In today's LYNX informational article, in which you can, perform, and, tell you why compression clothing is needed, what properties and benefits it has.

Why do you need compression clothing for sports?

Due to its special characteristics and properties, compression clothing allows athletes to solve a number of important tasks:

1. Improved blood circulation during sports or recovery procedures. Increasing blood flow in the body of athletes is the main task that is assigned to compression clothing. Due to its characteristics, clothing allows you to create and distribute pressure on the muscle system, and therefore, performing physical activity, the athlete increases the speed of blood flow in the body. As a result, the muscles are more efficiently saturated with fresh oxygen, increasing their own endurance and performance. In addition, the use of compression clothing during training and competition makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of muscle spasms, as well as eliminate the feeling of heaviness.
2. Prevention of varicose veins. The use of compression clothing as a prophylactic for varicose veins is considered by modern medicine to be one of the most effective and effective ways defeat this disease. In addition, the systematic wearing of clothing with a compression effect is in a good way prevent the occurrence of the disease, especially for those people who are at risk.
3. Faster recovery process after workouts. Clothing that has compression properties also improves the speed of blood flow in the body, which is in relative rest. And as a result of this, the athlete's muscular system recovers more quickly after intense or very high physical exertion.
4. Reduced risk of injury. Clothing that fits tightly on the athlete's body, such as rash guards, which are essentially a second skin, is inherently lightweight, but very durable bandage. This bandage acts as effective remedy support the athlete's muscular system and joints, reducing the risk of injury.
5. Prevention of getting calluses. Being a second skin, clothes with a compression effect are fixed on the legs as reliably and tightly as possible, without slipping off them during sports and without forming wrinkles. As a result, the risk of blisters is significantly lower than with conventional sports equipment.

How to choose compression clothing for sports?

In order to choose the right compression clothing, the athlete should follow the following tips:

1. Determine what exactly you need compression clothing for. On the this moment manufacturers produce and offer consumers two options for clothing with a compression effect. The first type includes clothes for physical activity, and the second - clothes for faster recovery after injury. The main difference between these types of clothing is the different level of conversion. So, for example, in order to buy compression stockings for loads, you need to measure the calf, and for recovery - the size of the ankle.
2. Measure yourself correctly. When deciding to buy compression clothing, you should remember that it does not have the same sizes as the one you wear in Everyday life. This is due to the fact that sports equipment with a compression effect is denser and more difficult to pull on than ordinary clothes. In addition, it should tightly fit the athlete's body, sitting on it like a real second skin. It is for this reason that every major manufacturer of compression clothing has its own size chart. And therefore, before you buy a rashguard, compression pants, shorts or leggings, you should first measure yourself with a centimeter and, based on the data obtained, choose the most suitable size for yourself. It is worth saying that it is best to take measurements every time before choosing compression clothing, since the muscular system has the ability to pump up or lose weight, and therefore change in size.
3. Don't be afraid of tight clothes. When choosing clothes with a compression effect, remember that they should be tight when put on. For this reason, you should be prepared for the fact that you will have to pull it on yourself with great difficulty. If you choose knee-highs, shorts or rashguards based on your usual clothing size, then most likely this equipment will make you feel uncomfortable during sports.
4. Before buying, decide for what activities you need clothing. This is especially true for those who decide to purchase compression stockings or leggings. This is due to the fact that leggings can be used for swimming, after which the athlete will not suffer from the fact that this equipment is wet in the water, such clothing is most interesting for triathletes. If we talk about socks, they are considered more multifunctional and can be used in all sports. In addition, a wide range of golfs manufactured by manufacturers will allow the athlete to choose a model designed specifically for his sport. Due to this, they will take into account not only the dynamics of the exercises, the presence of certain types of load, but also the most commonly used shoes, as well as various external factors.
5. Pay close attention to the quality of the fabric. It is worth remembering that the quality of the fabric, as well as flat, non-chafing seams, are one of the most important guarantees of high-quality compression clothing. Therefore, when choosing clothes with a compression effect, carefully consider these factors.

How to put on compression clothing?

