Skins A400 Half Tights Review

SKINS A400 HALF TIGHTS

Skins A400 Half Tights Review

OVERVIEW

Pros

Comfort
Support
Freedom of movement
Added confidence for performance

Cons

No significant post workout recovery
More expensive than the average

Where to buy: Buy Here

This is a review of the Skins A400 compression shorts, specifically the men’s Skins A400 Half Tights.

My Reebok compression shorts recently bit the dust and by bit the dust I mean, after a couple of months the waist band pulled away from the shorts like a cheese string. So I picked up a pair of Skins A400 Half Tights as a replacement and so that I could write this review.

It has long been suggested that compression is an effective tool in increasing blood flow within the body. It is used to treat many medical conditions and we’ve all heard of the benefits of compression socks on long haul flights to increase blood flow and avoid issues such as deep vein thrombosis.

So it makes sense that in athletes, wearing compression gear will increase blood flow to muscles, aiding in performance and muscle recovery. I say all this as the jury is still out on the effect of compression gear in athletic performance.

In sport and fitness compression wear is marketed to:

  • Keep muscles warm during exercise to avoid injury and strain
  • Temperature control, wicking sweat away from the skin to keep you cooler and avoid chaffing
  • Increase blood flow and thus oxygen to aid in recovery and reduce DOMs

Personally I swear by it! I rarely train my legs without a form of compression shorts and will usually continue to wear them for at least an hour post workout for muscle recovery.

The Skins A400 Review

During the review period I used the Skins A400 Half Tights for running, weightlifting and Crossfit around 4-5 times a week for a period of 1 month.

The Skins A400 boasts 400 different fitting points taken from a million measurements (sounds like a painstaking process. They offer support and compression for the ITB and TFL muscles groups (your quads and hamstrings), the main muscle injury risk areas during running and ‘leg day’ and ‘ADAPTIVE’ technology for temperature control, keeping you warm when you’re cold and hot when you’re cold.

Comfort:

As soon as I put these shorts on and I knew where they got their name from, the blend of spandex and microfiber felt like a second skin, tighter than I was previously used to but softer, stretchier and comfortable. I occasionally experience some chaffing while running but this was completely eliminated with the A400s and the level of comfort doesn’t determinate throughout the length of training.

Athletic Performance:

I regularly used the A400 skins during my leg training for heavy squats and Olympic lifting. The added warmth, comfort and support that I experienced through these made my legs feel more stable and controlled throughout the lifts and gave me an additional level of confidence to push my performance.

Movement:

With the additional tightness and support of these half tights I was expecting to experience an impact in my freedom of movement and an increased level of restriction. I regularly used these during movements such as wall balls, box jumps and even while stretching and mobilising with no impact on my ability to move around.

Recovery:

Being a regular user of compression shorts I didn’t notice any additional or lower level of muscle recovery from wearing these shorts alone. That’s not the say that the skins don’t have an improved effect, just that there was no change from the products I was previously used to. At the higher price point I would have liked to have felt a significant difference.

Price:

These shorts are at the slightly higher end of the price range, making them a bit of an investment. However based on my experience with these, if you’re serious about your fitness and you have the cash, I would recommend investing.

Overall I was really impressed with the Skins A400 Half Tights, slightly on the more expensive side but I would highly recommend, the only trouble is, if you work out a lot you’re going to want a second pair.

Skins A400 Half Tights are available here

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