6 Best Compression Shorts for Weightlifting in 2025

Could lifting compression shorts be the secret tech behind weightlifting performance? Seasoned lifters and coaches swear by them, noting their ability to support key muscle groups, stimulate blood flow, and reduce fatigue to make exercises easier and more comfortable.

Here are the best compression shorts for weightlifting.

It’s easy to think of compression shorts as mostly the same. Almost any pair will indeed do the job well enough, but each pair has its positives and negatives. It’s also important to consider the fabric used, price point, and additional features that set them apart. Before we get into the individual compression shorts reviews, here’s a quick table overview of our picks in case you’re looking for a specific brand.

What Are Compression Shorts Good For?

Compression shorts are tight-fitting athletic shorts made from an elastic material meant to tightly wrap around (compress) and support lower-body muscles, particularly the thighs and glutes. They are commonly used by athletes involved in sports and/or exercises that require generating force from the legs: running, cycling, basketball, weightlifting, martial arts etc. Here’s how they work and why they’re beneficial:

1. Muscle Support

Compression shorts apply gentle pressure to the muscles, which can possibly help reduce muscle oscillation (vibration) during weightlifting — resulting in greater stability and control over your movement.

A study examining the impact of thick compression shorts on vertical jump performance revealed a significant improvement in mean power output when participants wore the shorts compared to not wearing them.

So, how does this translate to weightlifting? Simple: the major muscle groups involved in jumping are also the ones that activate during popular weightlifting exercises. They mainly include the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Therefore, it can be equally beneficial to use compression shorts for squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts. Additionally, both movement types activate core muscles for stability and power transfer, which is essential for both lifting heavy weights and executing explosive movements like a vertical jump.

Olympic lifts especially benefit from this effect, as they incorporate both lifting the weight and jumping to add explosive power — another good reason to use Olympic weightlifting shorts.

2. Muscle Awareness

Closely tied to our previous point, the tightness of typical lifting compression shorts results in enhanced muscle awareness. This creates a sort of feedback loop between your muscles and brain, allowing for a heightened sense of proprioception.

Proprioception is the body's ability to sense its position and movement within space without needing to look at the body parts used.

For weightlifters, this is extremely beneficial as it aids in utilizing proper exercise techniques, enhancing spatial awareness, refining balance and coordination, and reducing the likelihood of injury.

It’s particularly advantageous for beginners, as they often tend to look down because their brain subconsciously seeks visual feedback to comprehend what actions it needs to take.

Looking down may help you start the movement, but it requires bending your spine, which can compromise exercise technique and balance.

3. Improved Blood Flow

Just as with muscles, the snug fit of thick compression shorts gently applies pressure to the blood vessels, leading to improved circulation and the benefits mentioned above.

This enhanced circulation allows oxygen and nutrients to reach the muscles more swiftly, resulting in increased energy, reduced fatigue, and improved performance in physical activities.

Additionally, it maintains high blood flow even during periods of rest, ensuring sustained readiness and facilitating better energy recovery during downtime.

Research looking at the effects of compression sports apparel found that it stimulated blood flow, muscle oxygenation, and venous return (the repetitive journey blood takes from the muscles back to the heart).

The same study also concludes that weight lifting compression tights were most effective, possibly due to a larger area of coverage. These effects are especially important during powerlifting, where athletes typically go through short periods of vigorous exercises followed by long cooldowns.

4. Faster Recovery

The study examining the impact of compression clothing on athlete performance and recovery produced the following results: when worn for post-exercise recovery, compression garments demonstrated modest to moderate effects in terms of enhancing strength and power recovery, reducing muscle swelling and perceived pain, improving blood circulation, and “managing” body temperature.

Faster blood circulation improves lactate removal and it can be really important in many cases, as blood lactate production rises with the intensity of the exercise. Lactate forms when the body breaks down glucose for energy in the absence of sufficient oxygen, which the body uses as an additional fuel.

From this, we can conclude that wearing weightlifting compression shorts can affect recovery in the following ways:

• Quicker and more efficient recovery between sets, reducing muscle fatigue and failure, and better potential for maximum reps or weight lifted.
• More effective post-workout recovery, enabling a faster return to exercise and mitigating the risk of overtraining injuries during subsequent workouts.

What to Look for in Compression Shorts for Weightlifting?

1. Stretch

Compression shorts should feel tight, but the material itself must be stretchable. It should not restrict your range of motion. Lycra or spandex, which are blends of polyester and elastane, are your safest bets and most commonly used.

2. Breathability

Quality compression shorts are made from breathable materials, meaning you should feel airflow around your lower body when wearing them. Additionally, they shouldn’t raise the temperature underneath while you’re idle. Some shorts have strategically placed mesh pockets for additional breathability.