1. Remember that compression clothing should be difficult to put on. Do not expect that the first time you buy a compression garment will be easy to put on. As a rule, a person who decides to try classes in such ammunition for the first time will need some time to get used to quickly putting on compression clothing on his own.
2. Seek help. In the event that you have purchased compression stockings or shorts, but cannot wear them yourself, an excellent solution in this situation would be to purchase a specialized device, which can often be found in online stores, as well as departments selling therapeutic compression stockings.
3. Read the instructions carefully. As a rule, each manufacturer attaches to their compression clothing detailed instructions how to put on and use the product. Try not to neglect this useful information for you, as in this manual you can get the fastest and easiest way to put on the product you have purchased.

Intensive and long workouts subject the athlete's body to high loads: there is an overstrain of muscles, blood vessels, veins and arteries, which can lead to serious consequences and injuries. That is why athletes, both beginners and professionals, often use compression garments, which are designed not only to protect you from injury, but also to increase performance in training.

How do compression garments for sports work?

The whole secret of the compression is in the material of its manufacture: it is an elastic fabric (composed of spandex and polyurethane) with the addition of specialized components that provide uniform compression and pressure only on those muscles that need it. Thus, the key function of such clothing is compression and support of the muscles (which is what the word "compression" actually means). Such clothes most often have reinforced seams and ventilating inserts that allow the skin to breathe. One of its varieties are compression t-shirts. Fitting snugly and precisely around your torso like a second skin, it stabilizes your muscles and gives you several important effects:

• prevents an increase in veins in volume;
• protects the walls of blood vessels from deformation and varicose veins;
• improves blood circulation and oxygen supply for cardio vascular system;
• reduces muscle pain, the risk of spasms;
• supports ligaments and tendons to protect against injury.

All these properties should not come as a surprise, because compression sportswear comes from medicine. 60 years ago (and still) compression garments (stockings, socks, etc.) were used in medicinal purposes, and only 20 years later, scientists began to consider it as equipment for sports.

What are the benefits of compression clothing for your workouts?

To begin with, we note that, unlike regular cotton or any other knitwear, a t-shirt with compression properties will help the athlete keep the body and muscles warm during training - your body will quickly get involved in active work. It also provides greater comfort as the compression wicks sweat away from the body, protects the skin from UV damage and keeps you warm, which is important for training in cold and hot weather.

Compression has a definite positive action:

• on the coordination of your movements: you will feel better own body and you can improve your technique;
• on endurance and efficiency: it will increase due to enhanced support and muscle stabilization;
• on strength: another important advantage is the energy return function, when with each stretching and contraction of the muscles, movements become stronger due to the return of energy.

Thus, in a training session in a compression T-shirt, you will be able to give everything 100%, demonstrate excellent performance, speed and maintain strength for a longer time.

Multifunctionality allows you to use compression clothing not only during but also after training. It helps to recover much faster from injuries or swelling, get rid of muscle pain, fatigue, as compression improves blood flow to the vessels, which means it reduces the buildup of lactic acid and other metabolic waste. Compression is also suitable for everyday wear, for example, during long flights and trips.

How to choose a compression T-shirt

Compression T-shirts are suitable for most sports: running, boxing, martial arts, gymnastics, fitness, aerobics and so on. They differ from each other in manufacturing technology, design, and sleeve length. For training in warm rooms or in hot weather, a short-sleeved T-shirt, such as the Reebok ActiveChill, is perfect. Featuring flat seams and a snug fit, it's incredibly comfortable, while back vents enhance breathability. A compression t-shirt is not only effective, but also very stylish. The Venum Contender Long-Sleeved Tee is proof of that: it accentuates your core muscles, keeps your arms and body warm when training in cold weather, and a silicone band at the waist keeps it from riding up during sudden movements.

Compression garments: how and when to wear

If you often spend long intense training or if you want to speed up the recovery process after injuries or heavy loads, sports tight clothing for training is recommended for you. However, it should be remembered that the measure is important in everything: prolonged wearing of sportswear is fraught with consequences, since it is impossible to keep the vessels in a constantly compressed state. It is also necessary to take into account medical contraindications. These include:

• arteritis;
• thromboangiitis;
• skin dermatitis;
• chronic leg diseases;
• atherosclerosis;
• circulatory problems;
• skin hypersensitivity.

To increase the durability of your garment, wash it on a gentle cycle no higher than 30 degrees, or wash it by hand. To avoid damaging the fibers, do not use bleach or chlorine. Compression clothing does not need to be dried on a radiator, ironed or wrung out in an automatic machine. We recommend that you rinse your compression garment after training for 10 minutes using mild powders or shampoos - this way you can keep your t-shirt durable and fresh for a long time.

