I LOVE MY SKINS – right, was that a little unsubtle? Mmmmm, anyway, now I have got that off my chest, I will elaborate a bit more!
I had read a lot about SKINS and what they offered, so dearly wanted to try some, but really didn’t know if they would be value for money as they cost considerably more than what I usually pay for my workout kit, and would they really do what they say they do, does the compression really work? So couldn’t really justify the purchase. So when SKINS kindly offered to send me a pair of their tights to review I jumped at the chance, I was very excited, I may have even squeaked with joy, but shhh, don’t tell anyone!
I was sent some beautiful 3/4 length compression tights from SKINS DNAmic range in Strata – priced at £65
Being that I am a bit of a sucker for matching workout gear I also invested in a few other SKINS pieces in the same pattern, courtesy of a 30% discount code from them, so I purchased the matching;
DNAmic Vest Sports Bra (£35)
Booty Shorts (£40)
Essential Women’s Active Compression Socks – in black/atomic. (£35)
I’m so glad I did this, it was well worth it. Love how it looks together and how it makes me feel.
Aesthetically this kit is gorgeous, from the stitching to the pink splash on the leg of the tights to the panels on the vest bra and the waistband pattern, and it is exceptionally good quality and obviously made with care.
Now for the sciency part, this is what sets SKINS apart from other usual workout gear, in layman’s terms that I can personally understand, they have been scientifically proven to increase endurance and performance by increasing the blood flow to the muscles due to the consist compression the kit provides when you are wearing it, which helps when you are working out and afterwards by reducing the chance of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which as an extremely busy mum of two, sounds brilliant to me. A quick, relatively painless recovery is exactly what I am after, so I am able to tend my kids and be raring to go for the next workout, and to also be able to give my all in whatever activity I am doing, whilst looking good too, who could ask for more?
So, how did I test my SKINS? Well, I did loads actually! There was…
PowerWave
Spinning
Gym – evidence on the rower, please excuse the angry face! Oh dear… :-O and inside thigh machine
Workout – this was amazing, I got to meet my Fitness Hero Alex Crockford for an interview in Hyde Park (Blog/Vlog coming soon, so watch this space!)
And a few other activities that I didn’t manage to video or photograph – but they were running and Body Combat!
As you can see, I really did put them thoroughly through their paces and give them a good vigorous test, so how did I find them and did the compression increase my endurance and aid my recovery? In a word “yes”, but whether this was partly psychological I honestly don’t know, but when I don my SKINS it helps my mindset and I really do feel I can give more in a workout and I can truthfully say I haven’t had any major DOMS when I’ve used them.
The first time I put them on was rather interesting, as due to their nature, they are a tight fit – but not in a dig in make you feel uncomfortable kind of way, instead, once you’ve wiggled your way into them (I must be honest, I thought I was going to rip the stitching the first time I put them on) they have very nice all over consistent pressure, in a supportive way. Due to this fit, there is no back pocket and they don’t have a drawstring either, but this is not necessary as they follow the form of your body, and I found they did not move regardless of what exertion I was putting them under. The same goes for the Vest Bra I purchased – the hard part is putting it on (and taking it off again – especially when you’re sweaty), but once on, again it provides uniform pressure all over that is actually quite comforting, and it did not move for me.
A small feature I quite liked on the Vest Bra (I have a size FXS), due to not being overly generous in the bust department myself, is that there are inserts, which for me (being a slightly vain creature) do make me feel better when wearing my kit, but this is purely a personal and subjective opinion, it is obviously not a necessity and you are able to remove them if you so wish.
Hopefully, you won’t be surprised to hear, I have washed my kit numerous times during this testing (got to keep things hygienic), and it comes up perfectly, the only minor point is that the SKINS logo is just starting to peel, but this does not affect the performance or my thoughts about them.
So will I be looking to invest in more SKINS in the future?
You bet I will! I think the first sentence of this post may have been a bit of a giveaway!
You know those money boxes that say “shoes fund”, “going out fund”, “make-up fund” and the like – well I will have one that says “Geraldine’s SKINS fund” – I will also be keeping an eye out for their sales too!
Have you used SKINS? How did they make you feel? 🙂 xxx
If you want to give them a go (or invest in some more) use the discount code JOGONMUM20 at checkout on the SKINS website to get 20% off any full priced SKINS – valid until 8th May 2017 🙂 xxx
Jog on Mum 