Arm Sleeves?
What is everyone's experience with arm sleeves? I've never used and don't know anyone that uses them, but I see a lot of them out there. I've used compression socks and calf sleeves and they seem to make a difference which is intuitive given I'm using those muscles extensively on the run.
What's the verdict from folks that have tried them? Don't leave home without them, can't hurt, or don't waste your money?
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I bought a pair last year but never really wore them. I tried them out again yesterday evening on the tri bike. They definitely work to keep your arms cooler, if you can keep them wet/damp. They would be perfect in a race as you can dump water on them at every aid station. I plan to wear them at WI, at least on the bike. Will wear them under my wetsuit.
Because of the weather where I train - Pac NW and mtns of Colorado - I routinely wear arm sleeves of varying thickness on almost every ride for the morning high speed chill. I've done some hot races with DeSoto wings or arm coolers, and found those worked great for both keeping the sun off and keeping me cool (as Rich says, if they are wet with sweat or water). At IM AZ in Nov, the start of the ride will be cool-ish (50's), and the water cold (60-ish), so some folks wear arm warmers coming out of T2. As you train in the tri-state area in late Oct-Nov, you may find arm warmers a good idea if riding in the morning.
I also recently purchased a pair of Craft "compression" sleeves which are very tight, and am still in the process of evaluating their usefulness. I've got a problem which gives me painful forearms at times, and I want to see if the compression (after swimming) helps with that. I just got them a week ago, and can't remember to use them; hope this post will remind me to do that when I swim Wed and Thurs.
I use the Zoot arm coolers.....again when they are wet they have a chemical in them that makes it feel as if ice water is on you. The biggest benefit also is keeping the sun from frying me.
@ Al: Having not done IMAZ do you think there is a benefit in using the arm warmer/cooler? Are people putting them on after the swim or wearing them under the wetsuit? I have always been a bit of a cold weather / temp weenie!
@ David: if the water temp is, like, 61 F (as it usually seems to be at this race), and you are a "slower" swimmer (more than 80 minutes in the water), you will probably benefit from wearing standard arm warmers under your wet suit, and during the bike. In the dry Arizona air, you won't notice the wetness after about 5-10 minutes (including the time spent in T1).
At Steelhead this year I got to the check-in and it was cooler than I expected. So I was the guy who bought "Steelhead 70.3" arm-warmers at the expo and wore them at the race the next day. I may have looked like a real idiot but I didn't care what people thought about how I looked. It was my first time with anything on my arms while biking and based on my bike split I can't complain.