Compression pants are a specialized type of sportswear, the main purpose of which is to prevent the athlete from sprains and muscle microtrauma. To date, compression pants are actively used in various types sport by both professional athletes and amateurs. In today's LYNX article, in which you can perform, develop, as well as, tell readers what compression pants are and why athletes need them. you can on our website at an affordable cost.

Why do you need compression pants?

One of the most important features of this type of clothing is the effective impact on the athlete's blood flow by compressing the deep and superficial veins. Thanks to this effect on the body, compression pants not only prevent the athlete from getting injuries during competitions and training, but also enrich the muscular system with oxygen, making it work more intensively. It should be said that compression pants are also very actively used in modern medicine, for example, in the prevention and treatment of varicose veins, but the main direction of this clothing is sports.

When should sports compression pants be used?

Use in the process of performing at competitions or training compression pants, first of all, has a positive effect on health, as it normalizes and improves the functioning of blood vessels. Due to its unique properties, this sports equipment allows muscular system athlete to withstand for a long period of time very high loads. Due to this, muscle fatigue occurs much later than it happens if the athlete is dressed in a simple sportswear. In addition, sports compression pants make it possible to constantly keep the muscles in a warm state and prevent the athlete from getting injuries in the form of muscle ruptures and sprains. Buying compression pants makes it possible to avoid the following problems:

• the occurrence of overloads of the cardiovascular system;
• stagnation of venous blood;
• circulatory disorders;
• swelling of the legs;
• discomfort associated with thermoregulation;
• the appearance of corns;
• rapid fatigue of the muscular system;
• pain after exercise.

Compression pants are an effective recovery tool for leg injuries.

Separately, it is necessary to talk about the important role that compression pants play in the process of recovering an athlete's legs after an injury. Many leading sports brands have even designed and manufacture their own lines of recovery compression garments. The main feature of these pants is that this equipment has a higher compression effect than clothing designed for training. In addition, compression recovery clothing contributes to a more efficient removal of decay products from the muscular system.

Features of compression pants and who needs them

To date, manufacturers offer a wide range various options compression garments used in various sports. So, for example, compression pants are used by cyclists, skiers, grapplers, fighters mixed martial arts, track and field athletes. And they not only wear compression pants in training, but also perform in them at competitions. Such ammunition will be especially relevant for those sports where there is a high probability of injury.

Another positive effect that the athlete's compression pants provide is an increase in the sensations of body position in space. This has a positive effect on the athlete's coordination and movement technique, which is an indispensable factor for those involved in cycling, skiing or athletics. In addition, compression pants increase the circulation of fresh air, and also protect the athlete's body from hypothermia. As a result, the muscles are in optimal temperature conditions and can withstand intense physical activity.

What materials are compression pants made from?

Talking about compression pants, one cannot fail to say what material compression pants for sports are made of, because thanks to the use of modern, high-tech fabrics, they perfectly absorb sweat and dry instantly without causing discomfort to the athlete. In addition, to increase the safety and comfort of the athlete, compression pants undergo a specialized treatment that prevents the growth of bacteria and reliably protects the product from unpleasant odors.

The quality and effectiveness of compression clothing were appreciated not only by professional athletes, but also by amateurs. Due to the high popularity, modern manufacturers offer potential consumers a wide range of compression pants, so that everyone can find clothes for every taste and design.

If you have to stand often and for a long time, if you lift weights or run a lot, preparing for competitions, then the load goes to your vessels. If there is a predisposition to edema or varicose veins, you can help your vessels with sports compression underwear, and at the same time reduce health risks.

How compression garments work

Compression underwear (socks, leggings, pants, overalls and other options) is so called from the word "compression" - pressure, compression. The essence of the work of any "compression": compression with varying degrees (depending on the location of the body part) of your limbs, along with the vessels in them, to facilitate the work of the circulatory system.

rising from lower extremities up, the blood, overcoming gravity, passes through a series of valves. In normal mode, they function quite calmly, passing a portion of blood up with each heartbeat and not allowing it to accumulate below, inflating the veins or forming edema or even thrombosis.

