// Activate / Circulate · Recovery Education
Hip Compression: What It Does, How to Run a Session, Who It's For
Your boots stop at the thigh. Your training doesn't.
"Recovery isn't rest. Recovery is preparation."
// By the Numbers
// The Basics
What Is Hip Compression?
Air in. Hold. Air out. In order.
Hip compression is pneumatic compression around the hips and glutes instead of the legs. The Elite Hip Attachment is built like a big pair of shorts, covering your midsection from the low back down to just above the knee. Air chambers in a wrap fill and release in a set pattern while you lie still.
It's the same idea as compression boots, moved up to the part of your body the boots don't reach. A hub pushes the air, you pick the pressure and the mode, and the session runs on its own.
In the RECON system, hips run on the Activate / Circulate side, off the same 8-chamber hub as the Elite boots.
// Tap a Zone
Where Hip Compression Reaches
Tap the hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings or calves. You'll see what covers that zone, how the chambers fill, and a sample session.
-
Hips.
Covered by: the Elite Hip Attachment, a shorts-style wrap that runs from the low back down to just above the knee and plugs into the Elite Compression System hub.
Chamber order: the wrap has 8 smaller air chambers sized for the hips, matching the Elite's 8. The hub fills them in the pattern of the mode you pick, holds, lets the air out, and repeats until the session ends.
- When
- After training, first in the routine
- Time
- 20 to 30 min
- Pressure
- The hub starts at 30 mmHg. Build up to around 80 mmHg and adjust for comfort. It runs 30 to 260 mmHg.
- Mode
- Any of the Elite's 6 modes
-
Glutes.
Covered by: the same Elite Hip Attachment. Hips and glutes run together in one wrap, one session. Boots off first: the hub runs one attachment at a time.
Chamber order: set by the hub mode, same as the hips. Strap it snug at the waist and upper thighs so the pressure stays even.
- When
- After a heavy lower-body day
- Time
- 20 to 30 min
- Pressure
- Moderate. Firm but comfortable. Start at 30 mmHg and build up to around 80 mmHg.
- Mode
- Any of the 6 Elite modes
-
Quads.
Covered by: two separate sessions. The Elite Compression System boots run 8 chambers from the ankle up to the groin. The Elite Hip Attachment covers the thigh too, down to just above the knee. The Pro Compression Boots cover it with 4.
Chamber order: the Elite splits the leg into 8 chambers that fill in sequence from the ankle up, then release and repeat. The Pro runs the same idea with 4: ankle, calf, thigh.
- When
- After training
- Time
- 20 to 30 min
- Pressure
- Both start at 30 mmHg. Build up to around 80 mmHg and adjust for comfort. Pro: 7 levels, 30 to 240. Elite: 30 to 260.
- Mode
- Pro: 5 modes. Elite: 6 modes.
-
Hamstrings.
Covered by: the same two sessions as the quads, on the back of the leg: the Elite boots (8 chambers, ankle to groin), then the hip wrap (down to just above the knee).
Chamber order: 8 chambers, bottom up through the leg, then release and repeat.
- When
- Leg and hip day, on the Elite
- Time
- Back to back, never at once: boots first, 20 to 30 min. Then unplug the boots and connect the hip wrap for a second 20 to 30 min session.
- Pressure
- Moderate on both sessions
- Mode
- Any of the 6 Elite modes
-
Calves.
Covered by: the lower chambers of the Elite boots, the first of 8 to fill. The Pro covers them too.
Chamber order: the ankle and calf chambers fill first and the sequence works up the leg, all 8 on the Elite.
- When
- Before training, optional
- Time
- About 10 min, then 1 to 2 min of percussion and your normal warm-up
- Pressure
- Light, around 50 to 80 mmHg. Never the top of the range before training.
- Mode
- Your usual mode, at light pressure
Illustration, not to scale. Specs from the RECON product catalog.
// The Gap
Why the Hips Get Skipped in Recovery
Boots stop at the thigh. The work doesn't.
Most athletes run compression on their legs and stop there, because that's where the boots end. The hips get nothing.
Meanwhile the hips do the heavy lifting in every squat, deadlift, sprint and climb. On long drives and flights they sit folded for hours. Then the recovery routine skips them.
Hip compression gives that part of your body its own session. Same hub, same routine, one more slot.
Same body, two attachments. The hip wrap overlaps the boots on the thigh. The Elite runs one attachment at a time, so they're two separate sessions.
// Who It's For
Who Hip Compression Is For
If your hips carry the load, they get a slot.
Hip compression fits anyone who already runs compression after training and wants the hips and glutes in the routine, not just the legs.
- Lifters on heavy lower-body days. Squats and deadlifts load the hips first. Give them a session after.
- Runners, hikers and riders on long days. Hours of climbing, then a boots session, then the hip wrap.
