FitShit Compression Socks – Lifetime Review

My very first pair of compression socks were from a company called “Fitshit Gear for Gains”. I ordered two pair, one black and one blue (pictured) mainly because I liked the name, the “FITSHIT” embroidered on the back and price was decent (I believe around $20/pair at the time.

A runner friend of mine suggested compression socks as I was having calf strain issues transitioning from football (sprint speed) to OCR and the distance trail running involved.

My initial feeling was that the fit was not quite right for my size 12-13 feet (depending on swelling that day) because the thicker white padded heel area came pretty high on the Achillies from what I expected from regular socks

I also felt like the elastic cuff hit my calf too close to mid-range and was way too tight. With that, most of my runs would be with the socks in the position shown in the photo, slightly pushed down to alleviate the discomfort around the thicker portion of my calf.


I did utilize these socks for all of my races and training when I wasn’t running in full compression pants, check out my review on those as well, until eventually I created holes in the bottoms of the socks around the balls of my feet. The likely cause was the sand and gravel associated with OCR and Spartan-type races that enter the shoes and move around creating blisters and all other sorts of havoc on the feet!

When 2022 ended I was just about to throw the socks out when an idea occurred to me and I cut off the foot portion of the socks just below the ankle, eliminating the extra padded foot areas and the damaged portions. I now had two pairs of recovery calf sleeves for my post-runs. This actually turned out to be a revelation, as I was now able to pull the “sleeves” up higher, over the meatiest portion of my calves, to just below the knee. Gone was the too-tight elastic band issue from before, and now they were working the way I envision them being created for, just without the feet. For almost all of 2023, I have utilized my FitShit “sleeves” for recovery, some daily road runs when the calves are feeling a bit tight and angry, and in Colorado Springs at my Spartan Trifecta weekend, where I deployed them during the Beast 21k.

In summary, the socks as much as I loved them, were just about a 15% mismatch for my leg and foot structure which no company can be 100% perfect on for everyone. The extra padding in the toes and heel, although great for road running, soaked up a little too much water and mud for OCR in my humble opinion. But, giving these socks a second life as calf sleeves, made me respect the upper build design more and they are still in my bag all these years later for deployment as needed.

My “Fitshit” compression socks, repurposed as compression calf sleeves.

** Note: the socks have a “Lifetime Warranty” advertised, however I did not inquire about that until after I had “altered” them, so I have no expectations towards the company in honoring that, that’s on me for forgetting that component and asking before I made the decision. (I feel like I got my money’s worth!)