Written By: Kelsey Chernak, Marketing Coordinator and Former Division-I Collegiate Athlete
Beep Beep Beep. It's your 5 AM wake up call.
*Immediately regrets that last rep*
Soreness is a bittersweet feeling. The muscle aches and stiffness make walking up a flight of stairs seem impossible. On the other hand, you feel instant gratification for all the hard work you put in during your workout.
As a former 5-year, Division-I collegiate-athlete, I know first-hand what it's like to wake up and feel the intense discomfort of *trying* to walk down stairs or even just sit down in a chair. I also know first-hand that being sore is never an excuse for poor performance, whether it’s in the gym or on the field.
During my time as a student-athlete, there were moments in my training plan that enabled proper recovery times. I also experienced moments of intense fatigue and soreness with little rest in the peaks of my seasons. There was even a period of time that I was super lucky *sarcasm* to have Plantar Fasciitis in not just one—but both—of my feet. Sure, staying off my feet to recover sounds like a great solution, but that just wasn't an option.
I had a team counting on me. And I was counting on my feet.
If there’s one thing I learned throughout my collegiate athletic career, it's that rest and recovery is essential to longevity and performing your best. Staying hydrated, eating proper nutrition, stretching, and of course—ice, ice baby—the legendary ice bath offers great recovery benefits.
But if I could give you one of my favorite tips for recovery, it would be wearing compression socks during and after exercise.
If you don't want to take my word for it, you can ask the 1000s of other athletes who make compression socks a huge part of their performance and recovery plan. So, calling all athletes and workout-a-holics (if that's not a thing then it definitely should be):
Sockwell has a sock for that. Check out these awesome recovery benefits of our sport compression socks:
Four zones of graduated compression
Graduated compression is the complex way of saying that the sock holds the greatest compression at the foot and lessens as you move up towards the calf. This promotes increased blood flow, which helps your muscles relax and encourages blood to move towards your heart to re-oxygenate. (Fancy term alert!) In athletes’ terms, this means more energy for longer and better workouts—and better recovery on those cherished rest days!
Reduce muscle fatigue & soreness
Compression socks are designed for the moments after a vicious workout when your legs shake with each step. We all know the ones that I'm talking about here. The graduated compression stabilizes muscles and supplies more oxygen for a faster and better recovery after a workout.
Minimize swelling
Because graduated compression socks promote constant blood flow, it's more difficult for blood to pool in the foot. Less pooling = less swelling. Less swelling means your feet will spend less time on the ottoman and more time preparing for your next workout.
Support & revitalize
Athletes and workout-a-holics (totally making this a thing) need to feel confident that their gear will support them. Our sport compression socks are made with arch, heel, and Achilles support, so you can perform your best while your feet feel comfortable—and help prevent overuse injuries.
Overall comfort
Teammates don't let teammates wear cotton or synthetic socks. Cotton and synthetics create higher levels of moisture, which leads to bacterial growth. Sockwell's sport compression socks are made with Merino wool and high-performance yarns to keep your feet and shoes dry. Wool maintains a comfortable temperature while limiting blisters and odor. That's right. Together we can freshen up the sweaty smell in the locker room.