The review:
Velochampion compression calf guards/sleeves.
So this is new for me. I was lucky enough to see a post on Twitter by a company called Velochampion who I already knew did cycling wear as I had a cycling jersey of theirs which was one of my favourites.
The post on Twitter was asking for people to trial and review some of their new product, mainly some calf compression guards/sleeves and some compression socks. This particular review is for the calf sleeves/guards as I have spent a week trialing them before reporting back with this review.
I will begin with a copy and paste of the manufacturers blurb about the product itself so I don't have to try and explain it all and risk inaccurate information on my part. So here is the aforementioned blurb first.....
These high performance UNISEX
20-30mmHg compression rated calf sleeves use technical yarns to provide
athletes with comfort during exercise and help speed up the recovery
process.
- Ideal for all sporting activities including cycling running and triathlon
- During and After exercise benefits - Compression support DURING exercise - Compression Recovery AFTER exercise
- Graduated compression design from the ankle to above the calf aids the flow of oxygen to the muscles. - Improves the performance of muscles and reduces fatigue
- Aids recovery by helping the muscles 'pump' blood back to the heart - Comfortable Cuff design keeps the socks in place without restricting blood flow
Available in 4 unisex sizes
Technical Info:
Standard Graduated Compression 20-30mmHg
The compression calf sleeves act as a layer of muscle gently squeezing stretched vein walls. This built-in feature helps fight the force of gravity and circulates blood back up to the heart more efficiently. When blood is properly circulated it provides much-needed oxygen and nutrients to tired muscles that have been deprived during a workout. This compression helps muscle regenerate as well as help to remove any lactic acid build up.
Quality Control
Compression calf sleeves provide standard graduated compression. This compression is fully tested on EACH VeloChampion sock before it is despatched.
The calf sleeves undergo the most advanced medical compression stocking testing (MST Professional) to ensure each sleeve has a true compression and conforms to CE DD ENV 12718/USA FDA standards. This means you receive the very best compression calf sleeves available on the market allowing you to reach higher performance with faster recovery times.
- Ideal for all sporting activities including cycling running and triathlon
- During and After exercise benefits - Compression support DURING exercise - Compression Recovery AFTER exercise
- Graduated compression design from the ankle to above the calf aids the flow of oxygen to the muscles. - Improves the performance of muscles and reduces fatigue
- Aids recovery by helping the muscles 'pump' blood back to the heart - Comfortable Cuff design keeps the socks in place without restricting blood flow
Available in 4 unisex sizes
Technical Info:
Standard Graduated Compression 20-30mmHg
The compression calf sleeves act as a layer of muscle gently squeezing stretched vein walls. This built-in feature helps fight the force of gravity and circulates blood back up to the heart more efficiently. When blood is properly circulated it provides much-needed oxygen and nutrients to tired muscles that have been deprived during a workout. This compression helps muscle regenerate as well as help to remove any lactic acid build up.
Quality Control
Compression calf sleeves provide standard graduated compression. This compression is fully tested on EACH VeloChampion sock before it is despatched.
The calf sleeves undergo the most advanced medical compression stocking testing (MST Professional) to ensure each sleeve has a true compression and conforms to CE DD ENV 12718/USA FDA standards. This means you receive the very best compression calf sleeves available on the market allowing you to reach higher performance with faster recovery times.
Ok, back to me again. I hope you found all the above information useful and it saved you a bit of time looking it all up on their website.
I'll start with the important bit, the price and their website so you can go and have a look and hopefully buy yourself some, especially while they are on offer as I write this at £9.75 down from £19.99! It's a ridiculous price for a product of this quality I can assure you. I've had cheap entry level cr*p from some manufacturers before and I can assure you this isn't.
THE ACTUAL REVIEW:
So I will start with pointing out that I have worn compression sleeves before including on the Runners Hub Excalibur marathon at Moel Famau 2 years on the run so am aware of their benefits and how they should feel and work. It was an incredibly difficult challenge on the lower legs and I feel calf sleeves or indeed compression socks are of great benefit in events like this, especially with 5500ft of climb. They helped me no end.
I am signed up for a 3rd go there again this year and will very likely be donning my VeloChampion calf sleeves there.
https://www.excaliburmarathon.com/
I have also worn compression socks before, so am familiar with what they should and can do. I say this because my test runs for this trial where all short.
