The best compression boots to aid recovery, tested by our team of marathon runners

Ben Hobson, multiplatform director: With a name that suggests space travel is possible, the Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots are a serious bit of kit for those who want to prioritise recovery.

We’re not saying these are as good as a sports massage (very little is), but these boots do come pretty close when it comes to achieving similar stimulus – the main aim of the JetBoots is to use pneumatic compression to manipulate blood flow and help with muscle fatigue. They do this by progressively filling with air from the foot to the top of the thigh, something that Therabody is very keen to highlight has to be done properly to be truly beneficial. (They call it TruGrade Technology and it relates to a precisely calibrated negative gradient being necessary to provide consistent compression levels and ensure proper fluid movement.).

The day-to-day application of this tech is much easier than it’s made to sound: you can zip yourself into the boots, switch them on and choose between four pressure settings and varying times of session – or you can sync them to the Therabody app to unlock the full potential. This is easy and allows you to adjust pressure more accurately – as well as the the length of the ‘squeeze’ when the boots are fully inflated and amount of time they take to release between each compression cycle. Overall, the customisation aspect of these boots is probably the best on the market. Uniquely, there's no wires on the JetBoots, either, which makes them the least cumbersome option we've tested. Both of these factors will cost you, though, with the boots costing around £300 more than others on the market.

The JetBoots do make some noise, but not so much so that they interrupt the TV as you relax and recover in front of your favourite Netflix show. They’re quite bulky, and though they do ‘fold’ away into a bag, the base of the boot that contains the air pump is reasonably large and heavy so they’re not items you can just tuck away. Therabody claims that you can travel with them, which you can, but only if you’re driving somewhere as carrying them about as luggage would be harder work than the race.

The Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots are an undeniably premium product – but, they do serve a purpose and do it well, which you’d expect for the money.

Kate Carter, former acting commission editor: I confess that when I unpacked the Normatec 3s, I was expecting a long set up and charging procedure. Instead, they were ready to use almost instantly. The control unit has a battery, that takes a while to be fully charged (at which point it lasts approximately three hours), but you can use it while it’s plugged into the mains, too.

The accompanying app is extremely easy to use. You just answer a few questions about your goals, and when you allow it access to your running apps, it even automatically detects what running you have done and suggests an appropriate recovery programme. So once you are zipped in to the leg sleeves, it’s pretty much instant DOMs or twitchy legs relief time.

The design is standard for compression boots – two leg sleeves, connected by hoses to a central control unit which controls the pressure level (you can also do it entirely from the app via Bluetooth). From the app, you can entirely customise your session – adjusting the areas to pay particular attention to – or activating a more intense ZoneBoost to – that niggly area, from your feet to upper legs. You can also get attachments to take in the hip area, which would be good for those with troublesome glutes.

While some rival models offer higher pressure on their devices, the Normatec 3s offered more than enough for me, with the top level reaching quite intense compression. The only real con to the Normatecs is that there is no carry case or storage device. You can purchase one as an extra, but at that price, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect it to come in the package, even just as a simple holdall. Otherwise, these are a great way – if you can afford it – to calm down those achy legs and do your best to recover for another day’s running.

Bulky and no bag to store them in: A lot of compression boots claim to be portable or otherwise suitable for taking abroad with you. But in reality, they’re still pretty bulky and their accompanying carry cases (whether included in the price or an optional extra) would take up the entire contents of your hand luggage if travelling by air. Not the Pulsio boots, though. When I unboxed these I couldn’t believe how well they packed down into a relatively small – and definitely portable – carry bag.

The boots themselves are easy to set up and the legs are handily labelled left and right. Frustratingly, you do need to connect the virtual controller to the mains permanently when using the boots, whereas other power units we’ve tested can be charged to use without the mains. If you're at home, this isn't a problem, but it could be a pain if you’re going overseas where voltage is different or you're killing time at an airport.

The controls are easy to use and allow you to change the pressure, mode and time of the session. There’s no ability to pause the device mid-session, though.

The pressure range on the Pulsio boots is impressive, maxing out at 200mmHg – this is almost on par with the MyoAir and way above the industry standard of 120mmHg. My post-marathon legs definitely appreciated the higher pressure range, too.

Time wise, sessions are limited to 20, 25 or 30 minutes. We would have liked some slightly lengthier options, as it means you need to start the process again if you’re wanting to use the boots for more than half an hour. They're also relatively noisy – not to the extent that you can't watch television or read a book, but it is slightly distracting.

The Pulsio boots come with three modes: Sequence (default), Circulation and Combination. This is about standard. The modes affect how and where pressure is distributed among the boots’ four chambers: the feet, lower calves, upper calves and thigh. Again, simply press the mode button to change to a different mode.

