A Look At Performance Enhancing Sporting Gear

As there is progress made in developing fabric technology sporting gear is getting more and more advanced. Not only is it comfortable and light to work out in, it also helps to wick away moisture, reduce body odor, and looks good.

Not only is that, sporting gear now scientifically designed to actually enhance performance. In competitive sport, performance enhancing clothing is seen to make that fraction of a second difference that can mean the difference between winning and losing.

At first it was standard cotton or hosiery that made up the bulk of sporting clothing. Now however we have a great deal of choice: there is spandex, lycra, and a number of different materials that perform a number of different functions.

If it’s hot weather you want to battle, specific materials will help keep you cool, while wicking away the moisture and sweat. In cold weather, there are specific materials that will help to keep you warm.

Take skiing for example. This is, by definition cold sport requiring clothing that keeps you warm. However, you cannot very well be in bulky layers when skiing; you need efficient clothing that cuts drag and improves performance.

There are even certain weaves and special materials that help offer better support to muscles, and thereby keep them better aligned and less prone to being unbalanced by offering this layer of resistance.

Certain types of bicycling tights for instance offer better support at specific points and for certain muscles of the body. The tights create a web of extra support at the knees which is where there is most amount of pressure when cycling.

Manufacturers also claim that specially constructed performance enhancing clothing can help with blood circulation and can also reduce “lactic acid pooling”. This, it is claimed can help to minimize and slow down the effects of fatigue, an enhance recovery and cooling down.

Certain specially crafted performance enhancing materials also claim to be able to absorb the energy of the sun and improve performance.

Then there are the special workout clothes that claim to kill body odor. It is bacteria in the sweat that causes body odor, and manufacturers claim that certain special materials can reduce or eliminate odor by targeting these bacteria.

So next time you go shopping for workout gear don’t just buy based on how good the garment looks. See if you can’t get garment that offer support or are anti bacterial, or can actually cut drag and improve performance.