Physiclo Tight Review from RunFarGirl.com

This post is sponsored by Physiclo, however the views expressed here are my own and remain authentic to my experience and opinion.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Physiclo and asked if I was interested in giving their "resistance tights" a review. I was skeptical of the tights, but they piqued my curiosity: I wanted to know if they were effective. I've always considered cross training or hill running with a weight vest, but never actually done it. I wondered if these tights might provide a similar "resistance," making a workout harder and more effective. I thought they were worth a try.

Initial Thoughts:

I was obviously skeptical of their claim that the tight will "increase muscle activity by 23%, heart rate by 8% and calorie burn by 8%". I'm a firm believer that there aren't a lot of short cuts or substitutes for hard work and consistency and guidance from people who know running. So the tights seemed a little gimmick-y to me. The more I looked around their website I realized that the creators had done their research and had put a lot of thought into the development of their product. Keep in mind that my wear-test of the tights effectiveness is completely based on my own on perceived effort and the way I felt after wearing them.

It seemed that the construction of the tights was solid, although there are multiple "layers" to these tights that make them bulky. At $125 a pair, they aren't exactly cheap, but they are competitive with other compression-wear tights on the market. Initially I was sent the small, based on my measurements and the size chart, but they was bunching in the fabric so I sized down to the XS and they seemed to be the best fit. They are definitely hard to get on, you have to shimmy your way into them. And once they are on they do feel compressive and restrictive, which is the point. You certainly wouldn't wear them for comfort and they wouldn't be appropriate as compression-wear for recovery.

Run Test:

I ran 4 miles in the Physiclo tights which included a decent hill climb of 200+ feet in elevation gain. During my run I could feel the difference as my running stride was restricted and my body was working harder both on the hill climb and on the flats. I felt the resistance along the top of the quadricep muscle and in the hip flexor as I strode forward. My intention was to wear them on several runs before writing a review but I opted not to for reasons you'll see below.

Final Thoughts:

In the afternoon after my run and the next day I felt quite sore along the top of my quad ( rectus femoris ) and across my quad (the sartorius--the long muscle that crosses the top of the quad). The soreness was uncomfortable enough for me to take an unplanned rest day following my run, mostly I was being cautious because I'm still recovering from Boston and didn't want to aggravate anything. But to me the soreness was a little alarm bell. I've never felt sore there even after a hard track effort, hill repeats, mountain running or a long run, which informed me that something was overworked during my run with the Physiclo tights. Sore isn't necessarily a good thing and if these muscles aren't normally worked in that way then my body is compensating in some way.

Several days after I am still feeling the effects of over-worked hip flexors in my back: my lower back, where the psoas attaches to the vertebrae is extremely tight.

I spoke with the inventor, Frank Yao about my concerns regarding the tights. My impression was that wearing the tights (for a prolonged period and repeatedly) might possibly lead to imbalanced muscle development and possibly injury.

His response was informative:

"We worked with physiatrists at the NYU Rusk Rehabilitation center to develop the technology, and we've had it tested by medical professionals as well as trainers. When we designed the pants, we tried to make the resistance as balanced as possible, across a full range of motion. But as with any type of muscle-strengthening tool, depending on the individual and activity, it's possible that you may feel more resistance in one direction than another. However, the level of resistance is isn't great enough to actually cause long-term muscle imbalance or affect gait biomechanics."

I think that he is right: the reaction of an individual to any strengthening tool is going to be incredibly varied. So if you've suffered from imbalance injuries before like ITBS, pelvic floor weakness, piriformis syndrome or other common running injuries involving weak hips and/or glutes then these tights may not be for you. And I fall into that category, these tights are not for me and I won't wear them again.

Bottom Line:

While the concept is well research, the tights seem best suited for their original purpose of helping otherwise sedentary individuals get more out of their activity. I wouldn't recommend them for runners, however they may be an effective cross training tool if you were to wear them in the gym or for non-running activities. And it is possible that the resistance bands on some individuals may actually promote better movement encourage muscles to function optimally. If you want to take advantage of the technology and make it work for you, I’d encourage you to contact your physical therapist and ask their opinion.

--Sarah

Physiclo Tights Review

Initial Thoughts:

Run Test:

Final Thoughts:

Bottom Line:

POWERED BY SQUARESPACE