Compression socks opinion?

A lot fo people told me they were useless. I was given a pair of Calf sleeves for free at an event so i tried them out- As a big guy, I believe they work. I wear sleeves when i run and socks for recovery. I dont know about the recovery part but I know the sleeves help on runs. I feel like i have less "movement" (aka jiggle) in my lower legs and therefore able to go longer. Of course this could be mental....but a mental advantage is better than no advantage...

Thanks for that! I'm of the "larger" persuasion as well, at least larger than most of the stereotypical triathletes. When I first used the socks, I wasn't a fan of them. Felt all constricted in the calf area. Now that I'm used to it, it doesn't bother me and I almost feel strange not using them.

I personally have only found them useful for recovery purposes, most specifically if I have to fly soon after an event, which is often the case. Not comfortable to run or ride in (would make my legs itch in the heat here, for starters) and my calves generally aren't what's sore after a race or hard workout, anyway, usually glutes and hamstrings. My calf muscles do tend to swell and get uncomfortable on long flights, particularly if I've raced in the week or so preceding them, so that's when I would generally wear them. But if you find them comfortable because they offer more support for tired muscles, (or less "jiggle") go for it. It's no different than someone wearing compression shorts/tights, or women preferring to run in a sports bra/top with more support!

There is evidence behind them being useful for recovery.

In a healthy athlete there is not evidence that they help performance, though there can be other reasons to wear them. ( eg, trail run to protect the legs )

I've worn them in a race ONCE cause I had a bit of a nagging calf injury, and it was acting almost like a very mild brace along with some KT tape. Got me through.

Love them! I wear for recovery after long runs or races. Hubby wears for races and swears they help him go longer. I've also known of people to wear the calf sleeves under the wetsuit to aid in wetsuit removal.

I'm kind of both sides of this.... I love them for recovery and air travel (really helps with that!!!), but I hate them for running.

Yup, flights to Asia are otherwise horrendous. For me, that's speaks volumes as to their effectiveness (but only for recovery).

X2

I wear them after workouts and air travel also. Even long car rides. I'm a believer. I don't see much difference between the cheap ones and the 2xu ones, other than looks.