The study titled ‘Compression Garments and Adaptations to Plyometric Training in Soccer Players’ published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research explores the effects of chronic use of compression garments (CG) during a 6-week plyometric training program.
The research involved 18 male soccer players from a reserve team of an elite professional club, who were randomly assigned to receive either CG or a placebo (PLA) after each plyometric session. The players participated in two training sessions per week over six weeks, focusing on various performance metrics.
What this study does not show
While the study indicates improvements in certain performance metrics with the use of compression garments, it does not establish a direct causal relationship between CG use and overall training outcomes or long-term athletic performance.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: established
- Clinical validity: established
- Clinical utility: partial
The evidence class for this study is human_rct, indicating that it is based on a randomized controlled trial involving human participants.
The results showed a moderate, significant improvement in countermovement jump performance in the CG group, with a Cohen’s d effect size of 0.762. In contrast, the PLA group exhibited a small, nonsignificant improvement (d = 0.344). Additionally, one-leg sprint power performance improved significantly in both groups, with the CG group showing a large effect size (d = 1.690) compared to the PLA group (d = 0.867).
Other parameters tested included knee extensor strength, pennation angle of the calf muscles, creatine kinase levels, and perceived muscle soreness. The findings suggest that the chronic use of CG for recovery does not negatively impact training adaptations and may enhance power following plyometric training.
Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of how compression garments can be integrated into training regimens for soccer players, particularly in relation to plyometric exercises.