Thursday, July 29, 2010

Zensah Shin Sleeves - the right size!

A couple of years ago, I bought a pair of Zensah shin sleeves. Although I've seen compression socks around locally, I was more interested in the sleeve because it would allow me to wear whatever socks I wanted and I thought they might last longer than a pair of compression socks. I have been wearing them off and on for at least two seasons and I do believe that they have helped in recovery and as well as helping to stave off the shin splints that so often plague me. When I first bought my sleeves, Zensah had two size options to choose from: S/M and L/XL so since I'm only 5'3", I chose the S/M pair. However, they were still too long for me and I often found myself rolling down the top and/or the bottom up. This wasn't a big problem but I thought it would be nice to have a shorter pair.


One day, I tweeted my request to the Zensah people on Twitter. They responded by thanking me for my request and that they'd look into it. A few months later, they contacted me saying that their new XS-S sleeves were now available and they offered to send me a pair to try out!! It wasn't long before the new sleeves arrived in the mail. When I first opened the package and compared them to my old pair, they looked tiny! Not only were they shorter in length, but they also looked smaller around. (The picture shows my S-M sleeve on the left and my new XS-S sleeve on the right.) I was worried that perhaps they were going to be too small. But once I tried them on, they fit perfectly! (See picture below). Although they were tighter than my previous pair, I realized that this new size had better compression and were very comfortable. Not only that, I no longer had to roll down the top band! I've been wearing my sleeves for about a month now - sometimes on a run, and more often lately, as a recovery sleeve after a run, and they feel great! The value of compression after strenuous exercise has been researched and some studies show that they assist in reducing DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Here is a link to a review of one of those studies.

So, a big thank you to Zensah for letting me try out your new smaller size - I know there will definitely be other women out there who will appreciate them!

So how do they look, you ask? Well, at first, I was a little self-conscious putting them on with shorts and running out in public, but once I saw a few pro triathletes wearing them in races, I soon changed my tune. (Check out this list of "famous" people who wear Zensah products). I have the black shin sleeves but they have lots of colour choices, and even patterned ones now. Personally, I'm still contemplating going for that "school girl" look by wearing my shin sleeves with a running skirt and pigtails. ;)

8 comments:

Sheila said...

I have been thinking more and more about getting some compression apparel. This is nudging me even more in that direction...

Glenn Jones said...

What Sheila said....

Amber said...

I started wearing those a few months ago to help with my shin splints. I LOVE THEM. They work great and have really, really helped me with my shin splints! I never run without them now.

Stuart said...

Compression clothing is an absolute must!

Plus that high socks, running skirt, pig tails look is pretty gosh darn hot!

mainely triathlon said...

I do have a lower leg circulation problem so they work great for that.I also wear them on the run as well as after. On the run they fell like they help on calf vibration, I always run up and down hills I don't have much of a choice.

If you have ever seen a picture of me then pig tails are not a option

sxajhy said...

It seems many people share the same problems with running injuries. I myself seem to suffer from shin splints whenever I run. I most recently started researching shin splints more because I now have pain constantly throughout the day. Zensah sleeves help me strengthen the shin area. Thanks

sxajhy said...

It seems many people share the same problems with running injuries. I myself seem to suffer from shin splints whenever I run. I most recently started researching shin splints more because I now have pain constantly throughout the day. Zensah sleeves help me strengthen the shin area. Thanks

Anna Schafer said...

However, they were still too long for me and I often found myself rolling down the top and/or the bottom up. stop shin splints