Disclaimer: I received one pair of LEGEND Compression Leg Sleeves to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
I love me some compression socks, but have never tried a pair of compression sleeves, so I was super psyched to try these. I have also fully embraced the comeback of the bright colors of the 80s, so I was sold on the bright pink, too.
What I received to review
- One pair of LEGEND Compression Leg Sleeves in pink (!)
What’s so special about LEGEND Compression Leg Sleeves?
From the packaging:
LEGEND Compression Leg sleeves are designed to provide all athletes with calf support, shin splint relief, and decreased fatigue. Our legendary sleeves provide a firm fit in the calves and shins to increase performance and endurance while stabilizing the muscles to help prevent injury.
The Good
The very first thing I noticed was how easy they were to get on. To be fair, I’ve never tried compression sleeves before, but sometimes it feels like a workout just to get a pair of compression socks on. After a long run, I’ll admit I’ve almost cried and cramped up trying to put on compression socks. It’s sad.
I also noticed that they weren’t super tight, like many other compression products. I thought maybe this was because I got a size too big (my calf size is right in between XS and S/M, so I went with S/M), but after doing a little research, it appears that the 15-20 mmHG of graduated compression isn’t supposed to be super tight. The information I found put that level of compression anywhere from mild to the lower end of moderate.
Given that I’m used to a tighter compression, I wasn’t totally sure how these guys were going to work for recovery. I was pleasantly surprised, as they helped my recovery just as much as the compression socks I had been wearing.
I also am not a fan of wearing compression anything when I run or hike, because I feel like compression gives me dead legs. But in order to fully review this product, I took them on a hike. A hike that had 800 feet of elevation gain in the first mile. I have not been hiking lately, and it felt like I was just going up the entire time (though to be fair, I kind of was). I felt like the compression sleeves helped speed up recovery and did support my calves on the way up. They didn’t bother me at all, and are moisture-wicking, too, which is nice.
And finally, it just dawned on me today that I can wear my compression sleeves with flip-flops. It may not seem all that amazing, but I am the kind of person who likes to get out of her running or hiking shoes as soon as she is finished. Compression socks make this difficult (although I do wear Adidas sandals instead of flip-flops and it’s fine.
The Not-So-Good
It’s always great when I can wrap a review by saying that I didn’t really have any problems or negative things to say about the product. After trying these sleeves, I’m definitely a convert.
The Bottom Line
These sleeves are a good choice if you feel like compression socks might be a bit too much, or you are looking for a little extra help with blood flow during a run or hike.
Yes, I was wearing shorts in February. Because Colorado.
The sleeves are $44.95, and come in three sizes (XS, S/M, L/XL). LEGEND offers a variety of solid color options, ranging from your basic black and white to pink, yellow, blue, and purple. That’s in line with the cost of other socks/sleeves, and you can even get a 20% discount when you put in “rave20” when you checkout! Pick up a pair here -> http://legendcompressionwear.com/
