Why do Ugandan athletes train in jackets and compression tights?

Prior to coming to train in Kapchorwa, Uganda, I wore t-shirts and shorts on my runs, and more layers in winter. I noticed all the runners here were dressed differently on their easy runs. They wear jackets and compression tights. I was interested to find out why and spoke to athletes and a coach.
Timestamps
00:15 Introduction
01:58 Why the jackets?
04:11 Why the compression tights?
05:29 Summary
Assisted with filming by Jacob Mutela/Charis Media
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[@jgt1120]

I think an extra element is it help athletes train year round for summer races in hot and humid weather.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Good point

[@year1929]

I see this as a cultural practice. Many cultures including people from Latin America associate cold environments with illness or pneumonia. Scientifically this is not true, but there could be other unknown benefits.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Good point. Agree the cold itself not the trigger for illness but does increase vulnerability to viruses/bacteria, unless I’m wrong? But going back to the point of being cultural, yes agree, and explains why even in hotter afternoon/evening weather they still put on jackets on their 2nd run of the day.

[@praneetahluwalia1488]

If the air is cold then the broncial tubes in your lungs contract which can make breathing difficult. The jacket keeps you warm and reduces the contraction of the broncial tubes ..

[@cosmosrunner]

Thank you from England! Wondered this for years! Now I am going to buy for myself.

[@pinoyrunningpenguin]

They have very low body fat so they are susceptible to the cold. It is proper they wear tights and jackets when running at anywhere below 20 C. Look at the Boston Marathon when it snowed and rained, it was Yuki Kawauchi who won. They aren't used to running in cold due to very low body fat.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Good point!

[@MindWealthPodcast]

What a nice video! Very informative and inclusive.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks!

[@dirkvillarrealwittich]

Yes, it is all inclusive.

[@MrOagile]

Great channel

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks!

[@bennywallis1527]

Hey Alvin.. I'm writing from Victoria in Australia. We have many weather changes, so some days I wear jackets, some days, just a singlet and shorts. Always quite cold as I live by the ocean, but not cold like the UK can be. No snow where I am..

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks Benny! Great to hear - makes sense to alternate with weather. How about tights - do you use them, found them useful?

[@ramildublin4865]

Here in the philippine we can not always wear a jacket becoz its too hot here maybe if you run 400Am upto 500Am only.and also during winter only from dcmbr upto february only.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Hi! Yes, best to keep cool in hot weather

[@perryh.-r.4419]

I like this video. I've been curiois about running culture and practices in other countries.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks!

[@merihsolomon9958]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@fecardona]

I think when he talked about the body salts/sweat, he was referring to the toxins expelled in sweating

[@alvinkarangizi]

Yes possibly

[@wanokmorrisson3513]

For me also as an athlete, i like putting on jacket during easy and moderate runs such that I can burn excess fats from body through sweat to help me maintain light body

[@imnotlettingyouseemyname]

That's not how sweat works.

[@RunTwoWin]

I generally train in layers because I condition myself for both heat and weight. When shedding the gear for a race I am lighter and because I primarily only enter summer races, my body is fine with the heat

[@alvinkarangizi]

Great! Thanks for sharing. Also heard the weight thing from some athletes here

[@MrEmbangweni]

Hi Alvin, as I was watching the given explanations, particularly with respect to why wearing a jacket seems to be so prevalent, I have to say that everything that I heard sounded almost exactly the same as the explanations I heard while I was in Uganda twenty years ago, as to why someone might choose to drink room-temperature beer rather than beer that has been cooled in a refrigerator, which I might summarize as, so you don't take a chance and let illness invade your body. I went along with the idea because I didn't want to stand out and just fit in, even though I thought it was a stupid idea, and I don't see much reason to classify the jacket reasons as being any more well supported, and I don't doubt that it is similar thinking leading to this jacket idea to continue to be seen to be in practice

[@alvinkarangizi]

Hi - See what you mean, although not found the room temperature drinks is a thing these days

[@shquibbles8775]

Ive never clicked on a video so fast in my life

[@alvinkarangizi]

Haha, thanks!

[@sandrayohari7502]

Hi from east Java Indonesia ..here is so hot its 37'C even in the morning. Maybe during Rainy season we can wear jacket like that😊

[@alvinkarangizi]

Wow that’s hot, thanks for sharing

[@Clift0n]

I think the real main reason is it looks professional lol. I’m sure it does help warm up their bodies as well tho

[@alvinkarangizi]

Haha, yeah!

[@GTE_Channel]

Interesting, allthough I do not understand removing excess salts. You cant really have enough salts. Or is he indirectly reffering to generate sweating?

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks for highlighting. Not sure too. Thought he might have meant excessive sweat or losing toxins? But the science doesn’t support this as being of benefit as far as I’m aware?! Sweat is for temperature regulation. I tried to focus on sharing the athletes opinions rather than external.

[@jones1068]

More men are wearing tights now 👍.