However, under the influence of exorbitant load (for example, when a person is constantly in a standing position) or, for example, with significant running loads, the vessels can lose their shape and the operation of these valves may be disrupted. Thrombosis may appear and develop, the cardiovascular system is additionally loaded.

Actually, the function of compression underwear is to compress your limbs under a certain pressure, either to help broken vessels function properly, or simply to help them withstand heavy loads without consequences for your health. Spending an entire day on your feet or running a marathon is easier and more enjoyable in compression stockings.

In correctly made compression underwear, for example, in sports socks, the load distribution is calculated. The lower - the stronger the compression, closer to the knee the pressure decreases. This is due to the fact that it takes more effort to lift the blood up from the lower part of your limb.

The “correctness” of compression underwear is confirmed by various standards. In Europe, there is a RAL-GZ 387 standard. Its logo can be found on the packaging and on the label sewn into the compression stockings of some brands, mainly specializing in medical compression stockings.

Medical "compression"

Doctors write, and we retell you: there are 4 classes of compression of medical underwear, but without a doctor you can only look at the first one. First-class underwear can be bought at a pharmacy - it is for prevention. Doctors recommend it to anyone who could find spider veins on their legs, found an increase in saphenous veins, or is irritated by swelling by the end of the day. The remaining classes of underwear will still not be sold to you without a doctor's prescription, and we will never dare to advise without the recommendations of specialists.

Nevertheless, the meaning of this chapter is to talk about contraindications: do not wear compression underwear for atherosclerosis, thromboangiitis obliterans, endoarteritis, orthoarteritis.

Does “compression” make it faster?

All of the sources we found sang in unison an ode to compression clothing for sports - it "supports the muscles by storing and returning energy during muscle stretching and contraction during physical activity" and "allows you to better feel in space."

A study conducted at Newcastle University found that lower torso compression garments increased blood flow and decreased heart rate during high-intensity endurance running. This, in theory, should support the theory that compression stockings or leggings should increase performance. However, this same study did not prove that compression garments actually make runners faster.

So scientists have not yet confirmed the dependence of the result on compression underwear. Perhaps the reason for this is the insignificance of the advantage, lost in the statistical error. The debate about increasing running speed with compression has been going on for decades.

Compression has been scientifically proven to lower an athlete's average heart rate. A test was conducted that measured the frequency of contractions during physical activity. The heart rate of athletes participating in compression underwear was on average 2-3 beats per minute less than that of participants in regular clothes.

What does “compression” give: pain reduction, quick recovery, prevention of vascular diseases

But in terms of health and comfort, there are positive results. Researchers at Macy University in Auckland found that 24 hours after a high-intensity 10K run (using compression socks) there was a reduction in delayed-onset muscle pain. 93% of athletes who ran without compression socks experienced pain in the shin area the day after the race, and only 14% of the subjects who ran in compression socks also felt such pain.

Even the simplest compression socks of leading brands are not cheap pleasure.

Scientists at the University of Exeter evaluated the effects of compression garments on muscle recovery. Tested by repeating three strength exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4 days after painful activities. Wearing compression garments for 24 hours after exercise was found to improve performance on all three endurance tests and reduce subjects' soreness.

If we add here the medical indications for the prevention of long-term negative effects from serious exertion, then the benefits of compression stockings are obvious. However, you should clearly understand how much you need it and wear it deliberately.

When to Wear Sports Compression Underwear

For example, during strong, prolonged loads. An additional risk factor for predisposition to varicose veins is spider veins, enlarged veins, and edema.

For example, to prepare for a triathlon, I was offered to use sports socks from the Australian company 2XU (as I was told, “Mercedes” in the world of sports compression, and even triathletes compete in this brand). I wear it for all heavy cycling and running workouts, especially when the load increases. Actually, with enlarged veins on my legs, I definitely need such underwear at high loads.

A separate topic is restoration, top manufacturers there are lines of recovery clothing after hard training or competition. And based on the results scientific research, you can recommend compression for these purposes.

Top brands have lines of “recovery” compression garments.

But you should not constantly wear a “compression shirt” precisely because of the excessive action of their main positive effect. An “overdose” of pressure can be just as harmful as a lack: your blood vessels can no longer maintain their natural tone, which can also lead to the same problems that such underwear treats. Therefore (unless you have other indications for use), you should not wear compression underwear when the load is familiar to you.

