Buying Guide: How to choose the best compression socks & stockings for Crossfit? List 2024 (UK)

In Crossfit it is common for athletes to perform all kinds of exercises such as weightlifting, deadlifting, weightlifting, powerlifting and others. The joints and muscles of the legs are exposed to muscle contractures and injuries of all kinds.

To prevent this and to protect you, compression sports socks and stockings have been developed to protect the calf and calf muscles. In this article we will talk about the best compression socks for Crossfit and the most common Crossfit injuries.

What are the most common injuries when doing Crossfit?

Crossfit is a very demanding discipline in which athletes usually push their bodies to the extreme, which increases the chances of suffering an injury, either due to poor execution of the exercise, mechanical errors, repetitive movements, muscle stress, fatigue and others.

Low back pain

It is an injury in the lumbar area of your back, in the lower part. Low back pain is characterised by tears or extensions that your back suffers too abruptly when you perform very demanding movements or movements for which you have not yet warmed up.

This type of injury is very common in crossfit athletes, and tends to appear when the person incorrectly performs movements such as:

• Abrupt rotations of the hip that have an impact on the lumbar region.
• Rotations in the contralateral direction.
• Stooped inclinations of the trunk.

When the crossfitter is ready to lift weights or bars, or even to perform jumps, hang from the arms, or do squats with weight, but each exercise performed in the wrong way, or without having first warmed up the muscles, it is very likely to suffer from low back pain.

Epicondylitis or tennis elbow

This condition occurs mostly when the repetitive motion of contracting and extending the elbow is overused. Epicondylitis tends to occur mostly with repetitive weightlifting exercises, or when exercising the biceps and triceps with the use of a hand weight, where the up and down motion of the elbow is repetitive. If these movements are performed incorrectly, with too much force, without tensing the muscles, or abruptly, then the crossfitter will be more likely to suffer from tennis elbow, inflamed and begin to suffer from pain.

Achilles tendon tendonitis

Achilles tendon tendonitis is based on overuse of the ankle when doing jumping and running exercises mostly, causing one of the larger tendons located at the back of the ankle to wear out and begin to radiate pain throughout the area. This injury is one of the most common that occur in those who practice Crossfit, especially because it is in these where most of the weight is deposited in many of the exercises, and are also those who are responsible for cushioning the entire body when performing jumps, walking or running.

Shoulder rotator cuff injury

The rotator cuff is a minor tear that occurs between the ligaments that make up the inside of the shoulder. Pain and tenderness in this joint are the symptoms you will have when you suffer from it. This type of injury is usually caused by heavy lifting, repetitive movements performed incorrectly. It is also caused by muscle wasting and fatigue in the shoulder area, which makes it easier for the crossfitter to get injured.

Herniated disc

This type of injury is characterised by what is known as an abdominal stress hernia, to which the abdomen is constantly exposed. Hernias tend to appear in Crossfit as a result of incorrect execution and poorly performed repetitive movements in deadlift and squat exercises, in which the abdomen is more compromised and where it has to support a large part of the effort made by the body.

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What are the benefits of Crossfit compression socks and calf sleeves?

Compression socks and calf sleeves are known for injury prevention and recovery, but that's not all they offer. To learn more about these compression garments, here we will explain all the benefits of wearing compression stockings and compression socks.

• Compression socks will ensure the grip of your foot.
• Their quality will help to keep perspiration in the sock and not on your feet and prevent fungus.
• Compression sports socks will protect you from all kinds of chafing on your feet, ankles and calves.
• Wearing Crossfit compression socks will minimise the occurrence of blisters or other injuries to your skin.
• During the winter, compression sports stockings are excellent for helping to keep your legs warm.
• Because they perfectly fit the shape of your calves and legs, they allow for proper blood circulation.
• They will provide you with adequate cellular oxygenation because they are breathable and allow circulation.
• They will reduce all kinds of inflammations you may have at muscular level after intense practices because they compress the muscle.
• Thanks to the fact that they allow the correct perspiration, they will help you to keep your feet fresh and dry.
• They will reduce muscle fatigue in the calves and calf muscles due to their compressive action that stimulates blood circulation and perspiration.
• They are antibacterial as they prevent the proliferation of bacteria thanks to their aforementioned breathable action.
• They are responsible for accelerating the muscle warming process, preventing heat loss while training.
• They promote muscle recovery after you have trained, helping to minimise soreness and soothe muscle tension.

