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 plyometric training program.
The research involved eighteen male soccer players from a reserve team of an elite professional club, who were randomly assigned to receive either CG or a placebo (PLA) for 24 hours after each plyometric session over a six-week training period. The aim was to determine whether the use of CG would enhance training adaptations compared to the placebo.
During the study, players participated in two plyometric training sessions per week. They were tested in a fully rested state before and after the training program on various performance metrics, including countermovement jump performance, one-leg sprint power, knee extensor strength, pennation angle of the calf muscles, creatine kinase levels, and perceived muscle soreness.
The results indicated that countermovement jump performance showed a moderate and significant improvement in the CG group, while the PLA group exhibited a small, nonsignificant improvement. Furthermore, one-leg power performance demonstrated a large and significant improvement in the CG group, as well as a notable improvement in the PLA group.
These findings suggest that the chronic use of CG for recovery does not negatively affect training adaptations and may enhance power following a plyometric training program.
What this study does not show
This study does not establish that compression garments lead to superior training outcomes compared to other recovery methods or that they are effective in all populations.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: established
- Clinical validity: established
- Clinical utility: partial
The evidence is based on a randomized controlled trial involving human participants.