[@bojanmilito2380]

Hi Alvin, hope your doing good. do you know where I can buy ugandan running clothing online? I didnt find anything. next year I will visit Kapchorwa, hopefully until then your hotel is finish😊

[@alvinkarangizi]

Hi Bojan, good thanks, hope you are too. The kits are only given to athletes. Annoying as I’m sure there are lots of fans intereste. Got the jacket and T-shirt off athletes here. Managed to get an original singlet online from this website trackandfieldclothes.com but the prices have now gone up drastically! Great to hear you want to visit. I’m hoping to get the camp ready by mid-2024. Do let me know if you have further questions 👍🏿

[@bojanmilito2380]

@@alvinkarangizi thank you so much, will write you again once I‘m planning my visit :)

[@Myunclegivesmeworkouts]

Where do they get all these tights ? So expensive

[@simonbosslet4325]

Most of them are professional athletes, they invest in their sport

[@alvinkarangizi]

Great question. The elites get them free from their management camps. Yes, it is relatively expensive for the athletes that are not sponsored. They either get them gifted/sold cheaper from the elite camps or buy them second hand.

[@kylestephens9593]

Somewhere I read a comment stating that Kenyan/Ugandan runners train in jackets because that's how pro runners train in there - in jackets. It's seen as a sign of being a pro. I'm sure it's for the cold too, but you can easily just put on two shirts, one short sleeve and one long sleeve shirt to keep the cold away. Also there's no way these jackets can breathe as well as a simple t-shirt. The tights just look good and are stylish. Short shorts look ridiculous especially if you're a skinny man, it's just not a good look. Again I'm sure it's for bloodflow too, but you cannot deny it's a better look than shorts :)

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks Kyle! Yes agree it's uniform for the athletes and also identity for showing their camps. Have had a few tell me that when they look good they feel like they can run faster.

[@satiricalsartorial]

I imagine wind whipping your chest & back could 'wind' you. That's what they were describing.

[@joebeersmarttraining]

Great video. Some of the science makes sense but the sweat “excessive salts” is not sound science. Keep the videos going 👍🏻

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks - good point. In hindsight I should have put more attention in the video to reviewing that opinion.

[@gudboyngdisyerto]

and why would they want to remove the salt? endurance people even take salt supplements

[@alvinkarangizi]

@@gudboyngdisyertotrue, salt helps with hydration

[@dino_rider7758]

We intentionally train w minimal clothing to keep our skin healthy and body strong enough to tolerate cold, its the opposite approach to preventing sickness, like taking ice baths

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks - good to hear of different approaches

[@pablotaekwon]

Wonderful Adidas marketing. I will dress up myself 😂😂

[@alvinkarangizi]

Haha, unintended

[@logohigh1]

maybe these guys have someone to collect there jackets , when it does get too warm ??!

[@alvinkarangizi]

They keep them on throughout their easy runs. I once took mine off at the end and was questioned on it haha

[@qigong1001]

I don't believe the jackets warmth prevents disease or pneumonia. Westerners do tend to get more flu/sickness, but is shown to be from being overworked, poor nutrition, gym work indoors while in a weak state. But, I would be open to seeing any research or evidence.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks - cold is also a risk factor for flu/pneumonia- cases in Europe go up in winter (another big one is advancing age). I know this from my experience as a doctor - hospital admissions are up in winter. Don’t think it would be too difficult to find evidence to support this. So makes sense that keeping warm would reduce risk of illness. It’s not too cold here (might be because I’m used to even colder places) but can be windy/cool on the mornings

[@qigong1001]

@@alvinkarangizi with respect, more time is spent indoors with others in the winter, lack of vitamin D too. I believe these runners would be even healthier if they expose themselves to the light. Not just for the UV exposure but also for some infrared exposure which also has health benefits. Maybe since you are a doctor, it will be an interesting video to do the pros and cons. and present all arguments. By the way, this is becoming my favorite channel! Good work, well done videos!

[@alvinkarangizi]

@@qigong1001thanks! yes certainly more to explore on this topic on a future video.

[@InfiniteQuest86]

Dude where were these jackets during covid? It prevents the virus. That's crazy.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Haha

[@tomseijnhaeve8427]

These guys are just making stuff up..

[@natesilvers2166]

I don't believe any of it. Sure jacket and tights when it's 15C or under but wearing a jacket to prevent pneumonia, running, in 20C that's never going to happen. My guess is that some of the fastest runners like Kipchoge/Haile wore jackets and tights and it's become a part of running culture over there. I think they use it as a part of heat training to get a good sweat on. When it's sunny outside you want the sun on your skin to produce vitamin D very important for running recovery and overall health.

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks. Agree culture definitely a factor but these were genuine answers from the athletes and coach. They feel cold. It’s unlikely it’s preventing illness. They warm up during their runs. And it’s sunny here and they are outdoors a lot without the jackets so vitamin D not an issue

[@user-zm4rk4gd1u]

I suppose if you're born in a warm climate you'll feel colder than others. When I was in Spain the Spanish would wear jeans and jackets during spring 24C and I was running shirtless thinking it's crazy hot. I trained with a Kenyan few years back and she would wear pants and jacket but she said she liked to sweat and lose some weight

[@snakey973]

I am confused- Don't all distance runners train in jackets and compression tights? They do here in WI

[@alvinkarangizi]

Thanks - WI is? West Indies? Wisconsin? Well it’s not what I’ve observed in UK outside of winter. Even in winter, tights aren’t universally used. Might also be when they choose to train, they always go for morning runs here.

[@snakey973]

@alvinkarangizi oh yes, sorry- Wisconsin. Also cold alot of the time here and we all run in tights and jackets too 🙂

[@alvinkarangizi]

@@snakey973 great, enjoy your training

[@snakey973]

@@alvinkarangizi you too!