Do Skins work?

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Stumped

Stumped

Active Member
Do Skins work?

Not directed just at the Skins Brand but you read a lot of reviews and media and endorsements from players, but do they actually work?

Liz / Dave what do you think? is there any backing to the science behind these garments?

any one else like to comment:

i like wearing mine especially batting but mainly to cool me down!
 
Re: Do Skins work?

I have one of the Nike ones, and wear it when I'm playing football (we play at 9pm all year round), and it does an excellent, excellent job of keeping me warm. As for the other benefits, I imagine at amateur levels, the difference would be so slight as to be negligible, but at Pro level where every percent counts, perhaps there is a slight benefit. I'd say for keeping you warm/cool, they're great, but for everything else... I have my doubts.
 
Re: Do Skins work?

i find that in the heat if your standing around you really do get hot, if your moving they are quite cool. and in the cold they are warm untill you move then you get cold :D
 
Re: Do Skins work?

I find mine very comfortable. As to the sporting performance benefits, I have not seen any research.
 
Re: Do Skins work?

its a bit like a ladies undergarment for a more slimming athletic figure.... maybe thats how they should have marketed it!
 
Re: Do Skins work?

You have to make sure you get the right one; cold for cold and hot for hot. :laugh:

Spending most of my time with the rugby guys who wear Canterbury, I have to say they are really important for keeping you warm on a frosty winter morning; muscles do not move well when cold ;). They are also very good at wickering away the sweat in the heat. In this respect, they are great; being warm when its cold and cool when the heat is on has got to be good for performance.

However, I have read a lot of research on how they may help DOMS, pre- and rehabilitation and have yet to find anything conclusive.

Now, what would be good in the UK season is waterproofs :laugh:
 
Re: Do Skins work?

This is one study but there are others on the skins website that back it up:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17341589?ordinalpos=13

Comparison of three types of full-body compression garments on throwing and repeat-sprint performance in cricket players.

"No benefit was noted when wearing compression garments for repeat-sprint or throwing performance; however, the use of the garments as a recovery tool, when worn after exercise, may be beneficial to reduce postexercise trauma and perceived muscle soreness."
 
Re: Do Skins work?

It is worth remembering that not all base garments are compression garments! If you are after quick and easy recovery, make sure you source the right product.

Even so, do remember "It’s easy to get carried away with all the new ‘toys’ such as compression clothing, ice baths etc, and forget about the basics such as sleep and nutrition... ...if you are not looking after the basics (sleep, nutrition and training), you are not going to get any additional benefit from more gimmicky recovery tools such as compression skins or contrast bathing."

Apart from anything else, true compression garments are really expensive [ordinary base garments are costly enough ;)]. A good cooldown and stretch is much cheaper and far more effective. It is also proven scientifically where compression garment research, though plentiful, is still inconclusive.

For more information on recovery see:

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/injury-recovery-and-conditioning
 
Re: Do Skins work?

Stumped said:
i like wearing mine especially batting but mainly to cool me down!
Click to expand...

one of the reasons i havnt bought any is because i have been told they can sometimes get hot and feel very "sticky".... i didnt want it 2 put me off...

is this rumour wrong???
 
Re: Do Skins work?

AUSSIE_BOY said:
one of the reasons i havnt bought any is because i have been told they can sometimes get hot and feel very "sticky".... i didnt want it 2 put me off...

is this rumour wrong???
Click to expand...

This probably comes from guys wearing the wrong product. The hot ones are designed to get hot. The cold ones are designed to cool you down and wicker away the sweat.
 
Re: Do Skins work?

should not be too much of a problem in the Uk they should just supply the Hot ones! ::)

the cold ones are about as much use as a poke in the eye with a stick

poke.gif
 
Re: Do Skins work?

If you get Skins, buy the white ones. They are designed for cricket, and they are the ones that keep you cool and wicker away the sweat. But from my experience, the tops don't work. The half tights work wonders and do make a massive difference, both in reducing muscle pain and keeping you cool.

Aussie_Boy, the person that told you they were 'sticky' were probably wearing the ones designed for cold temperatures. They do work but you have to decide if they are worth the cost ;)
 
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