I honestly have never tried a copper bracelet to make all of my aches and pains melt away – it really has never been on my radar. But when I was approached by Tommie Copper to review their new compression sleeves, I have to admit, I was intrigued. It wasn’t some funky magic bracelet – it was something I already use and love (compression) with a bit of a twist.
Most of you have probably heard of compression clothing – take a walk around almost any road race or triathlon, and you will likely see people wearing some sort of compression. It is a great way to increase performance and recover more quickly for all types of athletes. I guess research shows some mixed results, but most people I have talked to feel that compression aids their performance through faster recovery.
I was offered the opportunity to test one of four types of compression – elbow, knee, calf, or ankle (FYI – they also have compression shirts). I picked the calf sleeves because I have very angry calves and I am putting on a lot of miles, which tends to only make them more angry.
When I got my sleeves, the first thing I noticed was that they were super lightweight when compared to other compression sleeves I have used. They are kind of soft and luxurious actually (I have been wanting to use luxurious in a sentence for a long time). I kind of wondered how these were going to work.
The thing that is different about Tommie Copper is that their compression garments are all constructed out of copper-infused yarn, so you get the benefits of copper therapy. I honestly do not know a lot about copper therapy, like I said before, it wasn’t something that really grabbed my attention in the past, but if something claims to make my calves happy, I am willing to give it a try.
Testing
I tried the sleeves for a 2 week period in the build part of my Ironman Lake Placid training (only 72 days away). On these weeks, I was training between 11-15 hours/week. When my running mileage goes up, my calves take a beating, and lately the inside of my calves had been bugging me and getting sore. I found that the Tommie Copper sleeves helped me recover much more quickly from training, allowing me to train hard again another day.
The best example of this during the test period for me was after a 12 mile run, my inner calves were really bugging me, enough so that I was a little worried about them. I put on the sleeves, they felt really good on, almost like I wasn’t wearing anything. I think I actually forgot I had them on because I wore them the rest of the day, and then to bed. These are that comfortable – I slept in them.
The next day, my inner calves were no longer sore. Not kidding. My quads were. But not my inner calves.
Pros:
- These are lightweight and comfortable. You can wear these sleeves all day, even overnight.
- So far, for me, these seem to be pretty durable. This was a concern of mine given the fabric was so light weight, but they are holding strong with frequent use.
- These are effective at decreasing soreness, increasing circulation, and reducing inflammation.
Cons:
They didn’t make my legs look like this:
Really, I liked these a lot. I had a hard time finding any cons with this, I was suspecting a durability issue to be honest, but found no problems.
Want a chance to WIN your own Tommie Copper compression garment?
Here is how to enter:
First, you MUST be a follower of my blog! If you are not already a follower, go ahead and click the FOLLOW button on the right.
Then there are four ways to earn an entry - Please leave a separate comment for each entry!
- Like Tommie Copper on Facebook and tell them Mandy from Caratunk Girl sent you. Tell them which compression item you would pick and why!
- Follow Tommie Copper on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Please include @caratunkgirl and @TommieCopper in your tweet!
- Visit the Tommie Copper website and sign up for their newsletter – keep updated on the latest Tommie Copper gear!
- Put a link to this contest or mention this contest on your blog.
I will accept entries until Thursday, May 19th at midnight and then a winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries.
Disclosure: I was sent this product by Tommie Copper for my honest review and did not receive any type of compensation for my positive review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
I follow and will wear these while white water rafting in Maine!!
I follow
I have cute legs. These could make my legs cuter. Seriously.
of course i follow you!
follow tommie copper on FB
an on twitter
and was already getting their newsletter
total stalker, umm, i mean follower
I tweeted! @allie0622
posting on my blog
getting the newsletter
i like him on FB!
i follow you and just tweeted about the awesome giveaway!
I liked them on Facebook!
Hi;-)
great to read you and I'll go tweet about this giveaway as soon as I take a shower. I stink from my run!
Your Con was hilarious. I actually have a pair of calf sleeves that I only wear when I'm injured. I'll let someone else win them.
i'm a follower
follow you both on twitter, and tweeted
@tri2cook
I'm a follower!
I linked this on my blog
I follow them on Twitter and tweeted! (tracyrunning)
I'm a follower/did the FB thing and did the Twitter thing
the more compression socks, the better, right? I like the really right ones! I bet these would be great. Just liked them on FB!
Follower!
I follow!
I posted the giveaway on my blog
I'm a follower and would love to try these!
I posted a side bar on my blog too!
Last but not least…I signed up for the newsletter! Thx!
I liked Tommie Copper on FB.
I follow you..
I followed TommIEcopper on twitter and tweeted you both.
I signed up for the newsletter..
And I followed on facebook and told em you sent me..
I'm a follower, and I could definitely use more compression goodies!
I'm a faithful follower and I have signed up for their newsletter.
tweeted!
I like TC on FB!
Follower of course
I follow TC on twitter
I linked you on my blog
Like them on FB
I follow!
Posting on my blog
I follow!
I am a loyal Bingham follower!
Left a msg on the Tommie Copper website too!
Now I tweeted about you too!
Posted on my blog too!!!
Put me down for dos entries!!
Liked Tommie Copper on FB
Linked giveaway on my blog
Is this giveaway still working or not..
I really like tommie copper and want that…
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This is about 2 years old, sorry.