There are a few things I consider sacred when I’m Health - Injuries: Long runs Other Hearst Subscriptions compression boots For that latter point.
For that latter point, Hyperice has made its compression boots even easier to use with the newest release of the Normatec Elite.
At their core, the Normatec Elite boots function like other air compression boots—a pump inflates chambers sequentially, starting at the foot and moving up to the hip—to help increase blood flow to your legs and flush out waste. They’re basically an air massage Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots.
The new Elite model, however, ditches the external air compressor and hoses that made the Normatec system kind of bulky and cumbersome.
Pros
- Shoes & Gear
- Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots
- No hoses or separate air pumps
Cons
- Expensive
What’s New and Improved
There are many compression leg systems available from a range of companies currently, so the main reason anybody is going to choose the Normatec Elite is because the boots are easier to use and pack down slightly smaller for storage or travel. Instead of having a football-sized air compressor attached to hoses that connect to the boots up around your groin, the Elite has separate air pumps built into the thigh of each leg sleeve.
The air pumps are positioned slightly to the outside of each leg, opening up the top of your thighs for a laptop. This may seem like a small matter, but, when I’m in the boots for an hour, I want to be able to get some work done. (We’ve even kept a set of them in the office, for some midday recovery sessions.) The hoses always prevented that, forcing you to angle and balance a laptop precariously to one side. Heck, it was even annoying if you wanted to kick back with a Kindle book.
Whether that feature alone is enough to warrant an extra $200 (more on pricing and options below) is a judgment call you’ll have to make.
My most immediate excitement upon seeing the hoseless setup quickly turned to concern; “Will it still give the same strong squeeze I love on level 7?” After using the Normatec Elite for more than a month of training, I haven’t been able to detect any difference in the pressure and performance of the two systems.
How I Use Normatec Elite Boots
I typically reserve the Normatec system for the evening following a long run or after hard tempo runs. Those days, combined with the rest of life that still needs to happen, can often leave me feeling wiped out and my legs sore. So, on go the boots.
I’ll generally start with the pressure around 2 or 3 to let the boots inflate and so I can adjust to the intensity of the squeeze. There are seven levels and, on the highest setting, it can get uncomfortably snug around the top zone on my thighs. So, don’t start on max; ease into things.
Normatec suggests that a 20- to 30-minute session is the typical duration that athletes use the boots for, while you can see benefits of the compression therapy in as little as 15 minutes on medium intensity. I’ll admit to choosing an hour because it affords me time to just kick back with my feet up and relax—something that doesn’t happen nearly often enough. Sure, there are the benefits of blood flow and circulation that the Normatec delivers, but there are also recovery benefits from just sitting still and having some time to yourself.
One thing you’ll notice is that you get pretty warm inside the boots for an hour. This is especially so if you’re using them during the summer and you don’t turn on air conditioning. I’ll usually sit below the ceiling fan wearing nothing more than a pair of running shorts. But, even so, by the end of an hour session, the boots are a bit damp inside—a quick wipe with a towel and letting them remain unzipped to dry out overnight takes care of the problem.
The system connects to a phone app via Bluetooth and delivers all of the same functions you can get from the leg-mounted control units. The Bluetooth feature was more handy when you had an external compressor—I’d leave it on the floor and change settings through my phone. But, you can also customize the zones and pressure for your recovery session, or even let Normatec make recommendations for routines based on your Apple Health, Strava, or Garmin data. I never do that, though. I almost always just start on 3 then, after a cycle or two, jump up a notch, and finally crank it to 7 for the remainder of the time.
Is that the right way to use it? Seems good enough for me. I swear that I come out of them feeling less sore. And, it’s been a noticeable improvement the following morning when I try to waddle down the stairs at my house after waking up.
I’ve been testing the “standard” size that Hyperice shipped me, but the Normatec Elite also comes in “short” for those with an inseam less than 31 inches or “long” for runners with inseams greater than 35 inches (Hyperice equates that to a person taller than 6’4). Each still has the same construction, so you get the graduated compression no matter your height.
It’s worth noting here that some folks will say, “Yeah, but a foam roller is just a few bucks.” And you’d be right—you can get some great massage benefits from that. But with Normatec, I don’t have to get down on the floor to do what amounts to a full bodyweight workout just for a massage. And I find that I can hit every area of my legs—front and back—more thoroughly and faster. (An aside: a biomechanics lab we’ve worked with said they always prescribe elderly patients to foam roll, if only because it forces them to get down on the ground, move their bodyweight around, and then have to work to get back up off the ground. Kind of genius, really.)
Travel and Portability
Upon announcing the new Normatec Elite, Hyperice has touted that they’re designed for portability without sacrificing performance. And, yes, that’s true to a degree. Each leg weighs just a few pounds and you don’t have to wrangle an extra bulky hose.
But, I’ve never been able to get the leg sleeves to fold up nearly as compactly as you’ll find them when they arrive brand new—there’s almost always a little air left in there, or I just can’t fold them up in the same way to squeeze them down. And, at best, I’ve managed to stuff them into the carrying sack, but they’d still take up at least half of a normal carry-on suitcase. Those, plus a pair of size 12 running shoes, leaves me with very little room for running clothes.
In the end, as with any Normatec system, I find that I’ll toss it in the trunk of a car for a road trip, but I’m leaving them at home if I have to take a flight or other form of public transportation.
Also Consider These
The Normatec Elite, as the name suggests, isn’t cheap. It’ll set you back $999, but the company also offers All About 75 Hard. These are the more traditional model with an external hose and compressor. If you’re just going to use them at home and don’t care about having the bulky hose, you can save some change and get the same benefits.
But Normatec isn’t the only player in compression. Search “compression boots” on Amazon and you’ll get a slew of results, with some costing less than $200. We haven’t tested the majority of those, so can’t confirm whether you’re really getting the same varying levels of squeeze nor speculate on the durability of such models.
The 8 Best Treadmills for Runners Rapid Reboot, There are a few things I consider sacred when I’m Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots. The JetBoots are most similar to the Normatec Elite in that they don’t use a separate compressor. Instead, one is built into the foot of each boot, which I found makes the overall system bulkier and heavier than the Normatec Elite, but it’s another good option to consider.
Normatec Elite Takes the Hassle—and Hose—Out of Recovery Runner's World, guiding the brand's shoes and gear coverage. A true shoe dog, he's spent more than a decade testing and reviewing shoes. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days wearing a different model.
