convenient. This means that after a race, riding in the car or during the day you can just pull them out and slip them on. You don't have to totally undress and go though the process of putting on a set of compression tights. You can get the compression cycling sleeves on faster than a NASCAR pit crew can change a set of tires on a hot Sunday afternoon in Talladega. Go Ricky Bobby!

12 colors means that if you are wanting your cycling ensemble to match you can do just that. More importantly, if you have multiple athletes in the house each rider can have his or her own color. No more not knowing if that is yours or your roommate's. This also means when sorting the laundry you know if those are yours or not.

Last but not least they are made in the good old USA! Not designed in the USA and them made overseas in a sweat shop by a 10 year old girl that makes 20 cents a day like other companies.

We Didn't Like

Nothing..

The Final Say

Remember that you get faster not when you are out there turning the screws or lifting weights. You get stronger and faster during the recovery process. So this is a part of training that is often over looked. Today there are several companies that offer compression garments. The price for these garments is kind of high and they can be a pain to get on and off. Wearing them under your regular cloths can be awkward at the least. The Zensah cycling compression leg sleeves are a great answer to all of these nuances with this category of garments. They are easy to use, cost effective and they work very well. We actually wore them on one leg and left the other leg bear to see the difference. Yep, they work. We could actually feel the difference in the leg we didn't use it on. If you don't want to spend a ton of money on a set of compression tights then this is the way to go. They will fit easily into your gym or cycling bag and easily travel with you. Fresh legs are fast legs. We love our set!