What features should you consider before choosing the best Crossfit compression stocking?

Choosing your compression stockings is an important decision to make in order to achieve the protection, recovery and other benefits you may require for your feet or calves. To choose the best, you should take into account features such as function, material, size, design and price you are looking for so that you can find the compression garment you want and that best suits your needs.

According to its function

• Improve blood circulation: The use of these sports socks will help to maintain and stimulate the correct transit of blood along your calves, ankles and feet. This will have very positive effects on all these parts of your body as it will keep the blood flow activated, which will also be reflected in the development of your muscles, avoiding all kinds of injuries.
• Relief of muscular pain: This is due to its compressive qualities, as by squeezing your muscles you are also keeping them relaxed, preventing them from fatigue and pains from increasing or even appearing, which also means that your muscles will not feel any pressure or tension that will prevent your feet and calves from developing correctly, responding properly to all exercises.
• Decrease inflammation: Compression keeps muscle swelling down thanks to proper blood circulation, so if you have a swollen foot or calf, you can use the compressive action of socks and stockings to help reduce swelling in this part of the body.
• Avoid skin lesions: Wearing these compression stockings will help keep the skin on your feet, calves and ankles protected from all kinds of skin lesions, such as scrapes, abrasions, bruises, fungus and bacteria. These are some of the most exposed areas to rough surfaces and so on, which can cause minor but annoying skin injuries, so by using these compression garments you will be able to save yourself from all kinds of skin problems.

Manufacturing material

When assessing what type of material is suitable for your compression sports socks, you will have to take into account one of the main aspects such as breathability, which is an important feature in the manufacture of these garments.

This is because if you don't buy compression sports socks, then you may suffer from skin fungus and bacteria, and other conditions associated with the lack of breathability of the skin on your legs.

Normally these sports products are made of materials such as nylon, lycra, polyester or elastane (spandex). These specific materials are highly recommended because of their breathable action.

Sizing

When choosing the size of your compression socks or compression sports socks you should do this process carefully, because if you choose one that is too tight you will not be able to have a proper blood circulation. If it is too loose, then you will not be taking advantage of all the benefits of the garment. In order to find the ideal size, all you have to do is take the circumference of your calf sleeves and compare this measurement with the table provided by the manufacturer.

Design

The design of compression socks and compression sports socks varies a lot, especially in terms of colours, patterns and designs. You'll find dark, light, fluorescent, patterned, fun and more traditional colours. Basically, you will have the freedom to choose the one that best represents you. However, we recommend you to go for the darker options, as they tend to get dirty more slowly and can make a better contrast with your sportswear.

Price

While Crossfit compression socks and stockings may be more expensive than others, they are made with the best materials for breathability, compression and leg support, so they focus directly on taking care of your body's health.

So paying a few pennies above the rest would be for you and your exercise life, an improvement in the performance of your calves and calf muscles at all times when you're training. Remember, more than a purchase, it's an investment you could be making in the health of these joints.

Do compression socks really work to improve performance and recovery in Crossfit?

Sports socks are widely used to serve as a source of support when performing exercises and movements, where the legs must support the entire body weight and cushion it in jumping and weightlifting routines. This is one of the great benefits of compression sports socks: they are able to keep the foot and calf compressed enough to withstand the demanding movements of Crossfit, preventing injury and improving athletic performance.

Another benefit of compression therapy is that even if you already have an injury, you can help your recovery with these garments, because it works by improving blood circulation, keeping the muscle, tendons and joints active so they don't fatigue, promoting a speedy recovery.

So compression sports socks are the best garment to increase sport performance, and if you have an injury, you can achieve a quick cure with the use of compressive therapy, whose work is effective in improving the internal components of the foot and calf.