Tights put squeeze on rugby players

Blame David Beckham and his penchant for wearing sarongs and his former Spice Girl wife Victoria's underwear but the latest training aid for top rugby players may soon be a nice pair of tights.

Sport scientists at Massey University who have been testing the effects of compression garments - or tights - on blood flow and recovery time among top rugby players, admit they have attracted some strange looks and comments over the study.

The compression tights have been designed to reduce the build-up of lactic acid immediately after periods of sustained exercise, allowing for a faster return to recovery levels.

The university's Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health spokesman Johann Edge said the study - which concludes on Tuesday - had generated a few hassles from amused observers.

"There are some people out there who have heard about what we are testing and think it's a case of 'harden up' and a few of the players weren't sure initially," he said.

When the study concluded on Tuesday, players aged between 18 and 21 would be asked about the social aspect of wearing the blue and silver coloured tights, he said.

"There's one player who wears them around university so he is quite comfortable with it all."

Each participant in the study was tested twice, with and without the compression tights in a simulated rugby game which involved sprints, weaving and one-man scrum machines.

The compression tights were worn during exercise and overnight recovery.

Mr Edge's colleague Rob Merrells, also a researcher at the Institute of Food, combined forces with Dr Nic Gill, trainer of Super 14 team the Chiefs, and Dr Rob Duffield from Charles Sturt University in New South Wales for the study.

The tights work by applying differing surface pressure over specific body parts.

That triggers an acceleration of blood flow, which increased oxygen delivery to working muscles - which is thought to enhance muscle performance.

Mr Edge says compression garments may be especially beneficial in periods of back-to-back training, and tournaments, where athletes' recovery time was often an issue.

- NZPA