- Anyone who sits or drives for a living. A session when you get where you're going.
- Elite Compression System owners. You already have the hub. The hip wrap is one swap away.
Check first: read the safety notes in the manual. Talk to your doctor before you start if you're pregnant, have a pacemaker or metal implant, a heart or blood pressure condition, broken or swollen skin, or are coming back from surgery or an injury.
Train hard → sit all day → ignore the hips until they feel locked up → grab a foam roller and hope.
Heavy lower-body day → boots first → hip wrap, 20 to 30 minutes, moderate pressure → same slot, every time. Not a bigger effort. The same effort, on a schedule.
// The Hardware
The Elite Compression System and the Elite Hip Attachment
One hub. Pick your zones.
Elite Hip Attachment
Shorts-style. Low back to just above the knee.
It plugs into the Elite hub with its own hose, hose cover and connector. Pressure, mode and session are all set from the hub, so there's nothing new to learn. The hub runs one attachment at a time, so the boots come off before the hip wrap goes on.
- 8 air chambers, smaller ones sized for the hips, matching the Elite's 8
- Runs on the Elite hub: 30 to 260 mmHg, 6 modes
- Hose, hose cover and connector included
- 2.2 lb, packs into the same routine as the boots
Elite Compression System
8 chambers. The hub and boots that run everything
The Elite is built for depth and expandability: a modular hub that takes the hip and arm attachments, and it can run plugged into the wall instead of off the battery every session. It runs one attachment at a time: both legs, the hip wrap, or one or two arms.
- 8 air chambers in every attachment: boots, hip wrap and arms
- 6 compression modes
- 30 to 260 mmHg
- 5200 mAh battery, 2 to 3 hours of working time, or plugged in
- Color LCD, remote, carry bag. Sizes M and L.
Pro Compression Boots
Built for portability, legs only
The Pro is hose-free, with a removable compressor in each boot and nothing to connect. That's the point of it, and it's also why it doesn't take the hip wrap. If you want hips in the routine, the Elite is the one.
- 4 chambers filling from the bottom up: ankle, calf, thigh
- 5 modes, 7 pressure levels from 30 to 240 mmHg
- 15, 30 or 45 minute timer with auto shutoff
// The Protocol
How to Run a Hip Compression Session
Same order as the rest of your recovery. Hips just get their own slot.
Run hip compression for 20 to 30 minutes at moderate pressure, first thing after training. Five steps:
- Connect. Unplug the boots, then plug the Elite Hip Attachment into the Elite hub with its hose and connector. The hub runs one attachment at a time.
- Strap in. Fit the wrap around your waist and upper thighs, snug enough that it stays put.
- Lie back and power on. The hub starts at 30 mmHg. Build up to around 80 mmHg.
- Pick a mode and settle in. Adjust the pressure until it feels firm but comfortable, and run it for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Finish the routine. Unstrap, then move to PEMF and red light if they're part of your routine.
When to run it
| When | Where it goes | Time | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01After training | First, before PEMF and red light | 20 to 30 min | Moderate. Start at 30 mmHg, build up to around 80 mmHg and adjust for comfort. |
| 02Leg and hip day | Back to back: boots session first, then unplug the boots and connect the hip wrap. The hub runs one attachment at a time. | 20 to 30 min each | Moderate |
| 03Before training | Optional. After red light and PEMF, then 1 to 2 min of percussion and your normal warm-up | About 10 min | Light, around 50 to 80 mmHg |
| 04Travel day | When you get where you're going | 20 to 30 min | Moderate |
Two rules: hip compression never replaces your warm-up, and it's a session, not something you wear all day.
8-Chamber Elite Compression System + Elite Hip Attachment
8 chambers in the boots, 8 in the hip wrap. The hub runs 30 to 260 mmHg across 6 modes, on battery for 2 to 3 hours or plugged in. The boots come with it ($649). The Elite Hip Attachment ($175) has 8 chambers and plugs into the same hub, one attachment at a time, so the protocol above is one system, not two.
See the Elite Hip Attachment → See the Elite Compression System →// Where This Fits
Where Hip Compression Fits in the RECON System
After training, compression goes first. Before training, the order flips: red light, PEMF, then optional light compression.
// Sources
- Maia F, Nakamura FY, Sarmento H, Marcelino R, Ribeiro J. Effects of lower-limb intermittent pneumatic compression on sports recovery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Biology of Sport. 2024;41(4):263‑275. doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2024.133665. Used only for the 20 to 30 minute, about 80 mmHg session design. It studied the legs, not the hips.
// FAQ
Hip Compression: Common Questions
Give Your Hips a Slot
Same hub. Same routine. One more zone.
See the Elite Hip Attachment How Compression Fits the RoutineRecover Anywhere. Thrive Everywhere.