Study carefully dimensional grid compression garments and follow the manufacturer's recommendations exactly. The compression should sit tight (like a second skin), dress with difficulty, but not restrict movement.

Use your compression stockings wisely and for the benefit of your health and results. And may the force be with you.

Now I will try to master an even more controversial question. Many people love compression clothing, many consider it pure marketing. Many use, many consider too expensive. Many rely on it for a better recovery, many use it in competitions. There are a lot of contradictions, so I will try to minimize subjectivity and analyze the available materials on the topic. There really aren't many of them.

These guys have already approved the compression on the circle and do not understand our doubts.

Unfortunately, the information on the topic is on average of very poor quality. The gold standard for verifying various information with supporting links is Wikipedia, but it will simply stun anyone interested in the topic of compression. Let's open the site, read it, open our eyes even wider and close it. The material was written without a single supporting reference and with such harsh and ambitious statements that you involuntarily begin to feel sad. Is there any good research on the topic?
Judge for yourself.

Maximizes strength? Enhances movement? Phew. Interestingly, absolutely the same thing is said about sports cars. At the same time, a compression jacket costs a lot, and if you also notice that they periodically lie on the Internet, this information is hardly enough for us to buy clothes.

Research.
There are two fairly well-known compression garment tests that were conducted in 2003 and 2007.

The first test by Doan, Newton and a crowd of others in 2003 tested the results of 20 athletes in the 60-meter sprint, high jump. Along the way, we looked at the movements of athletes, pulse and body temperature. The test involved 10 men and 10 women, who compared loose and compression clothing during training.
The test results showed no improvement in sprint speed. However, some differences were noticeable. The authors argue that compression landings reduced muscle sway and concluded that it was beneficial in minimizing muscle injury. Also, the movements of athletes have changed slightly, which is easily explained by the psychological effects of compression clothing. And in the compression fitting, the skin temperature grew faster, which is also generally obvious. In principle, this is all that is interesting.

Duffield and Portus' second test in 2007 was more technical. We tested 10 male athletes who tried compression garments from three different brands. Each athlete spent a 30-minute training session wearing 4 different outfits: 3 brands of compression and loose fitting. Sports - cricket, there were sprints for 20 meters, tests for the accuracy of the throws, and the researchers to the fullest reveled on additional equipment. Before and after the exercise, they took blood for lactate, looked at pH, pressure, and performed tests 24 hours after these workouts. What is important, in this case, the compression was tested not only during exercise, but also when resting after them.
The results repeated the past, but it also turned out a lot of new things. There was no difference in sprints and total distance per workout - they ran the same amount and at the same speed. Throw accuracy has not changed. And, funny, there was no difference in the effect of different brands of compression fittings both during training and during rest. Checkmate premium brands.
What was found. The temperature of the skin in the compression fitting again rose faster than in loose clothing. Obviously. And here's what's really important - the researchers noticed a drop in creatine kinase levels during a daily rest in a compression fitting with relatively loose clothing. This could either mean less damage to muscle cells or more efficient recovery. It is not very clear how this was determined, but the authors also reported less muscle pain. Bottom line - they recommend compression garments for reducing muscle damage during training and for better recovery, but do not recommend them for improving athletic performance itself in competition.

Citizen Stickford of the Dallas Medical Center came to similar conclusions (compression garments did not work for the result, the results improved in two out of 16 athletes who believed in the effectiveness of compression garments), recovery was not tested. And in 2013, more recently, Born, Spirlich and others conducted a much larger study that concluded that compression garments can provide a slight improvement in both sprint and race performance. long distances and also reduces muscle damage and slightly speeds up recovery.

It was all practice. Let's now look at what this difference may be due to.

Looks good, as you can see. There are also compression garments in the photos.

Theory.
Oddly enough, but here it is just very, very little. Almost everyone talks about improving blood flow, articles in popular magazines refer to the above tests indiscriminately, but why ... here is the problem.
They decided to cover this issue most accurately on the runlab.ru website, however, even there the whole explanation in the middle of a huge article was reduced to 1 picture and 1 paragraph of text. Here they are:

“Human veins include special valves that help drive blood to the heart. When the state of health of the veins is disturbed, and this includes both normal leg fatigue and varicose veins, regardless of the severity of the situation, the same principle remains - the vein expands. When it expands, the valves form a gap that interferes with blood flow and disperses it. The principle of operation of vein valves is similar to the principle of pressure in a hose with water, because everyone knows that when the tip of the hose is pressed with a finger, the pressure of the water flowing out of it is stronger. So in order to speed up the blood flow, it is necessary to "squeeze" the valve of the vein, that is, to narrow it. Compression clothing compresses the leg and compresses the vein."

