New Sports Clothing Technology: The Future Performance Of Athletes
With the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro just five months away, we now start making a flashback on the history of the games and end up noticing that the athletes are getting stronger and have been breaking record after record as time goes by.
And this is directly related to technological advancements. Not only in the field of training, with high precision equipments and researches on the performance of the human body, but also in the nutrition care area, which can, through research, get to the right nutrients to promote increase lean mass, energy and the like.
giphy(6)However, there’s an industry that deserves some highlight. That’s Fashion. That’s right! Fabrics to enhance the athletes’ performance have been developed for their apparel.
No matter the purpose: if it’s either transferring heat from the tee to the environment, promoting higher cushioning to their feet, or even giving their muscles more support.
The point is that the tee or shorts you wear could be contributing, a lot, when it comes to lifting more weight at the gym, or to running faster in a marathon.
All this technology, also developed for amateur athletes, stands out because of the increasing number of people doing sports. Nowadays we’re more inclined to lots of activities and sports, not to mention the traditional weight training at the gym, as well as cross fit, martial arts and running clubs.
“We’ve never before seen or discussed physical activities and body care so much as we have in the past few years”. And the girls are not the only ones. Men have been more dedicated than ever to aesthetics, health and well-being”, points Larissa Temple, product manager at The North Face, in Brazil.
Larissa adds that Brazil is ranked second place worldwide in number of gym members, exceeding 30 thousand clubs nationwide, and such growth is likely to remain in the coming years.
Good fabric, Great Performance
young muscular athlete is at the start of the treadmill at the stadiumFor that reason, when we step into a sportswear store these days, we are faced with endless possibilities. Each of the apparel items and accessories has its own purpose and brings good results in different sport modalities.
That’s why I have looked for the biggest sportswear brands to find more about the technology behind the clothes we wear to do our activities.
I’ve succeeded in my search, as I’ve reached The North Face, Nike and Under Armour. All of them bring not only freshness to the market, but also lots of technology.
Little heat and fast dry
This is what Under Armour promises in 2016. According to Bruno Abilel, their marketing director, with this technology called CoolSwitch, athletes will be able to cool their bodies and fight heat.
foto POUCO CALOR“With a technology that is applied directly to the fabrics and agents that promote faster moisture absorption making you feel the cool of a mint”, he adds.
Another technology is called Streaker: it contains low water absorption, fast dry and anti-shrink polyester that promotes cotton like comfort. I have to admit that I’m quite eager to try each of these technologies.
Protection against the cold
The North Face also brings a similar technology. It’s called Flashdry™ and it consists of a fiber that’s incorporated into the fabric – that is, it doesn’t wash out – which transfers the body moisture to an external layer, improving evaporation and keeping the athlete dry and comfortable during their performance.
foto FRIO“The fabric is present in several products of the brand, like accessories, apparel and footwear of the Trail Run, Ski & Snowboard, and the Sportswear and Outdoor Lines”, Larissa tells us.
Another technology the company highlights is FuseForm™. “It basically boils down to the fusion of Nylon and Polyester to ensure extra protection and comfort, respectively”, explains the product manager.
According to her, this fabric is waterproof, breathable, as well as seamless, and it additionally features lightweight construction, design, comfort and protection. It’s used in the making of waterproof jackets for outdoor activities, like mountaineering and climbing. I definitely want one (well, who doesn’t?).
Fabric Upgrade
foto UPGRADEIn January Nike started the year off with a collection of tights made for running and training. This men’s model features compression adjustments from hips to ankles, which move along with the body.
Plus, according to the brand’s press advisory, the fabric manages body heat and improves circulation, preventing tingling or numbness in legs after the activity.
And that’s not all. The brand’s designers have gone an extra mile and did a research on a technology called Advanced Innovation Kitchen, following cricket players in the extremely hot areas on the planet.
These guys, who play outdoors, have been constantly exposed to sunlight, and so they needed more than just lightweight materials to fight heat.
Inspired by sun shades of reflective windshields that contribute to the conditioning of the car interiors, these designers have come up with a thin polymer metal film to block UV light and infrared heat.
It is applied all across the knee and shin areas as they’re directly affected by the sun’s rays, while breathability in the back of the tights increases air circulation in high sweating areas.
Fashionist Technology
giphy(7)Together with this performance boost, fashion came to give the apparel a little touch. The market has realized that men are more and more inclined to working out and looking good. We’ve had enough of plain black or white tees.
“Now with more frequency than ever men have been searching for sportswear and accessories that combine technology, design and lightweight, leaving behind the old habits of working out in just any white cotton t-shirt they found in the back of their wardrobes”, Larissa points.
According to her, no one cared about matching colors or fabrics in the past. As for today such behavior is really noticeable. Many of these modern items are highly fashionable or even special editions.
That’s why we have selected an entire gallery with several apparel options with more than technological fabrics – but not without a fashionist touch, of course. Check it out.
Nike Men’s Pro Hypercool Max Tight
Foto Nike leggingFeatures Advanced Innovation Kitchen, a thin polymer film that blocks UV light and infrared heat across the athlete’s knees and shins, areas that are more affected by the sun. They also feature a compression system that improves circulation and prevents numbness and tingling in legs after activities.
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