Yesterday, Under Armour announced the launch of their "Recharge" two piece body suit that will help athletes recover more quickly after a strenuous workout. The fitted, long sleeve, compression body suit is to be worn for 24 hours after a workout in order to reduce swelling and help heal micro tears in the muscles.
Under Armour's David Ayers claims that so far, recovery wear is not a recognized category in the industry and they hope to be the pioneers. Though the category itself may not be specifically recognized, compression technology in sports has been around for 20 years (lycra) and I have seen quite a few companies that have been offering "recovery" clothing for awhile now.
At the last Outdoor Retailer show, I met with Australian company 2XU who have their own line of compression performance/recovery clothing. There is also Zoot, who are popular amongst triathletes and cyclists for their recovery compression tights.
I applaud Under Armour's focus on innovation to distinguish itself from competitors. The company will also introduce a pair of slides, including one that has a footbed that will gently massage the foot. But lets hope that this is and continues to be a real step forward in compression technology and not just marketing hype.