I am also familiar with brands like Red Venom for compression wear at the cheapish low to mid price range to Skins compression wear at the mid to high end so I know what you should get for your money.
I am signed up for a 3rd go there again this year and will very likely be donning my VeloChampion calf sleeves there.
https://www.excaliburmarathon.com/
I have also worn compression socks before, so am familiar with what they should and can do. I say this because my test runs for this trial where all short.
I am also familiar with brands like Red Venom for compression wear at the cheapish low to mid price range to Skins compression wear at the mid to high end so I know what you should get for your money.
I spent all January doing the R.E.D. January challenge, which was basically running every day in January to fund raise for Mind the mental health charity. I did this as my leisure time is dedicated and committed to fund raising as many of you will know already.
This particular challenge was new to me as I would never normally recommend anyone runs everyday, certainly not mainly 5k's which is what I did with recovery 1 mile runs on other days when I was resting as such.
I got delivery of a pair of the calf sleeves and a pair of the compression socks, but I will trial and review the socks separately.
The calf sleeves I wore on the last week of the challenge, and at that point I was pretty much in dire need of them as my lower legs were by now aching on and off during the day and I was getting a little worried that shin splints or the like may be approaching.
For this reason the calf sleeves were a God send as putting them on pre run was like fitting a perfectly fitted glove combined with a security blanket as they went on easily and felt really comfy, and also gave me a feeling of warmth comfort and security that gave me confidence that they would help me out on my run.
I was suitably impressed with the quality as well, as soon as I unpacked them I pretty much knew they were going to feel good once on. They fitted me perfectly from my ankles up to my knees and I am a tall 6 ft 2 runner so that is often a challenge. The compression felt just right, not too much and not too little, and they felt as comfortable as my Skins compression socks which I would normally wear when my muscles were a little weary.
My first run with them was a 1 miler after a late shift at the gym on a cold damp night so the added warmth was a bonus, especially as I was going all out for the mile with no warm up, so keeping the calf muscles warm and comfortable was vital. The run went well with an overall 7 minute mile and I sat in the calf sleeves for half an hour before taking them off as I was enjoying the comfort so much, especially as my legs had been aching after work before the run.
I repeated this for the next two nights at 1 mile for a fast mile each time which pushes your chance of an injury without warm up sometimes, so the calf sleeves/guards were an extra line of defense against that and they did their job.
On the 4th trial out I did a 5k run with my local run group who I take out on a Thursday Lunchtime 5k social run each week as I have free time during the day Mon-Thurs. Again they were a treat to put on and they gave me the confidence that they would be ok on the run despite all the days off running I had already done that entire month.
The entire 5k the legs felt fine and the calf sleeves sat perfectly in place at all times, no pulling them back up required at all on any of the runs so the fit was perfect.
I even wore them for an early Sunday morning 4 hr shift at the gym purely for recovery purposes as I had worked an 8.5 hr late shift on Saturday night and was on my feet all shift and my lower legs were far from happy when I got up Sunday morning.
Normally as my gym shift progresses on Sunday mornings my legs start to feel the effects from the shift the night before and start to ache and tire, but with the calf sleeves on they felt fine, I didn't notice any discomfort or tiredness at all. Definitely a thumbs up from me for recovery, especially as I wear compression gear for recovery after my longest training runs for comfort purposes and I have always found the actual recovery process is definitely sped up by this.
CONCLUSION
On a whole I am very impressed and happy with the Velochampion compression calf sleeve/guards and whether they are on offer at £9.75 or at their normal price of £19.99 I wouldn't hesitate to buy some more and I am certainly going to recommend them to running friends inc triathletes and maybe even cyclists if I can get past the secret code of what you can and cannot wear whilst out on your bike etc :)
SCORES
Looks: 5 out of 5 - I like them.
Fit : 5 out of 5 - Fit me perfectly.
Quality: 5 out of 5 - Can't fault them.
Price: 5 out of 5 - At the offer price a bargain, and at full price good value.
Overall: full score, and not just because I got them to trial for free, as I said I will likely buy some spare pairs of these while they are on offer especially. I am an honest truthful person as everyone who knows me will agree. If I don't like something I will tell you :)
NEXT UP...
Next blog post/ trial/review will be for the compression socks once I've done some decent runs in them over the next week.....See you soon folks!
Velochampion are currently offering a 'Flash Deal' at £20 for a pair of their calf sleeves/guards and a pair of their compression socks, I would highly recommend that package while it is available.
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