Pro Tip:

"Weightlifting is a demanding sport that often pushes your clothing without you even noticing it. The right apparel can truly make a difference with both exercise comfort and performance."

3. Sizing

Picking the right size for your lifting compression shorts is crucial for both comfort and effectiveness. A size too big might fit too loose, defeating the purpose of the shorts, while a size too small may fit too tight, compromising the material durability and even restricting movement and blood flow.

4. Moisture-Wicking Material

Moisture-wicking materials pull sweat away from your skin, keeping you dry and preventing overheating beneath your weightlifting compression shorts. This helps prevent discomfort and chafing during intense workout sessions.

Do You Need Different Compression Shorts for Different Activities?

The majority of compression shorts are designed to be versatile and suitable for activities ranging from weight lifting to cardio. It's important to check labels though, as manufacturers may specify their intended purpose.

Basically, unless you have shorts specifically designed for a specific sport like cycling shorts with extra padding or some specific suits for lifting, most of the compression shorts you can use for “all” sports.

Put simply, they can be used interchangeably, you can use the same pair of your Under Armour that you usually use as powerlifting compression shorts, for cycling sessions, basketball, martial arts or Cross training.

Length of the shorts if not chosen because of the weather/environment will be more a personal preference rather than a specific intervention.

FAQ

Should You Wear Underwear Under Compression Shorts?

No, compression shorts work as your underwear replacement. Wearing a regular pair of, for example, cotton underwear will defeat the purpose of breathability and moisture-wicking of compression shorts.

Do Compression Shorts Stop Chafing?

Yes, compression shorts effectively prevent chafing by serving as a protective barrier between your skin and clothing. This helps maintain skin dryness and shields it from the friction caused by loose clothing.

Is Compression Clothing Good For Weightlifting?

Yes, by squeezing the muscles and blood vessels in your body, compression clothing supports your muscles, stimulates blood flow, and facilitates faster recovery, among other benefits.

Do Compression Shorts Help Build Muscle?

Not significantly. While compression shorts may not directly stimulate muscle growth like adding extra weight to your reps, they do offer some benefits that enhance exercise performance and recovery, just keep in mind that in your regular gym lifting sessions besides extra comfort (which is important) you should not expect fireworks.

Conclusion

Those are the best compression shorts for weightlifting to get. The Virus Men’s Compression Shorts are our highest recommended buy, but do check out the other picks for their unique upsides.

Weightlifting compression shorts provide small aid in ways of muscle support, improved circulation, and faster recovery, among other benefits but it won’t be a game changer, most importantly they improve comfort during lifting weights which can make a difference and it’s more than enough to justify their use.

We’d also like to hear from you. What's your favorite weightlifting exercise? Also, do you use compression apparel to enhance your workouts? Let us know by leaving a comment and remember to follow our social media pages for more informative fitness content.

Also read:

• Does a Belt Help With Bench
• What Size Lifting Belt Should I Get
• Deadlifting Without a Belt
• What Do You Wear Under a Lifting Singlet

References:

1. Dennis-Peter Born, Billy Sperlich, Hans-Christer Holmberg, “Bringing Light into the Dark: Effects of Compression Clothing on Performance and Recovery,” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 8, no. 1 (2013): 4-18.
2. J.L. Taylor, “Proprioception,” Encyclopedia of Neuroscience 2009, 1143-1149
3. “How to Prevent Chafing During Hot Runs,” Asics,
   https://www.asics.com/us/en-us/blog/how-to-prevent-chafing-during-hot-runs.html (accessed 19 Oct. 2023)
4. Shane F. O'Riordan, Rod McGregor, Shona L. Halson, David J. Bishop, James R. Broatch, “Sports compression garments improve resting markers of venous return and muscle blood flow in male basketball players,” Journal of Sport and Health Science 12, no. 4 (2023): 513-522.
5. Stanley Brown, Walter Thompson, John Bailey, Kent Johnson, Larry Wood, Mark Bean, Deon Thompson, “Blood Lactate Response to Weightlifting in Endurance and Weight Trained Men,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 4, no. 4 (1990): 122-130.
6. “What Is Nike Dri-Fit?” Nike
   https://www.nike.com/help/a/nike-dri-fit (accessed 19. Oct 2023)
7. William J. Kraemer, Jill A. Bush, Robert U. Newton, Noel D. Duncan, Jeff S. Volek, Craig R. Denegar, Paul Canavan, John Johnston, Margot Putukian &Wayne J. Sebastianelli, “Influence of a compression garment on repetitive power output production before and after different types of muscle fatigue,” Sports Medicine, Training and Rehabilitation 8, no. 2 (1998): 163-184.
8. Young D. B., “Venous Return,” Control of Cardiac Output, Morgan & Claypool Life Sciences; 2010.
9. Photos are made by Tashi-Delek on istockphoto.com, Connor McMannus and Jonathan on pexels.com, and Rehband.com