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 either a CG group or a placebo (PLA) group.
The aim was to determine whether the use of CG would enhance training adaptations compared to the PLA group. Players underwent plyometric training with two sessions per week over six weeks, and were tested on various performance parameters before and after the training program. These parameters included countermovement jump performance, one-leg sprint power, knee extensor strength, pennation angle of the calf muscles, creatine kinase levels, and perceived muscle soreness.
Results indicated that the CG group experienced a moderate, significant improvement in countermovement jump performance (effect size d = 0.762), while the PLA group showed a small, nonsignificant improvement (d = 0.344). Additionally, one-leg power performance improved significantly in both groups, with the CG group showing a large effect size (d = 1.690) compared to the PLA group’s improvement (d = 0.867).
The findings suggest that the chronic use of CG for recovery does not negatively impact training adaptations and may enhance power following plyometric training.
What this study does not show
This study does not establish a direct causal relationship between the use of compression garments and improved athletic performance, nor does it address long-term effects beyond the 6-week training period.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: established
- Clinical validity: established
- Clinical utility: partial
The evidence class is human_rct, indicating that the study was conducted with human participants in a randomized controlled trial format.