by Emily Bresette
Many athletes purchase Under Armour and other compression clothes for the sole purpose of having a physical advantage over their competitors. MC Sports manager Kevin Anderson, however, believes that the only physical advantages of Under Armour include keeping athletes warm and wicking away sweat. The only other advantage is psychological.
‘Physically, it is not going to help an athlete in a competition,’Â Anderson said. ‘It could mentally help them, but not physically.’Â
The main point of compression clothes is to prevent muscle strain, wipe away sweat from the body and prevent rashes from breaking out. However, Under Armour has been promoting that their compression clothes give athletes a physical advantage over their competitor, mainly by calling all of their garments ‘performance clothes.’Â A study conducted at the Ball State University Human Performance Laboratory tested compression clothes on 20 track athletes, ten men and ten women. Their results showed that the compression clothes did help the athletes physically, due to increased warmth, which made muscles looser. The athletes jumped higher while wearing the compression shorts, giving them a physical advantage over their competition.
Some people are not convinced that compression clothes can help a person physically. STA track athlete Mari Kerwin agrees with Anderson’s statements that Under Armour only helps an athlete mentally, besides the basic use of wiping away sweat from an athlete’s body.
‘It emotionally makes you feel better,’Â Kerwin said. ‘So you know you’re prepared for any kind of weather. I feel like I can accomplish more [while wearing Under Armour].’Â
Despite the emotional security Under Armour provides, Kerwin feels running without it would not affect her chance of success.
‘I probably could compete the same without Under Armour,’Â Kerwin said. ‘But it makes me feel stronger and more at ease.”
Kerwin, an 800 and 1600 meter distance runner for STA, only wears Under Armour when the weather is cold or rainy. She says that most girls on the track team wear Under Armour when the weather is bad to keep warm, and sometimes even for comfort. But now that the weather is warmer, most girls do not wear them.
‘[Under Armour] keeps you warmer,’Â Kerwin said. ‘Being comfortable makes a big difference when you’re running.’Â
A physical therapist from St. Luke’s Hospital, Mr. Chris Maguire, believes that an athlete may feel more at ease while wearing Under Armour, which could attribute to the athlete’s enhanced performance. He said athletes could feel more confident and as a result, would perform better than they normally do.
‘Some athletes may feel more comfortable while wearing [compression clothes],’Â Maguire said. ‘So they perform better. But physically, it does nothing for an athlete.’Â
Anderson said that while Under Armour carries its weight, the only thing it really does for any athlete physically is wipe away sweat from athlete’s bodies and keep them warm. Anderson says that an inanimate object is not going to cause an athlete to suddenly perform better than a competitor, yet people still buy the clothes. He believes some customers may be attracted to the name and logo of the company. When they see the name Under Armour, they are more tempted to buy it just because they believe it will give them a physical advantage over their competitors.
In the end, most people disagree that Under Armour physically helps an athlete. Even though Kerwin believes Under Armour makes an athlete more comfortable, she still does not think compression clothing will help an athlete physically in a competition.
‘Maybe there is a physical advantage,’Â Kerwin said. ‘But I only see the mental [advantages].
