Runners wear arm sleeves for a lot of reasons, like comfort, sun & wind protection & warmth. They can also aid with recovery and helping with blood circulation during and after running.
You may have already noticed many elite marathon runners wearing them, and It doesn’t take too long before that starts filtering down for amateur runners, to take interest and get a pair themselves.
So you might find yourself asking why do runners wear arm sleeves?
Compression
The most common reason runners use compression sleeves while out on no runs is to reduce muscle vibration, which causes tiny muscle fibre tears. These small tears in muscle cause an inflammatory response from the body. Wearing the compression arm sleeves provide support to the muscles stopping this from occurring.
The compression can also be used as a recovery tool by increasing the blood flow to the arms to help flush out lactic acid and reduce the chance of injury and increase performance.
Warmth
If you go out running regularly, you’ve probably lost count of the number of times you’ve gone out training thinking the weather is cold. But you’ve soon warmed up and then been too hot and had to take layers off. The running arm sleeves keep your arms nice and warm with protection from the wind. Shielding you slightly from the elements without having to wear another top.
Sun Protection
Running sleeves also protect you from UV rays. If you are going out for longer runs for over 15 and 20 minutes, and haven’t applied any sun protection, you are putting yourself at risk from sunburn.
Safety
You can get running arm sleeves with reflective detailing on them. If you like going out running in the evening or in low light conditions, they will increase the chance of you being seen by other road users. If you’re going out running in pitch black, then it’s advisable to get some running lights to help light the path in front of you.
The science behind running in arm sleeves is there, and they do make a difference with blood circulation, minimising injuries. All the little benefits they provide gives you a chance of running a better time.
Runners wear arm sleeves for many reasons, like comfort, sun & wind protection, warmth. They can also aid with recovery and helping with blood circulation during and after running.
You may have already noticed many elite marathon runners wearing them or other road Running events as well as on the track.
The reason behind wearing arm sleeves may differ from one runner to the next. Whether that’s to provide compression, extra layer to protect against cool weather, the list can go on. But many runners, once they start wearing running sleeves, very rarely go back.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many reasons why runners wear arm sleeves. But since my first run with a compression sleeve, I felt a difference in my running action, allowing me to hold my arms in a better position for longer into the run.
The advantages of wearing them are there to see, but it’s just a case of working out whether you’ll find them comfortable to wear or not. As they are relatively cheap, it’s not a significant expenditure to find out.
They can be handy as well, having built-in pockets for small items like keys & money. Some even have a pocket for your mobile phone.
