SAN DIEGO, Feb. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The athlete's and fitness enthusiast's ongoing quest to achieve maximal benefits from their exercise programs continues with the development of weighted compression shirts. The manufacturers of the Titin Force™ Shirt System, a compression shirt with 8 pounds of weighted inserts, state that wearing its product will lead to a 7 percent increase in energy expenditure during workouts. In evaluating that claim, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) commissioned an independent study from researchers at University of Wisconsin–La Crosse to compare the energy exerted in two sets of workouts, one with the weighted compression shirt and one with an unweighted compression shirt. The research revealed that the Titin Force™ Shirt System delivers on its promise while being safer and more versatile than many other weighted workouts.
"Using added weight to the hands, wrists and ankles to increase the energy cost of an exercise or activity is a somewhat popular practice, despite its potential to impair normal movement mechanics and place undue stress on the loaded joints," said ACE Chief Science Officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D. "Weighted compression shirts or vests, in contrast, place the load more centrally on the body, making them likely a more comfortable and safer choice. Another potential benefit associated with adding weight in the form of a compression shirt is it allows for greater freedom of movement with the hands and arms during a wide variety of exercises and physical activities."
In the study led by John P. Porcari, Ph.D., researchers recruited 16 college-aged, young adults who exercise at least 150 minutes per week, or an average of 21 minutes per day. Each participant completed two 20-minute testing sessions consisting of four different exercises that included walking at 3.5 miles per hour, walking at 3.5 miles per hour at a 10 percent incline, running at a self-selected pace and stepping up and down on a 12-inch bench at a rate of 24 steps per minute.
During the first session, participants completed the activities in random order while wearing the Titin weighted compression shirt or a compression shirt without weights. On the second day, participants completed activities in the same order wearing the opposite compression gear. Results concluded that caloric expenditure and oxygen intake were significantly higher when wearing the Titin weighted compression shirt compared with the unweighted condition across all four types of exercise. As one might expect, the increase in calorie expenditure was largest for the activities with the greatest vertical component requiring the most work against gravity (i.e., stepping).
To view the study, visit: https://www.acefitness.org/prosourcearticle/5822/ace-sponsored-research-testing-the-efficacy/
About ACE
The nonprofit organization American Council on Exercise (ACE) educates, certifies and represents more than 60,000 currently certified fitness professionals, health coaches and other allied health professionals. ACE advocates for a new intersection of fitness and healthcare, bringing the highly qualified professionals ACE represents into the healthcare continuum so they can contribute to the national solution to physical inactivity and obesity. ACE is the largest certifier in its space and all four of its primary certification programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the gold standard in the United States for accreditation of certifications that assess professional competence. ACE also plays an important public-service role, conducting and providing science-based research and resources on safe and effective physical activity and sustainable behavior change. For more information, call 800-825-3636 or visit ACEfitness.org. AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE, ACE and ACE logos are Registered Trademarks of the American Council on Exercise.