Overall, while the Pulsio boots are slightly limited in terms of their main's connectivity and session length, they're a considerably cheaper option than most other compression boots on the market and offer a pressure range that punches above their price tag. They've also got the added bonus of being extremely portable, and would definitely be our top pick for compression boots to pack for our next "racecation".

Rachel Boswell, senior content writer: Therabody’s RecoveryAir Prime compression boots promise ‘simplified recovery’, and, in equally plain terms, I would say this to be true.

At just shy of £500, the RecoveryAir Prime are the most affordable in the Therabody range, making them also the most accessible with, arguably, the least shebang. While this somewhat negates the use of ‘Prime’ in the product’s name, don’t be deterred – these boots still pack a fine recovery punch.

Remarkably easy to set up, they offer two simple pre-set programmes via the Therabody app – ‘Warm-up’ and ‘Recovery’ – for use before and after a workout, respectively. In all honesty, the only difference between the programmes is the pressure level and treatment time, but that was fine – my legs still noticed and enjoyed the difference between a light, awakening massage and a still-pleasant post-workout pummel.

Split into four chambers, the RecoveryAir Prime boots follow a sequential inflation cycle of 60 seconds, whereby the pressure starts at your feet and moves up your legs toward your torso, inflating chambers one up to four before deflating and going again. Using the self-explanatory buttons on the pump, you can choose from nine pressure settings – ranging from 20mmHg to 100mmHg, going up in increments of 10 – and change the massage intensity mid-treatment should you wish. Having used these boots during the thick of marathon training, I did notice that my legs felt fresher, more flexible and less lethargic than they have done on other occasions when compression boots haven’t been included in my recovery routine.

Unlike the JetBoots (above), you can’t tailor your pressure settings beyond that, unfortunately – but I for one was quite content to literally sit back and let the boots do their own thing.

You can also choose treatments that are 20, 40 or 60 minutes long, or continuous. I’d recommend positioning yourself near a plug socket when going for 60-minute or continuous treatments, though – while the stated battery life is 180 minutes, I found that the battery drained quite heavily for the longer cycles, perhaps because I was making them work at higher pressures. Thankfully, you can still use these boots while they’re plugged in and charging, so a low battery doesn’t mean game over for your recovery sessions.

A slight annoyance is the fact that these boots must be attached to the pump with thick, indiscreet wires – although this wired technology is to be expected with the price. (You'll need to pay £300 more for the JetBoots if you want to go wireless.) Besides, you’ll hopefully be set still in a relaxed, comfortable position when the boots are in action, so the wires shouldn’t bother you at all during a treatment. It’s also worth noting that the pump does make a bit of noise – so if you’re watching TV or listening to music, you’ll probably want to turn up the volume a few dials.

While these aren’t in fact the absolute ‘Prime’ compression boots on the market right now, the RecoveryAir Prime boots are an excellent option for dedicated runners who want a slightly more simplistic, fuss-free recovery tool that still does a worthy job.

Read our full Normatec Premier review

The Normatec Premier are as premium as compression technology gets. Instead of having a football-sized air compressor attached to hoses that connect to the boots up around your groin, the boots has separate air pumps built into the thigh of each leg sleeve. This frees up lap space for a computer or a book — though whether that feature alone is enough to warrant an extra £200 on the Normatec 3 is a judgment call you’ll have to make.

Pressure wise, there are seven levels. On the highest setting, it can get uncomfortably snug around the top zone on your thighs. So, don’t start on max; ease into things. The pressure is distributed via five ‘zones’, with the ability to choose the length of your session (up to 60 minutes). Our tester reported coming 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,’ they said.

The system connects to the Hyperice 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 — we'd leave it on the floor and change settings through our phone. However, you can also customise the zones and pressure for your recovery session, or even let Normatec make recommendations for routines based on third party data from Strava, Apple Health or Garmin.

Our tested tried the 'standard' size that Hyperice shipped, but the Normatec Premier also comes in 'short' for those under 160cm or a 'long' for runners over 192cm. Each still has the same construction, so you get the graduated compression no matter your height.

Hyperice has touted that they’re designed for portability without sacrificing performance. And that’s true to a degree. Each leg weighs just a few kilos and you don’t have to wrangle an extra bulky hose. However, our tester found they were never able to get the leg sleeves to fold up nearly as compactly as you’ll find them when they arrive brand new. At best, they managed to stuff them into the carrying sack, but they’d still take up at least half of a normal carry-on suitcase.

Still, if your priority is a less bulky and cumbersome design, and you've got the budget for it, the Normatec Premier are pretty fantastic.