We have doctors on our site who, I'm sure, will be able to provide counterarguments. If so, please speak up.

From the above, the following pros and cons come out:

Pros:
maintaining a constant muscle temperature
reduction of trauma and pain
speeding up the recovery process

Popular pros in articles on the net that partially contradict the test results:
reduced fatigue
increasing the endurance of the body
increased muscle efficiency
improved coordination

Minuses:
increase in muscle temperature (in competition in hot weather)
clothing care (usually very delicate washing)
price

Possible cons (Ranlab introduces a few more cons, but does not confirm them with strict conclusions):
Not for those suffering from circulatory disorders, diabetics, smokers, hypersensitive skin and open wounds. In general, if you have a complete set (we definitely have such ones) - just get up and leave the class. Well, you understand.

Reviews.
They are exactly the opposite. At the announcement of this article, several people reported that they use compression and it helps them. However, there are actually quite a few reviews. Let's bring those close to ours cycling theme. As you understand, I do not vouch for objectivity, but I collect for you for the breadth of opinions.

Mikhail Sumar: “I’ve been using it for five years now, I have a different brand but also with brakes on top, they pull off superbly after a race or a heavy workout, I also wear it on flights and long-distance driving trips, my leg is as fresh as a May rose upon arrival.”

From various cycling forums:
“Used X soxs socks. The foot is really less tired.

“About compression underwear and varicose veins. For compression underwear. First, go to a phlebologist and consult with him. Incorrectly fitting compression stockings or stockings can only worsen the situation.”

“Works great for recovery and long epics, over 130km. You put it on in the middle of the trip and it takes the fatigue off your feet.”

Zhenya Shipilov: “I always thought that compression stockings are needed for recovery, I myself use them only for this.”

I hope that your feedback, no matter positive or negative, you write in the comments.

And now important additions.

Compression garments are expressly prohibited by UCI rules. It sounds like this:
"It is forbidden to wear non-essential items of clothing or items designed to influence the performances of a rider such as reducing air resistance or modifying the body of the rider (compression, stretching, support)".

Dress selection under UCI rules should be dictated by the weather, not an attempt to improve performance. Also severely limited maximum height socks. And riders are actually walking on a razor's edge. We've seen it downhill, we see it in all modern highway wear. Constriction clothing is, in fact, there, it helps to reduce air resistance and probably no one but the rider knows how strong the compression effect is in it. In addition, the compression rule is regularly violated and is normally used only at top road and World Cup level races and above. For example, in enduro, compression stockings are massively used by racers at the European Cup stages, where UCI judges stand at every start and finish.

An example of a sock/shoe cover height limit theme.

There is another point that is rarely talked about, but it definitely exists. Psychological. To be honest, this is why I have been using compression in recent years. Valya Popov told me the same thing about himself. Putting on a compression fitting, you begin to feel strongly that you are wearing clothes. If it’s an enduro and you don’t have protection, then this effect helps to dull the feeling of fear on the descent. Closed elbows in dx and enduro, closed knees in cross country. For me personally, this gives a noticeably greater sense of protection, which in fact has not been added a single gram. That is, it helps morally and there is absolutely no thought in my head that it will somehow help the result through better blood circulation.

Well, here's my personal review.
Now I have 2XU clothes on the test, which I replaced above with photos of girls. I will write a story about it, but I say right away that the quality of compression clothing, taking into account the past tests of their equal effectiveness, is probably fair to evaluate not by the effect on the body. Because we can't check it anyway. But there are quite understandable parameters - the quality of the seams, convenience, the presence of problem areas in models (and in my experience they happen more often than it seems), whether the fabric deteriorates from wearing (and it deteriorates in many compressions!) etc. In addition to 2XU, I already used Skins, Nike, Craft compressions and even, out of curiosity, a couple of representatives of the Chinese noname. And the problems are surprising in their diversity.
In general, this is ahead and a separate post about what to look for.