Arm Warmers and Calf Sleeves

Over the past year, I've seen more and more athletes wearing both of the products. Why? The elites started wearing them because they're AWESOME! I mean, nothing says "I'm a rock star" like a pair of leg warmers and a shirt without a torso. In all seriousness, both products have many benefits beyond they're ability to intimidate your competitors. As this article points out, arm warmers give you the ability to shed a layer more easily mid-race. And really, you don't even need to "shed" them... you can just roll them down (this give you the option of rolling them back up too if you decide that you aren't quite as warm as you thought). Plus, as an added benefit, you can store GU's in your arm warmers during long races / training runs (which comes in handy when you're carrying an inhaler and trying to drink water at the same time). And calf sleeves, don't even get me started on the benefits of them. To touch on two (1) they promote blood flow back to the heart, which keeps lactic acid, etc. from building up (they are especially beneficial for recovery and for any run lasting longer than 60min) and (2) they keep your lower legs warm, which may help prevent injuries to your calf muscle, Achilles tendon, etc. on cold days. Some of their lesser known perks... (1) you can write messages on them (like bye bye to you teammates), (2) the door at the grocery store "sees" neon yellow ones, allowing you to safely secure the last carton of your favorite icecream, and (3) you can get a tan line that makes you look like you play soccer when, in actuality, you don't have near the level of coordination required to play that sport!